British Grand Prix 2026: Kimi Antonelli takes pole after sprint victory, nine-time Silverstone winner Lewis Hamilton misses out
British Grand Prix 2026 (Image: AI Generated) Formula 1 has arrived at the iconic British Grand Prix at Silverstone, but this time neither home heroes Lewis Hamilton nor Lando Norris will start from pole position. Instead, pole position for Sunday’s race belongs to Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli.Silverstone has always been more than just another stop on the Formula 1 calendar.It’s the cradle of the Formula 1 World Championship, a circuit where speed meets history and where Britain’s best have created unforgettable moments. This weekend, however, the focus shifted to two generations of racing talent – 19-year-old championship leader Kimi Antonelli and nine-time British Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton.After George Russell’s victory in Austria last week, Mercedes came to Silverstone looking to extend their dominance, while Ferrari hoped that Hamilton’s remarkable record at his home circuit could finally yield another win.The 2026 British Grand Prix is a sprint weekend, so there is only one free practice session (FP1) before sprint qualifying, followed by Saturday’s sprint race and Grand Prix qualifying. There are no FP2 or FP3 sessions in the Sprint format.
Free exercise 1: Hamilton sends a message
With the Sprint format only allowing for one practice session, teams had just 60 minutes to perfect their setup before the competitive drives began. Lewis Hamilton wasted no time.The Ferrari driver thrilled the home crowd by dominating the single session with a lap of 1:29.260 to finish 0.213 seconds clear of championship leader Kimi Antonelli. It was a statement of intent from the seven-time world champion, who looked instantly comfortable at Silverstone’s legendary Maggotts-Becketts complex.Antonelli again showed impressive Mercedes speed, while George Russell endured a relatively quiet drive as Brackley focused on race simulations rather than outright lap times. McLaren also looked competitive on home soil with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri staying within touching distance of the front runners.Top 5 fastest bikes PositionDriverTeamLap time / Gap1Lewis HamiltonFerrari1:29,2602Kimi AntonelliMercedes+0.213s3Charles LeclercFerrari+0.599s4George RussellMercedes+0.678s5Oscar PiastriMcLaren+0.887s
Sprint qualifying: Hamilton delivers for home crowd
Silverstone exploded on Friday night. Lewis Hamilton set one of his best qualifying laps since joining Ferrari to claim Sprint Pole by just 0.011 seconds ahead of Kimi Antonelli. Hamilton led the sprint during qualifying before setting a superb final lap of 1:28.376 to deny Antonelli at the last minute.Max Verstappen qualified third, ahead of Charles Leclerc, while George Russell could only manage fifth after struggling to get pace from his Mercedes. It marked Hamilton’s first Sprint Pole with Ferrari and rekindled hopes of ending Mercedes’ dominance in front of the home fans.Top 5 for a sprint racePositionDriverTeamSQ3 Lap Time / Gap1Lewis HamiltonFerrari1:28,3762Kimi AntonelliMercedes+0.011s3Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing+0.321s4Charles LeclercFerrari+0.327s5George RussellMercedes+0.357s
Sprint Race: Antonelli responds back
If Friday belonged to Hamilton, Saturday afternoon belonged to Antonelli. Kimi passed Hamilton around the Hangar Straight on lap 8 using overtaking mode before setting off to secure his first sprint win. Once in the clear, Antonelli was untouchable, crossing the line 2.7 seconds ahead of Hamilton, taking maximum sprint points and consolidating the championship lead.Lando Norris made a great recovery to finish third, while George Russell narrowly missed out on the podium in fourth. Hamilton admitted the changing weather conditions played a major role in Antonelli’s decisive move, but Ferrari’s pace suggested they remained genuine contenders for Grand Prix qualifying.
2026 Silverstone Sprint Race Classification
Pos.DriverTeamLapsTime / GapPoints1Kimi AntonelliMercedes1726:12,12982Lewis HamiltonFerrari17+2.745s73Lando NorrisMcLaren17+9.783s64George RussellMercedes17+10.639s55Charles LeclercFerrari17+12.620s46Max VerstappenRed6. Bull Racing 517+1 PiastriMcLaren17+17.551s28Liam LawsonRacing Bulls17+30.233s19Isack HadjarRed Bull Racing17+30.953s010Arvid LindbladRacing Bulls17+35.110s011Pierre GaslyAlpine273+40 ColapintoAlpine17+41.026s013Nico HülkenbergAudi17+42.155s014Gabriel BortoletoAudi17+43.882s015Oliver BearmanHaas17+45.201s016Este17C334sHaas Junior PérezCadillac17+1:02.114s0
Qualification: Antonelli delivers another masterclass
With the sprint victory already secured, Antonelli entered qualifying with huge momentum. He produced another stunning performance, setting a lap of 1:28.111 to secure his fifth pole position of the season. Charles Leclerc put in Ferrari’s strongest qualifying performance in weeks to finish second, edging team-mate Lewis Hamilton into third.George Russell recovered impressively from an early mistake in Q1 to qualify fourth, while Isack Hadjar completed another excellent Saturday for Red Bull in fifth. Lando Norris and Max Verstappen could only manage sixth and seventh after struggling to find grip in changing wind conditions.Mercedes maintained their remarkable record of taking pole position in every race in 2026, with Antonelli once again leading the way.British Grand Prix 2026 qualifying results (top 5)PositionDriverTeamQ3 Time1Kimi AntonelliMercedes1:28,1112Charles LeclercFerrari1:28.2863Lewis HamiltonFerrari1:28.4584George RussellMercedes1:28.4815Isack HadjarRed Bull Racing1:28.746
Hamilton’s Silverstone Revival
Few circuits suit Lewis Hamilton as well as Silverstone. The Ferrari driver dominated practice, securing Sprint Pole, finishing second in the sprint and qualifying third for Sunday’s Grand Prix. The home crowd will believe that another Silverstone triumph remains within reach.
Race forward
Everything points to another fascinating battle between Mercedes and Ferrari today at 19:30 IST Sunday. Antonelli starts with confidence in pole position after winning the sprint. Leclerc and Hamilton secured second and third positions for Ferrari.Russell will be desperate to challenge after recovering from a busy qualifier. Meanwhile, Verstappen and Norris remain close enough to take advantage if strategy or the changing British weather shakes up the order. Silverstone rarely disappoints.