Kimi Antonelli claims British Grand Prix pole position ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton

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Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position at the British Grand Prix, clinching his fifth front-of-the-pack start of the season. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top three, respectively.

Saturday afternoon at the British Grand Prix kicked off with Kimi Antonelli spoiling the party for the local fans, after the young Italian brilliantly dispatched Lewis Hamilton in the 17-lap Sprint race to take the first shorter format victory of his career.

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Kimi Antonelli claimed his fifth pole position of the season at Silverstone!

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It was Hamilton who claimed pole position for the Sprint race on Friday evening, snatching the top spot away from the Mercedes ace with his final flying lap of the day. The second-oldest and second-youngest drivers on the grid were separated by just 0.011s, respectively.

Qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix would prove to be a very similar story, with the 19-year-old managing to get the better of his title rival on Saturday afternoon.

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Kimi Antonelli claims pole position for the 2026 British Grand Prix

Carlos Sainz kicked off qualifying as the first man to cross the line to start a flying lap in Q1. It was quickly aborted, however, following an off at turn three. During the first round of flyers, George Russell brought out yellow flags at turn seven after an odd trip into the gravel.

The championship contender was able to limp his W17 back into the pit lane and returned to the track to put in a lap time good enough to see him move through to Q2. Isack Hadjar topped the first 18 minutes of qualifying, with Liam Lawson in P2 just 0.024s behind.

The biggest surprise of the session was Franco Colapinto, who was unable to get his Alpine F1 car out of the elimination zone. He joined Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Ocon in exiting Q1.

After a brief delay to the start of Q2, Hamilton held the top spot after the first round of laps, with a wide moment from Antonelli forcing the Italian to get another lap in on a set of scrubbed soft tyres. After he set a competitive lap, Oscar Piastri found himself in danger.

The Australian managed to clock in a more representative lap time and secure his spot in Q2, while Antonelli snatched the fastest lap from Charles Leclerc with his final flying lap. Oliver Bearman and Pierre Gasly joined Williams and Audi in departing Q2.

In the final 13 minutes of qualifying, Antonelli claimed provisional pole after his first run, with Russell just under a tenth off the pace of his teammate in P2 ahead of both Ferrari drivers. A small moment at turn three scuppered Hamilton’s first attempt.

And, when it mattered most, the young Italian struck yet again, claiming his fifth pole position of the current campaign. Leclerc joins him on the front row, with Hamilton and Russell just behind in third and fourth, respectively.

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Full 2026 F1 British Grand Prix qualifying results