Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli qualified in P1 at the main race qualifying for the F1 2026 British GP. The young driver was able to beat track favourite Lewis Hamilton and teammate George Russell.
Earlier in the day, the Italian had scored a win in the Sprint Race. He had started P2, behind Hamilton’s Ferrari, but managed to overtake the seven-time world champion. Later on Saturday, Antonelli set a flying lap of 1:28.111 in Q3 that granted him his fifth pole of the 2026 season.
Antonelli: “It was a lap where I put everything together”
During the post-qualifying press conference, Kimi Antonelli discussed his final pole-setting lap. “It was a very tidy lap. It was a lap where I put everything together.”
While discussing his struggles, he contemplated: “Maybe sector one.” He explained: “Sector one I struggled a little bit throughout the session. I was a bit inconsistent there, but sector two and three I felt very good.”
Antonelli concluded: “So yeah, it was a very good lap.”
The young driver also spoke on his doubts about going out first on track for the final stint in Q3. “I’m not a fan of going first for the last run,” he admitted. “But I was a little bit stressed in the out lap. But then I just tried to focus on what I had to do and yeah, luckily it worked out.”
When asked whether this Qualifying session was better than the Sprint Qualifying the day before, Antonelli said: “I think it was very… I mean, we didn’t change the car, so the car felt good. Also, yesterday felt good.
“But yesterday was also more a matter of trying to maximise the grip and everything. Today was a bit trickier, but I think in that regard I put a lot more together compared to yesterday.”
The Mercedes driver discusses front end issues
Antonelli was asked particularly about the front end of his W17. While teammate George Russell had struggled in Q1 at Luffield, the Italian faced some issues at Turn 3.
On whether there were problems with the front end, Antonelli explained: “Well, with our car we struggle a little bit with front locking.
“So, especially in a condition like today that you have the tailwind into Turn 3, front locking was very easy to achieve. In my Q2 Run 1, I locked the front, but also had a little issue with the brake pedal, which it didn’t respond initially to when I applied the brake.
“So, that also delayed the whole braking phase. I also had too much speed in.
“But, to be fair, we did some setting adjustments and then it helped me to regain the confidence on braking.”
Antonelli on “unnatural” feel of F1 2026 power unit during qualifying
When asked about how difficult it was to time “lift offs” and how counterintuitive the engine feels when setting a fast lap, Antonelly admitted: “Yeah, it was not easy, but I think in Q3 I didn’t have to lift.
“But for sure, it’s tricky because with this power unit, you need to sometimes drive in a certain way that feels a bit unnatural.”
The Mercedes driver detailed: “Sometimes going on throttle later, so in high speed, you carry more speed and you go on throttle later, then you may lose a little bit on exit, but then you regain it because by delaying your throttle point, then you get more energy and later into the straight as well.
“So it’s just tricky. You know, you need to work your way around and that’s why sim work has been extremely crucial because, yeah, just to make sure that these kind of things kind of become natural because in the first place, you’re even like, why do I need to lift?
“You know, so it’s just tricky at times. But with the team, we’ve done a lot of preparation and luckily these kind of things have become kind of secondhand.”
“This weekend is probably one of the most special”
At the press conference, Antonelli also reflected on British fans and how “special” Silverstone feels.
“I think this weekend is probably one of the most special along Monza because the crowd, as Lewis said, it’s amazing.”
The young driver praised the old owner of his seat, Lewis Hamilton, who hold a record amount of wins in his home track. “And it’s incredible to see how much support there is for everyone, of course, for Lewis in particular. But it’s kind of the legend here. No, actually, he’s the legend here, especially around Silverstone.
“But the crowd just gives you such a positive energy. And to see people just waiting such a long time just to see you and to even maybe get an autograph or a picture, it’s just incredible. And it’s such a positive energy that it just makes the weekend so special as well, I think. Also, it’s crazy that more than half a million people are coming this weekend.
“So yeah, it’s just obviously I’ve got a very special home race, which is Monza. But this one is definitely very special too.”
Antonelli: “I was able to regain the confidence”
Going back to his flying lap, Kimi Antonelli was asked about how satisfying achieving this pole position was. After the checkered flag, his emotions were palpable through the radio as he talked to Peter “Bono” Bonnington.
The press asked Antonelli how special the lap was compared to other pole positions. The Mercedes driver declared: “Yeah, I think it was a good lap, but Monaco was more special.
“But I was happy with the lap and it was not a very straightforward qualifying because especially at the start, I’ve had my struggle. But, you know, to recover from that and to improve and to rebuild the momentum was very good,” he reflected.
“And that’s why I was very happy that I was able to regain the confidence, build momentum.”
Grateful to his team, he added: “And also with Bono in the session, we just worked around as well with Stefan, my performance engineer, we just worked around settings and just to help to gain confidence. And yeah, it was a great teamwork.”
Antonelli’s outlook for Sunday race at F1 2026 British GP
So far this season, Antonelli has won five consecutive races, from China to Monaco. Yet, he has not stepped onto the first step of the podium since, as Hamilton shocked in the Barcelona-Catalunya win and Russell returned in Austria. Ahead of the British GP, the current championship leader looks forward to getting back on top.
On the biggest challenges ahead of the main race, Antonelli said: “I mean, get a good start like we did today. I have these two behind me, so they’ve been quick today, especially at the start of the race. So, just going to try to get a good start and get into a good rhythm and then hopefully we will be able to achieve a great result.
“But other than that, just going to try to focus on the race that I have to do and just try to maximise.”
When asked about racing wheel-to-wheel with Hamilton and if he felt he had the faster car, the Mercedes driver said: “Well, in the sprint, we definitely had a faster car. Mainly on deg, we seem a little bit better with the tyres.
“So, hopefully we can keep that for tomorrow as well,” he concluded.
