Antonelli beats Hamilton to win Silverstone sprint

The first big result of the British Grand Prix weekend belongs to Kimi Antonelli. The Mercedes driver and championship leader won Saturday's 17-lap sprint at Silverstone, beating home hero Lewis Hamilton in front of a packed crowd. Hamilton had claimed sprint pole on Friday by just 0.011 seconds and controlled the opening laps, but Antonelli never let the Ferrari escape. Managing his energy deployment perfectly, the young Italian launched his decisive attack into Stowe and swept past the seven-time world champion, who was left with no answer. From there, Antonelli steadily pulled clear and took the chequered flag around 2.7 seconds ahead, adding eight more points to his championship lead.

Hamilton's second place was still an encouraging sign for Ferrari ahead of Sunday's main race, in which the 41-year-old will chase a record-extending tenth British Grand Prix victory. Lando Norris, the reigning world champion, finished third in a McLaren wearing a striking retro white-and-green livery, spending most of the race in a lonely but safe podium position.

George Russell crossed the line fourth after an aggressive opening stint in the second Mercedes, while Charles Leclerc recovered from a poor start that dropped him to seventh, fighting back to fifth. Max Verstappen, who had started third, slipped backwards and had to settle for sixth ahead of Oscar Piastri. Liam Lawson grabbed the final point in eighth, resisting late pressure from Red Bull's Isack Hadjar.

Further back, Fernando Alonso's spin brought out brief yellow flags, and Sergio Perez, whose Cadillac suffered brake problems after the incident, trailed home last.

The Silverstone programme continues at a relentless pace. Qualifying for the main race begins at 16:00 local time on Saturday, before the 52-lap British Grand Prix starts at 15:00 on Sunday. If the sprint is any guide, the fight between Mercedes and Ferrari promises to be one of the defining stories of the 2026 season.