F1 British Grand Prix 2026: Antonelli wins sprint, main race Sunday
F1 British Grand Prix 2026 at Silverstone (July 4-6). Sprint race (July 5): Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) won after overtaking polesitter Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) mid-race; sprint podium: 1. Antonelli, 2. Hamilton, 3. Norris. Grand Prix qualifying (July 5): Antonelli on pole (1:28.111), Leclerc P2 (+0.175s), Hamilton P3 (+0.347s), Russell P4, Hadjar P5, Norris P6, Verstappen P7. Main race: Sunday July 6, 15:00 BST / 16:00 CEST. Antonelli leads the 2026 championship.
The context
The 2026 British Grand Prix at Silverstone marks one of the season’s most anticipated weekends, combining the sport’s spiritual home with a sprint format that has already delivered action before Sunday’s main event even begins.
Sprint race — Saturday July 5. Kimi Antonelli converted his front-row start into a sprint race victory, overtaking polesitter Lewis Hamilton mid-race and managing his advantage to the chequered flag. For the championship-leading Italian, it was another demonstration of the composure that has defined his debut season. For Hamilton, a sprint pole in his Ferrari colours at Silverstone — the circuit he has won at eight times in his career — was a moment charged with emotion, even if the sprint result didn’t deliver a win.
Sprint qualifying — Friday July 4. Hamilton’s 1m 28.376s was edged by just 0.011 seconds over Antonelli — the narrowest of margins that set up a front-row battle for the sprint. Max Verstappen was third, George Russell fourth, Charles Leclerc fifth, Oscar Piastri sixth.
The main race on Sunday July 6 is set over the full 52-lap Grand Prix distance. Silverstone’s circuit has been resurfaced ahead of the 2026 event, and the new 2026-spec cars — with their active aerodynamics and 50/50 electric-combustion power units — are expected to produce some of the fastest lap times the track has ever seen.
Grand Prix qualifying — Saturday July 5. Kimi Antonelli carried his sprint momentum into Grand Prix qualifying, putting in a dominant pole lap of 1:28.111 — 0.175 seconds clear of Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in second. Lewis Hamilton, who had taken sprint pole by 0.011 seconds from Antonelli on Friday, qualified third (+0.347s), giving Ferrari two cars in the top three for Sunday’s race. George Russell (Mercedes) lines up fourth, Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) fifth, Lando Norris (McLaren) sixth, and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) seventh. It is Antonelli’s fifth pole of the 2026 season. The Silverstone crowd of around 150,000 will see an Antonelli–Leclerc–Hamilton front-three for the lights-out on Sunday at 15:00 BST (16:00 CEST). Sources: formula1.com, Sky Sports, Planet F1.