Antonelli wins Silverstone sprint after passing Hamilton

In an intense sprint race during the British Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes maneuvered past Lewis Hamilton to clinch victory at Silverstone on July 4, 2026. The race showcased a spirited battle as McLaren's Lando Norris, Mercedes' George Russell, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen engaged in an early lap exchange of positions while Antonelli tracked Hamilton closely.

Following a brief attempt to overtake Hamilton at the start, the 19-year-old Italian chose to settle into the race pace, conserving battery charge for a decisive move. On lap eight, he executed a clean overtake on the Hangar Straight after a good run out of Turn Four, despite Hamilton's efforts to fend him off. This maneuver allowed Antonelli to further extend his championship lead over Russell to 43 points.

"It was a very fun first 10 laps with Lewis. We were both pushing very hard," Antonelli remarked, reflecting on the race's early phase. "When I got into overtake mode, I knew my chance was coming. I used everything I had to make the move."

Hamilton, who finished second, acknowledged the challenge of maintaining his lead against the Mercedes driver. "Tough race to keep the Mercedes behind... he came flying past. I was pushing as hard as I could to keep the gap to more than one second, but he just closed in on the straight to Stowe," Hamilton explained.

Despite the defeat, Hamilton expressed surprise at the competitiveness of Ferrari against Mercedes. He reported, "The guys were talking about it being a 0.6-0.7secs deficit on the straights. Last race we were losing 0.4secs on the straight. I imagine it was something similar here today."

Behind the leaders, Norris executed a remarkable start, moving from sixth on the grid to third by the end of the first lap and briefly overtook Antonelli before losing the position back. Following some back-and-forth with Russell and Verstappen, Norris successfully secured third place and distanced himself from the rest of the field.

"It was a very good race. I'm very, very happy," Norris stated, adding that while he was satisfied with his performance, he recognized the superiority of Mercedes and Ferrari.

Russell initially ascended to third position from fifth on the grid but lost ground in the following laps, finishing fourth. He described the first lap as strong but noted he needed to work on maintaining his position following the overtakes.

"P3 is where I probably should have finished. Finished up P4, one point less. Not ideal," he said.

Max Verstappen, after briefly falling to sixth, found himself battling with Charles Leclerc before ultimately finishing seventh, while Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls secured the final points position on the grid.

Qualifying for the main grand prix took place on Saturday, July 5, 2026, at 16:00 BST.