The opening Friday practice at Silverstone would see both BMW WilliamsF1 drivers set competitive times early in the session but both would finish the hour down the times in eleventh and twelfth with Ralf leading Juan Pablo. This practice session was not one where quick lap times were on Ralf's and Juan Pablo's agenda. Both drivers concentrated on finding the correct set-up for the circuit. Both drivers would take to the track in short stints aiming at finding the setup.

The session would see Renault's Fernando Alonso setting the pace with a lap time of 1m:20.625. Nearly a second faster than second placed Toyota driver Olivier Panis.

After twenty minutes of the session run the top six would be Alonso, Panis, Barrichello, Trulli, Ralf Schumacher Michael Schumacher. Raikkonen would improve his time with 1m:21.672, moving him up to fifth. Alonso would also improve on his time, setting his personal best in sector two, with a alp of 1m:20.571. Mark Webber would move into the top ten with a 1m:22.221. Juan Pablo would drop down to eleventh. With half the session run Ralf and David Coulthard would both set their personal best in sector one.

Juan Pablo would move into seventh, but he was 1.1 seconds off the fastest time. Coulthard would start to show some pace when he was to set a time of 1m:21.077 to place him second, 0.506 behind Alonso. Ralf would move into third, 0.3 behind Coulthard.

Ferrari's Michael Schumacher would set a new personal best time of 1m:21.610, but this would only see him in seventh. Team-mate Barrichello would move into second. With twenty minutes left to run Michael would move into fourth with a time of 1m:21.387. For Toyota Panis continued to set encouraging times, moving into third just 0.215 off the pace.

Michael Schumacher, joined by Alonso, would take to the track. BAR's Jenson Button would put in a quick lap to now be fifth with a time of 1m:20.990, setting the fastest time of sector one. Raikkonen is unable to better his time. Michael would improve to now be in sixth while Juan Pablo could only find a time good enough for eighth. But he was only 0.6sec off the pace. Panis would improve but he would remain in third.

In the closing minutes Barrichello would stop out on track in the first sector. Alonso would improve his time with a 1m:20.485, 1.119sec ahead of Barrichello. But it would be Coulthard who would snatch the fastest time with a lap of 1m:20.039, almost half a second faster than Alonso. Jaguar's Mark Webber would jump ahead of Alonso, 0.307 off the pace, and into second.