A devastated Andy Murray was left questioning his motivation to keep going after Stefanos Tsitsipas fought back to win their delayed second-round clash on Centre Court.

The Scot was two sets to one up overnight after the 11pm curfew came into play but he was unable to complete the job, with fifth seed Tsitsipas battling to a 7-6 (3) 6-7 (2) 4-6 7-6 (3) 6-4 victory.

It was a hugely disappointing way for Murray to mark the 10th anniversary of his career-defining first Wimbledon title, and he is all too aware that his chances for another deep run here are ebbing away.

The 36-year-old is not yet ready to hang up his racket but it was clear how much this one hurt, and he said: “Motivation is obviously a big thing. Continuing having early losses in tournaments like this don’t necessarily help with that.

“It’s similar to, I guess, last year. I had a long think about things, spoke to my family, decided to keep on going.

“I don’t plan to stop right now. But this one will take a little while to get over. Hopefully (I’ll) find the motivation again to keep training, keep pushing, try and keep getting better.”

Murray missed the French Open to focus on his grass-court preparations and arrived at the All England Club feeling confident and healthy for the first time since winning his second title in 2016.

He was unfortunate to run into a top seed so early, and there were many aspects of his performance that were positive, but he clearly fancied his chances against Tsitsipas on grass.

For all his incredible efforts at the Australian Open this year and other close calls, he has not gone beyond the third round at a grand slam since his hip problems began back in 2017.

There was very little to choose between the pair throughout this contest, with both players dropping serve just once.

But Tsitsipas’ break in the third game of the deciding set proved the crucial one after the Greek had withstood pressure from Murray to force another tie-break in the fourth.

The crowd willed Murray to find a way back into the match and he saved two match points in the final game, but Tsitsipas clinched his third with an ace to set up a very winnable third round against Laslo Djere.

“You never know how many opportunities you’re going to get to play here,” said Murray. “The defeats maybe feel a bit tougher. But every year that Wimbledon’s not gone how I would like, it’s been hard.

“Obviously it’s brilliant to play in great atmospheres. It makes playing the matches more enjoyable and creates certainly better memories.

“But ultimately this was an opportunity for me. I had a good chance of having a proper run for the first time in a long time at a slam. I didn’t take it. Regardless of the atmosphere and those things, it’s still very, very disappointing to be sitting here right now.”

Murray looked on the verge of tears when he was informed during his press conference that a return he hit at 15-30 that was called out in fact clipped the line.

“That’s obviously frustrating because I remember,” he said. “I think it was a backhand cross-court return, very short. I probably would have won the point.”

Murray could have challenged the call but he criticised umpire Aurelie Tourte for not spotting the mistake.

“It was right underneath the umpire’s nose,” he said. “They shouldn’t be missing that. I assumed the umpire would have made the right call.”

Tennis is increasingly moving towards automated line calls, and Murray added: “Right now I obviously would rather it was done automatically. It’s a hard one because I probably prefer having the line judges on the court. It feels nicer to me.”

Murray had no complaints about the match being halted 20 minutes before the curfew on Thursday at the end of the third set or the fact it resumed with the roof open, changing the conditions.

“My opinion is that this is an outdoor tournament,” he said. “They should be trying their hardest to play as much tennis outdoors as possible.”

Murray, meanwhile, had sparked alarm right before the close of play on Thursday by screaming in pain and going down clutching his left hip, but there was no sign of any discomfort in the final two sets.

“I wouldn’t describe it as an injury,” he said. “I obviously slipped, had some initial pain and discomfort. It’s like sort of a jarring of the joint. It can be a little bit sore. I pulled up OK today.”

Liam Broady’s impressive Wimbledon journey is over after he was beaten in the third round by Denis Shapovalov.

The British number five enjoyed a dream Centre Court victory over fourth seed Casper Ruud on Thursday but he was unable to produce another shock, going down 4-6 6-2 7-5 7-5.

The defeat ended British interest in the men’s singles as Broady followed Andy Murray and Cameron Norrie out on a chastening afternoon for the male home players.

He will perhaps have some regrets as he served to go two sets to one up against Shapovalov, but will leave the tournament feeling proud of his efforts as the British man who got the furthest.

He matched his best performance at a grand slam and the £131,000 payday and rankings boost will make a tangible difference to his career, starting with the prospect of him making the US Open main draw next month.

There were questions over how he would pull up after Thursday’s five-setter, and with Shapovalov also playing on Thursday both men made an inauspicious start as there were four breaks of serve by the time it got to 3-3.

Broady began to find his rhythm against the below-par Canadian and pounced at 4-5, breaking for the third time to take the first set.

It was a typically erratic performance from the 26th seed, one moment ripping an unplayable one-handed backhand, the next missing an open-court volley but he managed get two breaks in the second set to level things up.

Helped by some more wayward Shapovalov hitting the Briton manoeuvred himself into a commanding position in the third set and he served for it at 5-3.

But the Canadian regained his level and reeled off four successive games to take a set that looked to have gone.

To his credit, Broady stuck with it in the fourth set, but Shapovalov struck at 5-5 and then served it out to end British hopes for another year, with all three men going out within an hour and a half of each other.

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from July 7.

Thoughts were with Edwin van der Sar.

England’s players arrived in Australia ahead of the Women’s World Cup.

Harry Kane wished England Under-21s luck ahead of their final.

Wilfried Zaha’s life was complete.

Pre-season training has well and truly begun.

A moment of magic from new Southampton manager Russell Martin.

Ruben Dias was enjoying his break.

Bernardo Silva was impressed.

John Terry was gutted to see his former team-mate leave Chelsea.

Trevoh Chalobah felt a similar way.

Former captain Michael Vaughan had his say on England’s Ashes performance.

Gary Lineker knows his cricket.

KP was optimistic.

Chris Eubank Jr remembered his late brother.

The Canberra Raiders players gave a nod to a controversial Ashes moment during their try celebration.

And Australian snooker star Neil Robertson enjoyed a twist in the tale…

but also made a point about the standard of cricket in the series.

Matteo Berrettini proved he is the nightmare draw for Wimbledon’s seeds after pulverising Alex De Minaur in straight sets.

Italian Berrettini, the runner-up in 2021, missed last year’s Championships with coronavirus and has endured an injury-hit season, meaning he was unable to defend his Queen’s Club title in the build-up to the Championships.

Having slipped down the rankings to 37, Berrettini is unseeded at SW19, but he showed his grass-court pedigree by dispatching Australian 15th seed De Minaur, who reached the Queen’s final this year, 6-3 6-4 6-4.

“Last year, what happened last year is something that I think it didn’t heal yet. It’s a really sharp pain, if I think about it,” he said.

“I probably was in the best shape in my career, especially feeling great on grass. I wanted to enjoy the tournament. Such a special tournament for me.

“Not being able to play was something that, even when I was better physically, was really tough mentally to overcome.

“That’s why I’m here this year, because I missed last year. I was really sad. Even playing like a few points would have been good this year.

“That’s why I’m really happy. I’m really glad. I know it’s the third round, but it feels like way more.”

Third seed Daniil Medvedev wasted little time finishing off his match against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.

The Russian was angry when play was suspended on Thursday evening while he led by two sets with the score at 4-4 in the third.

Medvedev returned to Court Two and duly completed a 6-3 6-3 7-6 (5) victory to set up a third-round meeting with Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics.

“It’s not easy to play two different days. The last time I had it, I lost to (Hubert) Hurkacz here two years ago,” he said.

“At 4-4, it’s never easy. Straight away you’re nervous, you don’t want to lose this set because the momentum of the match can change.

“So I’m happy that I managed to close it out on the tie-break. Happy that I managed to push it through and be here tomorrow.”

Ben Stokes’ latest act of defiance and a spirited performance from England’s bowlers left everything up for grabs after three days of the third Ashes Test.

Just five days after scoring a brilliant 155 in a losing cause at Lord’s, Stokes once again dug deep to give his side hope with a muscular 80 at Headingley.

Despite batting through clear physical pain he pulled the trigger on five sixes and six boundaries, dragging England back from 87 for five to post 237 all out during a frantic afternoon session.

That kept the first-innings deficit to a manageable 26, with a dicey display from Australia’s top order leaving the tourists 116 for four at stumps for a lead of 142.

The England attack was depleted by two, with Stokes clearly unfit to bowl and Ollie Robinson reduced to a spectator’s role by back spasms, but showed huge heart to keep the game, and the series, alive.

Stuart Broad continued his long-time hex over David Warner, Moeen Ali prised mistakes out of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith to reach 200 career scalps and Chris Woakes chimed in with the wicket of Usman Khawaja.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins had earlier claimed his best figures in Ashes cricket, brushing off the the boos that have followed him since last week’s stumping controversy to claim six for 91.

There was a sense of expectation in the air at the start of the day, with England vulnerable on 68 for three but two local heroes, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, unbeaten overnight.

With Bairstow bearing a grudge following the divisive stumping that sparked fury at Lord’s and both men eager to make up for dropped catches on day two, the stage was set for the pair.

Instead, they barely left a dent. Root nicked the second ball of the morning to slip, too eager to play at Cummins with no width available, and Bairstow was not far behind. Tempted to drive away from his body as Mitchell Starc slanted it towards the cordon, he saw his revenge mission fall flat.

Stokes was fighting through the pain barrier to keep the contest alive, moving awkwardly as fresh niggles added to his existing knee problems.

He admitted at the pre-match press conference that his century on Sunday took “quite a bit out of me” and the evidence was there for all to see. His movements were stiff and uncomfortable and there were plenty of grimaces, but he stuck to the task during a careful stand of 44 with Moeen.

Cummins finally drew the latter into a careless hook and Woakes was also undone by the short ball, leaving England under-powered on 142 for seven at lunch. A switch was flipped during the interval and the adrenaline flew during the next 10.2 overs, during which they piled on 95 runs and lost their last three wickets as the game romped along.

Mark Wood got the show on the road, launching Starc for six over midwicket off the first ball of the session. The second was slashed for four, the third for six more and when he top-edged Cummins over fine-leg he had 24 off just six deliveries.

That was where his fun stopped, chipping straight up in the air looking for more of the same, but the tone was set. Starc dropped Stokes on 45, unable to hold on low after making good ground, and it was Starc himself who paid the price as Stokes guided him for three successive boundaries to pass 50.

An outstanding boundary catch from Smith saw Broad become Cummins’ sixth victim, but the emergence of Robinson at number 11 merely raised Stokes’ temperature.

He blitzed Australia’s stand-in spinner Todd Murphy for five sixes in 14 balls – three back down the ground, one swept behind square and another picked up from outside off into the leg-side. He holed out going for another big hit, Murphy going flatter and wider.

Despite being down on numbers, England’s bowling unit needed to front up again and it was Broad who got them on the board in his second over.

Plowing a familiar furrow against the left-handed Warner, he earned an equally familiar edge to slip. For the 17th time in this longstanding duel, and the second time in as many days, Broad had won the head-to-head.

A stand of 55 between Khawaja (43) and Labuschagne (33) threatened to drag the game away from a tiring England. When Labuschagne gloved Wood down leg and Bairstow dropped the catch – his eighth miss of a chastening series – it looked a killer blow.

Remarkably, though, Labuschagne slogged Moeen to deep midwicket off his very next ball and Smith followed close behind. His trademark concentration deserted him after a few short moments, flicking the spinner nonchalantly but straight to the waiting Ben Duckett.

When Woakes snapped up Khawaja’s outside edge – and Bairstow managed to hold on – it left things finely poised with day one centurion Mitchell Marsh (17no) and Travis Head (18no) at the crease.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz toasted a “special” maiden win on Wimbledon’s Centre Court before he fired a warning to his rivals.

Alcaraz had to work hard to beat France’s Alexandre Muller 6-4 7-6 (2) 6-3 in a tough second-round contest that lasted two hours and 33 minutes on the main stage at the All England Club.

The Spaniard lost on Centre Court to Jannik Sinner last summer and despite combining 31 winners alongside 42 unforced errors against Muller, this latest victory made it seven successes in a row on the grass.

US Open champion Alcaraz has won his last 16 sets on English grass, but feels even better is to come ahead of a third-round meeting with Chilean Nicolas Jarry.

“Yeah, I feel that I can be better. Today I’m going to say it wasn’t my best match on grass, but I feel great,” Alcaraz insisted.

“I always say that doesn’t matter if you play a perfect match, you can be better. It’s my case.

“Of course it is really special to have my first win on Centre Court here in Wimbledon. A really beautiful court. I really wanted to have my first one.

“I feel that I belong in that court. I feel like I’m ready to play more matches, to play more great matches on that court.”

Nerves did appear to be present for Alcaraz during the early exchanges and he sprayed 10 unforced errors in the opening half an hour, but a 135mph ace seemed to ease his tension before he clinched a break in the next game as he edged a tight first set.

Muller, ranked 84 in the world, continued to take the match to Alcaraz, who saw four break points come and go at the start of the second set.

Alcaraz eventually had to go to a tie-break and he reserved his best tennis for the crunch moment. A volley at the net got him off the mark and he followed up with a succession of drops shots that helped him claim the second set.

More break point opportunities were squandered by the 20-year-old in sweltering heat with the roof open on Centre Court, but he eventually did break for only the second time in the match at 4-3 up in the third.

Match point was brought up with a 116mph ace and, although Muller briefly stole the show with a stunning backhand return, another big forehand winner from Alcaraz confirmed his 42nd win of the season.

The first seed added: “A little bit (nervous) at the beginning, but the experience that I had last year help me a lot to manage the nerves better than the last year.

“Of course, the round is different, playing the fourth round against Sinner. It was different. This time I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it a lot.

“I felt different from Centre Court than the Court One. I felt the Centre Court is faster for me than the Court One. It was different for me.

“At the beginning the match was long, let’s say, and I adjust very well until the end.”

Victory for Alcaraz means he remains on collision course to meet defending champion Novak Djokovic, who is chasing a record-equalling eighth title in SW19, in the final on July 14.

But the 20-year-old said: “It would be amazing for me to play a final here in Wimbledon, even better if it is against Novak obviously, but there’s a lot of great players playing here on grass, that feel really, really comfortable on grass.

“I have to be really, really focused until the final. It’s a lot of matches ahead. I have to play my best in every match.

“Let’s see if I reach the final or not.”

Cardiff have signed former Reading striker Yakou Meite on a two-year deal.

Meite scored 47 goals in 165 appearances for Reading after joining them from Paris St Germain in 2016.

The 27-year-old, capped three times by the Ivory Coast in 2019, left the Royals at the end of last season after rejecting the offer of a new contract.

“I’m delighted to be here,” Meite told the official Cardiff website.

“It wasn’t a difficult decision to join Cardiff City once they came in for me. I’ve had many conversations with the manager, and I very much liked what I heard from him and the project he wanted to achieve at this club.”

Cardiff boss Erol Bulut said: “It’s a great signing for us. He will help us a lot with his power and his speed.

“We are really very satisfied that he’s signed for us. He has played the last five or six years in the Championship, so he knows the league very well.

“He knows how to score goals, which is very important for us.

“It will take a little bit of time, but it’s good that he’s come here with one month to go until the league begins. We will get him ready for then.”

Meite becomes Cardiff’s third summer signing after striker Ike Ugbo and central defender Dimitrios Goutas.

Andy Murray suffered more Wimbledon heartache with a five-set defeat by Stefanos Tsitsipas in their delayed second-round clash.

The Scot was two sets to one up overnight when the 11pm curfew came into play but he was unable to complete the job, with fifth seed Tsitsipas fighting back to win 7-6 (3) 6-7 (2) 4-6 7-6 (3) 6-4.

It was a hugely disappointing way for Murray to mark the 10th anniversary of his career-defining first Wimbledon title, and he is all too aware that his chances for another deep run here are ebbing away.

He missed the French Open to focus on his grass-court preparations and arrived at the All England Club feeling confident and healthy for the first time since winning his second title in 2016.

He was unfortunate to run into a top seed so early, and there were many aspects of his performance that were positive, but he would have fancied his chances against Tsitsipas on grass and this one will sting.

The match began under the roof on Thursday but there were blue skies above on the hottest day of the tournament so far when the players returned to Centre Court.

Murray had sparked alarm right at the end of the set by screaming in pain and going down clutching his left groin but he practised as normal ahead of the match and there was no sign of any discomfort.

The breezy conditions perhaps contributed to more errors from both than was the case in the first part of the match, while nerves were sure to play their part with the contest already so close to its conclusion.

Tsitsipas’ backhand leaked a substantial number of errors but his serve was again working beautifully and Murray was unable to force a break point, the 36-year-old smacking the net in frustration as another close game got away.

He had clearly been eager to avoid the lottery of another tie-break and, in a repeat of the first-set shoot-out, it was Tsitsipas who won the final four points.

Murray’s strategy to relentlessly probe the Greek’s backhand was perhaps becoming a little predictable, and he was in serious trouble when Tsitsipas created three break points in the third game of the deciding set, taking the third to break serve for the first time.

Willed on by the crowd, Murray tried to find a way back but Tsitsipas continued to serve very strongly.

Still there was hope as the home favourite saved two match points but he clinched it on his third chance with his 17th ace to book a third-round clash with Laslo Djere.

Cameron Norrie suffered a second-round knockout to Chris Eubanks to end his Wimbledon hopes.

The British number one was left dazed by American Eubanks’ powerful hitting and his haymaker of a serve in a punishing 6-3 3-6 6-2 7-6 (3) defeat.

In a heavyweight start to the contest, the first 20 points all went with serve including nine aces, seven from the arm of Eubanks.

And it was the world number 43 who landed the first blow, breaking Norrie to love on his way to taking the opening set.

Norrie, the 12th seed and a semi-finalist last year, had barely laid a glove on his opponent, winning just three points on the Eubanks serve.

But the South-African-born southpaw hauled himself off the canvas and secured an early break in the second set to level the match.

However, Norrie has looked ring-rusty in recent months and Eubanks, a grass-court title-winner in Mallorca in June, took advantage by breaking twice for the third set.

Eubanks dropped his guard in the fourth, losing his serve to love, but he hit back for 4-4 to leave Norrie on the ropes.

Norrie survived a match point on serve when a Eubanks forehand thudded into the net.

But Eubanks was too strong in the tie-break, a quick one-two of a booming forehand and delicate volley leaving Norrie out for the count.

Mauricio Pochettino used his formal unveiling as Chelsea manager to warn that the club must move on quickly from their disastrous campaign last season as there is “no patience” in football.

The first 12 months of ownership for Todd Boehly’s Clearlake capital consortium saw the team record its lowest Premier League finish in 29 years and score fewer league goals than in any season since 1924.

The former Spurs boss, whose appointment was confirmed over a month ago, officially began work at Cobham on Monday and faces the daunting task of picking up the pieces from a season that saw two managers dismissed and more than £600million spent assembling a bloated, unbalanced squad.

Work has begun on slimming down the playing staff and shrinking the wage bill with Mason Mount and N’Golo Kante among nine first-team players to have left since the transfer window re-opened.

Pochettino promised more movement in the transfer market and said he would take a more hands-on role in recruitment now that he has formally started work, though co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Lawrence Stewart will continue to lead the process.

Chelsea begin life competitively under their new manager against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on August 13, and the Argentinian said he and his players should not expect to be afforded a transitional period in which to heal from their last campaign.

“Every single season, not only the players but also the staff and the people and the fans have the capacity to move on quick,” said Pochettino. “In football, you need to move on quick. If not, you are dead.

“Of course what I found from day one – and it’s true that the squad is not the whole squad yet – but the players were very open, the attitude is amazing. Of course we have the quality and we are going to add more quality. I’m so excited to be here, and of course I don’t think about what happened in the past.

“The past is not too far away, but I think when you finish the season you have to move on and try to think of the future.”

Co-controlling owner Boehly has so far shown himself to be as ready to dismiss managers as his predecessor Roman Abramovich, with Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter already removed having each worked for only a few months under the American.

Pochettino was given five-and-a-half years to work at his last Premier League appointment, Tottenham, and in that time had a transformational effect on the club, carrying them from a sixth-place finish in 2014 to become title challengers two seasons later and Champions League finalists in 2019.

He was asked whether he expected to be given a similar window at Stamford Bridge in which to rebuild following the failures of last season.

“In football, (there is) no patience,” he said. “It’s difficult to wait. At Chelsea, it is not about asking for time. You need to deliver from day one.

“That is why we are working now in the training ground. It’s not to waste time. It’s to deliver from now, to give our best, to put in the service of the team. Football is about today or yesterday, you can’t talk too much long term.

“You can’t say to the people ‘we need six months to create something’. That’s not good. We need to create the belief from the beginning. I think we’re going to have a squad that can deliver in the short term and give what we expect.

“From day one we need to be thinking about winning. If we don’t win, little by little we need more time to develop our ideas.

“We need to be ready in the first game of the Premier League to beat Liverpool.”

He added that an understanding had been struck from as early the first conversations with the hierarchy about what would be expected of him in the role.

“The first conversation was with Paul and Lawrence, by Zoom. I said ‘I need to know if I need to convince you or you need to convince me’.

“They were very honest with me. They showed the plan. All the good and not so good things that need to happen before July 1, and after. I listened then.

“Then I spoke with the owners in a really good way. They are clever people, football is about being clever and learning from the past and experience. I feel good.

“I’m not a coach that needs to ask for power. I don’t ask in my contract for a clause that I need to do this or that. I need to show to (the owners) and the players and fans that they can trust me and my decisions.”

Celtic new boy Marco Tilio revealed his dream move to Celtic Park was two years in the making.

The 21-year-old Australia winger joined last week from Melbourne City on a five-year deal for a fee reported to be around £1.5million, a record for an outbound transfer made by an Australian club.

Tilio arrived in Glasgow following the departure of Hoops manager and fellow Australian Ange Postecoglou to Tottenham and became the second signing of Brendan Rodgers’ second spell at the club.

Speaking at Celtic Park, the former Sydney FC player said: “I never spoke to Ange but I have spoken to the club for a number of years and they had a plan to track me. They kept tabs on me for a couple of seasons but I don’t know too much.

“For me it’s been about playing football and doing what I can control and that’s on the field. All the other things outside of the football I have never really thought about and I just tried to perform on the field.

“I spoke to the new manager before I signed and he had a great plan for me and for the club and I wanted to be part of that.

“Since I moved to Melbourne City three years ago it was my goal to get to Europe. Here I am with an opportunity that’s presented to myself and I can’t wait to get started.

“The move to Europe has always been on my mind. A couple of weeks ago I knew everything was falling into place and it was amazing for myself because it’s such a big club.

“I couldn’t say no, it was an opportunity that presented itself.

“I spoke to him (Rodgers) before I signed and he said I’m an exciting attacker and he likes to play an attacking brand of football and that’s what I like to do as a player, excite the fans.

“I just love to go forward and make things happen. I hope with this opportunity I have that I can do that.”

Tilio also discussed the move with fellow Australia international Aaron Mooy, who retired from football at the end of the season at the age of 32 after winning a treble with the Hoops, and he is happy to embrace the expectations at Celtic .

He added: “I spoke to Aaron Mooy before I made my decision and being involved with him at the national team a few times.

“He couldn’t speak highly enough of the club and the people at the club and it brought it to my attention that I really wanted to do this.

“It’s going to be massive to try to win back-to-back trebles, that is what the club’s goal is. At Melbourne it was all about winning trophies as well and I have some experience of doing that so I hope I can bring that here.

“It’s a massive bonus playing in the Champions League. It’s a dream and to be part of a team that’s going into that tournament is amazing and hopefully I can present myself on that stage too.”

Lewis Hamilton finished only 15th in practice on a troubling day for the home favourite at the British Grand Prix.

As a dominant Max Verstappen carried over his crushing form to a sizzling Silverstone by completing an ominous practice double, Hamilton’s Mercedes team laboured in the heat.

Hamilton finished 12th in the opening running, and then ended the day three places further back, 1.2 seconds adrift of Verstappen.

Fellow Briton George Russell was a few places better off in 12th in the other Mercedes.

Carlos Sainz took second for Ferrari, 0.022 sec behind Verstappen, with Alex Albon an impressive third in his Williams. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez finished fourth, with Albon’s Williams team-mate Logan Sargeant fifth.

Verstappen, a winner at seven of the opening nine rounds of a one-sided campaign, has already established a commanding 81-point lead in his pursuit of a hat-trick of world championships.

The Dutch driver cruised to the chequered flag a week ago at Red Bull’s home race in Austria, and he will head into the remainder of the weekend as the driver to beat following an emphatic start at Silverstone.

Hamilton has won seven of the last 10 races staged here, but the Mercedes man will have to upset the odds to add to his tally on Sunday.

Hamilton has a new front wing as Mercedes hope to claw back the deficit to their rivals. But their star driver was on the radio complaining about the bouncing his machine was suffering from, while Russell was also on the intercom to bemoan his unruly Mercedes.

“I have no grip,” reported Russell. “The car is sliding all over the place.”

Hamilton is in the midst of another up-and-down campaign. He arrived at the last round in Spielberg following consecutive podium finishes, but Mercedes struggled at the Red Bull Ring.

Hamilton crossed the line in seventh and was demoted to eighth following a second timed penalty, and on the evidence of practice, he may be braced for another underwhelming weekend.

Despite the threat of action from Just Stop Oil protesters, both practice sessions passed off without incident.

However, F1 bosses, Silverstone and Northamptonshire Police remain on high alert that a protest could yet disrupt qualifying on Saturday and Sunday’s 52-lap race where 150,000 spectators are expected to attend.

Elsewhere, Lando Norris was only 14th for McLaren, while Charles Leclerc finished rooted to the bottom of the order.

The Monegasque was ruled out of the second running with an electrical failure on his Ferrari.