Sprint qualifying got underway at the 2026 F1 British GP.
Lewis Hamilton topped the times in FP1 and will be looking to convert that into a sprint pole. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was close behind.
The sun was shining on Silverstone as all 22 drivers prepared for the first competitive session of the weekend
SQ1: Hamilton the one to beat
The green light signalled the start of Sprint Qualifying at the 2026 British GP. The drivers all made their way out onto the track to set their first laps of SQ1.
After the initial laps were complete, Isack Hadjar sat in P1 with a lap time of 1.29:470. He was closely followed by Lewis Hamilton (+0.112) and Oscar Piastri (+0.113). Further behind, championship leader Kimi Antonelli sat in P5, with his teammate George Russel in P9.
Hadjar didn’t have the opportunity to spend much time in the top spot, as Hamilton found his way back into P1. Leclerc placed his Ferrari into P2 shortly after. Russell had another go at a flying lap, and this time he improved on his time, moving into P5.
At the bottom of the timesheets, Aston Martin, Cadillac and Haas all faced the threat of elimination. Although Ollie Bearman improved his lap time, Alex Albon moved up to P14, dropping Bearman into the elimination zone and knocking him out of qualifying.
SQ1 at the British GP finished with Hamilton at the top, followed by Leclerc and Hadjar.
Out in SQ1
- Ollie Bearman
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Perez
- Valtteri Bottas
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
SQ2: Norris comes close to an early elimination
SQ2 got underway with 16 cars left on the track at Silverstone. Lando Norris picked up a small amount of damage to his break duct earlier in SP1, which he will have to carry for the rest of Sprint Qualifying. He put in his first lap of the session, but couldn’t find the pace to fight for a top 5 position.
Hamilton once again set the fastest lap (1.28:747), with Antonelli (+0.099) and Leclerc rounding out the top 3. Russell once again found himself behind his younger teammate and was only able to manage P8 in his initial run. The two Racing Bulls joined the top 10 spaces that will progress into SQ3.
The drivers took a second lap around Silverstone to try to improve on their times. Out of the drivers in the bottom 6, only Nico Hülkenberg was on a flying lap but was unable to improve on his time and found himself eliminated. Lando Norris made it through, but was only 0.081 seconds faster than Pierre Gasly.
Out in SQ2
- Pierre Gasly
- Gabriel Bortoletto
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Franco Colapinto
- Carlos Sainz
- Alex Albon
SQ3: Hamilton dominates Sprint Qualifying at the British GP
The final round of Sprint Qualifying at the British GP got underway with four British drivers remaining in the running for pole position. However, due to only being able to run one set of soft tyres, no one was in a rush to get out of the garage. This turns SQ3 into a 1-lap shootout for pole.
The Silverstone pit lane came to life as all 10 drivers made their way onto the track for the final time of Sprint Qualifying. Oscar Piastri led the charge and was the first to begin his flying lap. Russell was the final driver to cross the line.
Piastri set an initial provisional pole lap of 1.28.772. His teammate Lando Norris was able to get ahead, however the McLarens time at the top was soon ended by Antonelli and Leclerc.
Hamilton went fastest with a 1.28:376. Verstappen and Russell were unable to challenge the 7-time world champion and took Sprint Pole at the 2026 F1 British GP. Kimi Antonelli will start in P2 (+0.011) and Verstappen in P3 (+0.321).
Full results of the Sprint Qualifying at the 2026 F1 British GP here
