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Mark Vettel for Red Bull - Source: Reuters -
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Red Bull took the fight to Formula One leader Jenson Button at his home British Grand Prix on Saturday by dominating both free practice sessions.
Germany's 21-year-old hotshot Sebastian Vettel was quickest in the morning and afternoon at a windy and cloudy Silverstone circuit, ahead of Australian team mate Mark Webber.
Button, who is chasing his seventh win in eight races and leads the championship by 26 points, was third in the morning but only 14th after lunch when Force India's Adrian Sutil was surprisingly the best of the rest behind Red Bull.
"They're too quick. I think we're going to have trouble this weekend," said Button's boss Ross Brawn.
Vettel lapped the former World War Two airfield in one minute 19.400 seconds in the morning and 1:19.456 in the afternoon.
"The new parts that we brought here seem to be working well, which is a good sign, but on a Friday it's always difficult to know how quick we really are," said Vettel. "I think we've made a step forward though."
Webber ended the second session early after his car hit a kerb hard at turn five, causing the electronics to stop working.
Hamilton happier
McLaren's world champion Lewis Hamilton, who won at Silverstone last year by 68 seconds but has struggled to score points this season in an uncompetitive car, was eighth and seventh respectively.
"The car wasn't too bad today," said the 24-year-old. "The balance was good, we've made some set-up changes and it now appears to be fairly consistent."
Vettel, who led a Red Bull one-two in China, is the only driver other than Button to have won a race this season and started the last Turkish Grand Prix on pole position.
He is third overall, 32 points behind the leader with 10 races remaining.
While the action continued as normal on a gusty day at a circuit due to hand over to Donington Park next year, the session was overshadowed by events elsewhere that affect the future of the sport.
Both Vettel and Button's teams announced overnight, along with six others, they were planning to set up a rival series after failing to reach agreement with the governing body on the 2010 rules.
Read a Q & A on the new comp here.
