British Grand Prix: Kimi Antonelli passes Lewis Hamilton to win Silverstone

How Antonelli overcame Hamilton’s pole position

The race began with Lewis Hamilton leading from pole, having secured the top spot in a surprise qualifying performance for Ferrari. According to Formula 1, Hamilton initially defended his lead by squeezing Antonelli off the line. While Hamilton maintained the advantage for the first several laps, Antonelli remained close to the Ferrari’s rear wing. The momentum shifted on Lap 8. Antonelli surged ahead into P1 and quickly extended his lead, leaving the rest of the field behind. He crossed the finish line with a 2.745-second margin over Hamilton. The result marks a significant moment for the teenager, who currently leads the world championship by 40 points over George Russell and 46 points over Hamilton, as reported by The Guardian.

The battle for the remaining points positions

Behind the leaders, the race featured frequent position swaps among the top six. Lando Norris climbed from sixth on the grid to third on the opening lap, briefly overtaking Antonelli for second before the Italian reclaimed the spot. The BBC reported that Norris eventually consolidated third place to stay clear of the fight behind him. George Russell’s race was more volatile. He rose to third on the first lap by passing Max Verstappen at Turn Four, but he lost two positions over the next two laps to Norris and Verstappen. Russell eventually reclaimed fourth place, though he expressed frustration with the result. “P3 is where I probably should have finished. Finished up P4, one point less. Not ideal.” George Russell, Mercedes The final points-paying positions were rounded out by Charles Leclerc in fifth and Max Verstappen in sixth. Oscar Piastri finished seventh, followed by Liam Lawson in eighth. Lawson faces a stewards’ investigation for moving under braking during a late battle with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar.

Position	Driver	Team
1	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes
2	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari
3	Lando Norris	McLaren
4	George Russell	Mercedes
5	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari
6	Max Verstappen	Red Bull

Ferrari’s unexpected pace at Silverstone

Hamilton’s ability to secure pole position defied pre-race expectations. Both drivers and teams anticipated that Ferrari would struggle at Silverstone due to the track’s demand for high horsepower. Road & Track noted that Ferrari had previously suffered from power unit deficits and tire issues in Austria. Hamilton expressed surprise that the engine drop-off was less severe than anticipated. He credited the factory team for adding small performance increments to the car each weekend. “I am so happy, so, so happy. It was like ‘Oh, the track’s not going to be the same,’ because that’s what we all thought. And the track’s still phenomenal, the track still feels great, the engine drop-off is not anywhere near what we anticipated.” Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari George Russell admitted he was “very surprised” by the SF-26’s pace, stating that Ferrari had appeared to be on the back foot regarding energy management and the power unit.

Technical penalties and attendance records

The weekend was not without controversy. Williams was forced to start Alex Albon from the pit lane after changing the suspension set-up under parc ferme conditions without approval from the Technical Delegate. Additionally, Sergio Perez finished 22nd for Cadillac after receiving a 10-second penalty for colliding with Fernando Alonso. Off the track, the event set a new attendance benchmark. Approximately 570,000 people attended the race weekend, surpassing the previous record of 520,000 set at the 1995 Australian GP. A notable shift in demographics was highlighted by Lando Norris. Female attendance accounted for 43% of ticket sales for the British GP. This trend was even more pronounced at the “Landostand” at Stowe corner, where 70% of ticket sales last year were to female fans.

What follows for the main Grand Prix

The Sprint result sets the stage for Sunday’s main event. While Antonelli has the momentum and the championship lead, the narrow qualifying gap—just 0.011 seconds between him and Hamilton—suggests a tight battle for the win. Mercedes must now address the inconsistency in George Russell’s pace. Russell noted that while he can usually make a step in Q3, he remained “off the pace of Lewis and Kimi” during the sprint qualifying sessions. Qualifying for the main grand prix is scheduled for 16:00 BST on Saturday.

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