Kimi Antonelli returned to winning ways in Formula 1 with a sprint race victory and pole position for the British Grand Prix, capping a day that also featured struggles for his title rival George Russell. Antonelli first overtook Lewis Hamilton to deny the British star a sprint win, then doubled up by going fastest in qualifying to start Sunday’s race from pole.
In qualifying, Antonelli delivered his best lap at the end of the session, going quickest by 0.175 of a second over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with Hamilton third. Russell, who had contact with the wall early on, was fourth again and will start behind the two Ferraris.
Sprint win decided by lap-eight pass on Hamilton
Hamilton began the 17-lap sprint from pole and held off Antonelli through the opening phase. The decisive moment came on lap eight, when Antonelli swept past Hamilton with the help of electrical power deployment, turning a close fight into a sprint victory.
After taking the win, Antonelli celebrated over team radio with: “Let’s go! Let’s go!” He later described the early battle as intense, saying: “It was a very fun first 10 laps with Lewis, we were both pushing very hard.” Antonelli also pointed to the team’s form, adding: “Obviously the momentum is there and we are doing a great job together with the team.”
The sprint was described as a prime example of Formula 1 in 2026, with the strategy of charging and deploying electrical power central to on-track battles. The same dynamic contributed to frequent position changes, including drivers swapping places lap after lap, while also requiring drivers to lift off through Silverstone’s best-known fast corners to recharge.
Behind the top two, Lando Norris finished third for McLaren in a white-and-green throwback livery. Norris briefly ran second at the start before winning what was described as a thrilling back-and-forth battle for third involving Russell and Max Verstappen.
Russell finished fourth in the sprint after starting fifth, while Leclerc was fifth for Ferrari and Verstappen sixth for Red Bull. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took seventh. Liam Lawson finished eighth for Racing Bulls and received a warning after a post-race investigation into his battle for position with Verstappen’s teammate Isack Hadjar.
For Hamilton, the sprint was another step in a renewed run of form after a breakthrough victory last month at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, his first since moving to Ferrari last year. “I was pushing as hard as I could, I gave it absolutely everything,” Hamilton said. “We’ve got a bit of work to do to try and close that gap.”
Antonelli seals pole as Russell hits more trouble
Antonelli’s strong day continued in qualifying for Sunday’s British Grand Prix, where he went fastest on his final lap to secure pole position. Leclerc will start second for Ferrari, with Hamilton third, setting up a front-running mix of Mercedes and Ferrari at the head of the grid.
Russell’s issues carried over into qualifying. After making contact with the wall early on, he ended up fourth again and will start Sunday’s race behind the two Ferraris. The day’s results also mattered in the title picture: Antonelli’s sprint win was his first since last month’s Monaco Grand Prix and stretched his Formula 1 standings lead to 43 points over Russell.
Russell’s difficult Friday followed complaints of a “strange” lack of pace in qualifying the day before, a setback after his win at the Austrian Grand Prix last week had boosted his title chances. With Antonelli now combining sprint victory momentum and pole position at Silverstone, the pressure shifts to Russell and the chasing pack to respond in Sunday’s main event.
