British GP 2026: Antonelli claims pole after sprint win, 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 of the home heroes Lewis Hamilton nor Lando Norris, will start from pole position. Instead, the pole 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 is the birthplace of the Formula 1 World Championship, a circuit where speed meets history and where Britain's finest have created unforgettable moments. This weekend, however, the spotlight 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 arrived at Silverstone looking to extend their dominance, while Ferrari hoped Hamilton's remarkable record at his home circuit could finally deliver another victory.The 2026 British Grand Prix is a Sprint weekend, so there is only one Free Practice session (FP1) before Sprint Qualifying, followed by the Sprint race and Grand Prix Qualifying on Saturday.

There are no FP2 or FP3 sessions under the Sprint format.

Free Practice 1: Hamilton Sends a Message

With the Sprint format allowing only one practice session, teams had just 60 minutes to perfect their setups before competitive running began. Lewis Hamilton wasted no time.The Ferrari driver thrilled the home crowd by topping the only practice session with a lap of 1:29.260, finishing 0.213 seconds ahead of championship leader Kimi Antonelli. It was a statement of intent from the seven-time world champion, who looked immediately comfortable through Silverstone's legendary Maggotts-Becketts complex.Antonelli once again showcased Mercedes' impressive pace, while George Russell endured a relatively quiet session as the Brackley outfit focused on race simulations rather than outright lap time. McLaren also looked competitive on home soil, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri remaining within touching distance of the front-runners.Top 5 fastest laps

PositionDriverTeamLap Time / Gap1Lewis HamiltonFerrari1:29.2602Kimi AntonelliMercedes+0.213s3Charles LeclercFerrari+0.599s4George RussellMercedes+0.678s5Oscar PiastriMcLaren+0.887s

Sprint Qualifying: Hamilton Delivers for the Home Crowd

Silverstone erupted on Friday evening. Lewis Hamilton produced one of his finest qualifying laps since joining Ferrari to snatch Sprint Pole by just 0.011 seconds over Kimi Antonelli.

Hamilton had led throughout Sprint Qualifying before delivering a superb final lap of 1:28.376, denying Antonelli at the very last moment.Max Verstappen qualified third, ahead of Charles Leclerc, while George Russell could manage only fifth after struggling to extract pace from his Mercedes. For Hamilton, it marked his first Sprint Pole with Ferrari and reignited hopes of ending Mercedes' dominance in front of his home fans.Top 5 for Sprint race

PositionDriverTeamSQ3 Lap Time / Gap1Lewis HamiltonFerrari1:28.3762Kimi AntonelliMercedes+0.011s3Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing+0.321s4Charles LeclercFerrari+0.327s5George RussellMercedes+0.357s

Sprint Race: Antonelli Answers Back

If Friday belonged to Hamilton, Saturday afternoon belonged to Antonelli. Kimi overtook Hamilton around Hangar Straight on Lap 8 using Overtake Mode before pulling away to secure his first Sprint victory. Once in clean air, Antonelli was untouchable, crossing the line 2.7 seconds clear of Hamilton to claim maximum Sprint points and strengthen his championship lead.Lando Norris recovered brilliantly to finish third, while George Russell narrowly missed the podium in fourth.

Hamilton admitted the changing wind conditions played a major role in Antonelli's decisive move, but Ferrari's pace suggested they remained genuine contenders heading into 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 VerstappenRed Bull Racing17+16.550s37Oscar PiastriMcLaren17+17.551s28Liam LawsonRacing Bulls17+30.233s19Isack HadjarRed Bull Racing17+30.953s010Arvid LindbladRacing Bulls17+35.110s011Pierre GaslyAlpine17+40.273s012Franco ColapintoAlpine17+41.026s013Nico HülkenbergAudi17+42.155s014Gabriel BortoletoAudi17+43.882s015Oliver BearmanHaas17+45.201s016Esteban OconHaas17+46.331s017Carlos Sainz Jr.Williams17+48.910s018Alex AlbonWilliams17+49.441s019Valtteri BottasCadillac17+52.115s020Fernando AlonsoAston Martin17+56.702s021Lance StrollAston Martin17+58.339s022Sergio PérezCadillac17+1:02.114s0

Qualifying: Antonelli Delivers Another Masterclass

With Sprint victory already secured, Antonelli entered qualifying carrying enormous momentum. He produced another stunning performance, setting a lap of 1:28.111 to secure his fifth pole position of the season. Charles Leclerc delivered Ferrari's strongest qualifying performance in weeks by securing second, edging teammate Lewis Hamilton into third.George Russell recovered impressively from an early mistake in Q1 to qualify fourth, while Isack Hadjar completed another outstanding Saturday for Red Bull in fifth. Lando Norris and Max Verstappen could only manage sixth and seventh respectively after struggling to find grip in changing wind conditions.Mercedes maintained its remarkable record of taking pole position at every race in 2026, with Antonelli once again leading the charge.2026 British Grand Prix 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 quite like Silverstone. The Ferrari driver topped practice, secured Sprint Pole, finished second in the Sprint and qualified third for Sunday's Grand Prix. The home crowd will believe another Silverstone triumph remains within reach.

The Race Ahead

Everything points towards another fascinating Mercedes versus Ferrari showdown today on Sunday 7:30 PM IST. Antonelli starts from pole carrying confidence after Sprint victory. Leclerc and Hamilton lock out the second and third positions for Ferrari.Russell will be desperate to challenge after recovering from an eventful qualifying session. Meanwhile, Verstappen and Norris remain close enough to capitalize if strategy or changing British weather shakes up the order. Silverstone rarely disappoints.