Lewis Hamilton was fastest in practice for his home British Grand Prix yesterday, despite losing precious track time due to a Mercedes engine problem.

The Briton, who has not won at Silverstone since 2008 but desperately needs to do so tomorrow to rein in runaway team mate and Formula One championship leader Nico Rosberg, set a best time of one minute 34.508 seconds.

However, Hamilton had to sit out the last half hour after an oil pressure problem stopped him on track with 30 minutes remaining.

That meant the 2008 champion, who is 29 points adrift of Rosberg after eight races, did only 14 laps after lunch compared to Rosberg's 35 and was unable to do an important long run race simulation.

The German ended the day second fastest and 0.228 off Hamilton's pace in the afternoon.

"It happens. I don't know why it happens to my car so much. I don't really know what the car feels like for the race but I will try to get some long runs tomorrow," said Hamilton, who has suffered two race retirements this season.

The Briton will be able to study Rosberg's data but he said that would not help much as they have different styles.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was third on the timesheets in both sessions with Red Bull's Australian Daniel Ricciardo fourth in a morning session notable for the presence of a woman driver, Susie Wolff, for the first time in 22 years.

But Wolff, wife of Mercedes motorsport head Toto, managed just four laps before an oil pressure problem in the car to be raced by Finland's Valtteri Bottas forced her to park up.

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