Antonelli passes Hamilton to claim first Sprint victory at Silverstone

Kimi Antonelli claimed his first Sprint victory with a composed drive at the 2026 FIA Formula 1 British Grand Prix, passing Lewis Hamilton in the early stages before controlling the remainder of the 17-lap race at Silverstone.

Hamilton started from pole position and made the better launch, moving across to cover Antonelli on the run towards Turn 1. The Mercedes driver, however, remained firmly in touch through the opening laps, as the leading pair quickly broke away from the chasing pack.

By Lap 3, Hamilton and Antonelli had established a clear margin over the battle for third, where Lando Norris, George Russell, Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc were engaged in a thrilling contest. The group exchanged positions repeatedly around Silverstone, with drivers using different energy deployment strategies to attack and defend through several parts of the lap.

Verstappen was among the early movers, battling Russell through the opening sequence, while Leclerc also made progress as he challenged Piastri at Brooklands. Norris eventually emerged at the head of that group, settling into third place for McLaren, with Russell giving chase for Mercedes.

At the front, Antonelli continued to apply pressure to Hamilton and the Italian made the decisive move on Lap 8. Aided by overtake mode, the Mercedes driver swept past the Ferrari on the Hangar Straight to take the lead and immediately began to edge clear. Hamilton had no answer to Antonelli’s pace thereafter, and the championship leader managed the gap to the flag.

Antonelli crossed the line in a time of 26:12.129, finishing 2.745 seconds ahead of Hamilton to secure a landmark Sprint win. Norris completed the top three for McLaren, 9.783s behind the winner, after withstanding pressure from Russell, who finished fourth.

Leclerc took fifth for Ferrari, ahead of Verstappen, who came home sixth for Red Bull after losing ground in the second half of the race due to tyre degradation. Piastri finished seventh in the second McLaren, while Liam Lawson claimed the final point in eighth for Racing Bulls.

Lawson’s result came after a late defence against Isack Hadjar, who dropped out of the points-paying positions and finished ninth for Red Bull. Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10 in the second Racing Bulls.

Further back, Pierre Gasly led Alpine team-mate Franco Colapinto in 11th and 12th, with Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto finishing 13th and 14th for Audi. Oliver Bearman was 15th for Haas ahead of team-mate Esteban Ocon, while Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon finished 17th and 18th for Williams. Valtteri Bottas took 19th for Cadillac, ahead of Fernando Alonso, while Lance Stroll and Sergio Pérez completed the classification one lap down.

2026 FIA Formula 1 British Grand Prix – Sprint 
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 17 26'12.129 
2 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 17 26'14.874 2.745
3 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 17 26'21.912 9.783
4 George Russell Mercedes 17 26'22.768 10.639
5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 17 26'24.749 12.620
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 17 26'28.679 16.550
7 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 17 26'29.680 17.551
8 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 17 26'42.362 30.233
9 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 17 26'43.082 30.953
10 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 17 26'47.239 35.110
11 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 17 26'52.402 40.273
12 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 17 26'53.155 41.026
13 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 17 26'53.809 41.680
14 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 17 26'54.628 42.499
15 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 17 26'57.913 45.784
16 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 17 27'01.939 49.810
17 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 17 27'02.508 50.379
18 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 17 27'02.886 50.757
19 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 17 27'27.246 1'15.117
20 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 17 27'44.001 1'31.872
21 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 16 26'34.406 1 lap /22.277
22 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 16 26'45.695 1 lap /33.566