Mercedes F1’s Kimi Antonelli claimed his first Sprint Race victory at the 2026 F1 British GP, full report below.
Seven-time World Champion and nine-time British GP winner Lewis Hamilton dominated Friday’s running, topping both FP1 and Sprint Qualifying as he led Ferrari to the head of field. Not far behind the Briton, Kimi Antonelli finished P2 in both sessions as well, as a Mercedes-Ferrari battle began to take shape this weekend. In strong form, Hamilton will start on the front row alongside Antonelli, with both drivers in search of their first Sprint win of the season.
It’s Sprint Race time at the 2026 F1 British GP!
The formation lap got underway with all drivers opting for the medium tyres for the 17-lap Sprint, except for both Aston Martins and Valtteri Bottas, who chose the soft tyres. As the five lights went out, a strong launch off the line saw Hamilton lead the pack down to Turn 1. However, at the start, Verstappen’s slow launch off the line saw him lose several places.
Having started from the third row of the grid, Lando Norris found himself in P3. With a lunge around the outside, Russell attempted to make his way past Norris. In turn, the Briton then lost a place to Oscar Piastri. Meanwhile, Norris sailed past Antonelli as well. However, determined to make his way through the field, Russell made an opportunistic move around the outside of Piastri at Stowe and eventually got past Norris as well.
The fight for the final spot on the podium started to unfold as Norris and Russell continuously interchanged positions. Starting to regain the positions he lost, Verstappen passed Russell and chased Norris down for P3 on-track. On Lap 4, further down the field, Sergio Perez reported his brakes were on fire once again.
Hamilton and Antonelli pull a five-second gap
Out in front, Hamilton and Antonelli had built a five-second gap to Norris in P3. After spending several laps behind the seven-time World Champion, with active aero open, Antonelli managed to close in on Hamilton and sailed past him down the Hanger Straight to claim the lead.
Meanwhile, the stewards handed Perez a ten-second time penalty for causing a collision. Heading down to Stowe on Lap 9, Russell found his way back past Verstappen for P4. Joining the Verstappen-Russell battle, Leclerc closed in and joined the fight for P4.
Final laps of the race
With five laps remaining, Antonelli, Hamilton, Norris, Russell and Leclerc completed the top five. In the closing stages, the field settled into a rhythm as the race headed towards the chequered flag. Norris appeared to have the slowest race pace in the field, although it was later reported that McLaren had instructed the Briton to save fuel.
On the final lap, Norris continued to fend off Russell. However, out in front, Antonelli added another win to his name, claiming his maiden F1 Sprint victory in Silverstone. Behind, home heroes Hamilton and Norris completed the top three. However, as the chequered flag flew, the stewards noted Lawson for moving under braking. The incident will be investigated after the race.
