Kimi Antonelli took pole position for British Grand Prix 2026 at Silverstone after winning the 17-lap Sprint earlier in the weekend. The Mercedes driver now takes a fifth career pole into Sunday, with the front of the grid reshaped behind him.
Antonelli's final lap of 1:28.111 beat Charles Leclerc by 0.175s and left Lewis Hamilton third. He also stretched his title lead to 43 points with the Sprint win, giving him the strongest weekend of his season before the main race.
Kimi Antonelli’s 1:28.111
He topped Q2 before delivering the lap that counted in Q3. Antonelli said, “A bit stressed because I never like going first for the last run!” He added, “The last lap was very tidy.”
That final effort came after the weekend had already swung his way on Friday. Hamilton had been fastest in the Sprint qualifying format, but Antonelli answered in the race itself, then carried that form into Saturday’s main qualifying session.
Ferrari Front Row Pressure
Leclerc and Hamilton filled second and third for Ferrari, both close enough to keep the pole fight tight until the last runs. George Russell was fourth for Mercedes, while Isack Hadjar took fifth for Red Bull and Lando Norris followed in sixth for McLaren.
Russell’s session had a far rougher start. He went off track in Q1 at Luffield, hit the barriers and damaged his car, then returned to the pits for a new front wing and still made it through to Q2. Antonelli's pace at the top came in a session where the order changed quickly, and Russell later said, “The last lap was very tidy.”
Russell Rebounds, Grid Shifts
Max Verstappen qualified seventh for Red Bull, with Oscar Piastri eighth for McLaren. Arvid Lindblad took ninth on his British GP debut for Racing Bulls, and Liam Lawson completed the top 10 for Racing Bulls.
Antonelli said, “I have to be honest, it came all together.” He also pointed to the conditions, saying, “It was very tricky with the wind because it was very gusty and unpredictable.” The grid is now set for The British Grand Prix, with Sunday’s race scheduled for 3pm after build-up from 12.55pm.
