The BMW driver produced a 57.622s lap early on during the 40-minute practice when running in tandem with his BMW team mate Colin Turking📖ton.

With teams and driv♊ers focussing on dialling in the optimum set-up, Hill's early effort wasn't to be b🌳eaten with EXCELR8 Hyundai's Pearson setting the next best effort in second.

Hill still carries a mathematical chance of claiming this season's BTCC drivers' title, but would need to overh🤪aul a 62-point deficit to runaway leader Ash Sutton.

Power Maxed Racing duo Aron Taylor-Smith and Mikey Doble enjoyed a strong start to their Silverstone weekend after setting the third and fourth fastest times aboard their Vauxhall A🐻stras.

Having completed the majority of his running early in session, four-time champion Turkington completed the top-five FP1 order in fifth൩ position, ahead of Sutton's NAPA Racing UK Ford Focus in sixth.

Three-time champion Sutton carries a substantial 42-point championship lead ahead of reigning champion Tom Ingram, who was ninth quickest in FP1 behind Toyo☂ta's Ricky Collard and Team BMW's Adam Morgan in seventh and eighth.

Rory Butcher completed the top-ten practice order with th๊e tenth fastest time.