Antonelli beats Hamilton to claim frantic British GP Sprint win

Antonelli turns Sprint pressure into Silverstone victory

Kimi Antonelli delivered a composed and decisive performance to win a frantic British Grand Prix Sprint at Silverstone, beating Lewis Hamilton by 2.7 seconds to secure his first Saturday victory of the 2026 campaign.

Lando Norris completed the podium for McLaren, though he finished seven seconds behind Hamilton as the Sprint rapidly split into two distinct contests: Antonelli and Hamilton out front, and a combative pack fighting for third.

Two races form inside one Sprint

From lights out, Hamilton and Antonelli immediately broke clear. Across the opening three laps, the pair built a four-second margin while the scrap behind them became increasingly messy.

Max Verstappen, Norris, George Russell, Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc formed a five-car fight for third, repeatedly trading positions around Silverstone. The race was shaped by drivers running different energy levels through the lap, creating overtaking chances at several points on the circuit. Verstappen moved on Russell at Abbey, while Leclerc found a way past Piastri at Brooklands.

By half distance, the fight for the final podium place began to settle. Norris emerged in control of third, but just as that battle cooled, the contest for victory finally intensified.

Antonelli makes the decisive move

Hamilton had built a steady one-second advantage, but Antonelli closed the gap by lap eight and launched his first attack into Brooklands. Hamilton resisted initially, yet the Mercedes driver kept the pressure applied and eventually swept past on the Hangar Straight.

Once ahead, Antonelli had the pace to move clear, leaving Hamilton unable to respond in the closing phase. It was the defining moment of the Sprint and a result with obvious championship value.

Behind Norris, the order shifted again around lap 10 as Verstappen dropped to sixth behind Russell and Leclerc. Russell went on to finish fourth, one second behind Norris, with Leclerc fifth, Verstappen sixth and Piastri seventh.

Lawson claims final point after late defence

The final points position went to Liam Lawson for Racing Bulls. He moved into the top eight after Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar fell out of the points at the start, then defended late against his former team-mate in contentious fashion after squeezing him under braking at Stowe.

Antonelli now carries a 43-point championship lead over second-placed Russell into Sunday’s Grand Prix, with Hamilton four points further back in third.