Perfect Saturday for Antonelli as he grabs pole too

Saturday at Silverstone belonged to one man: Kimi Antonelli. Having won the sprint at midday, the championship leader topped the evening's qualifying session with a lap of 1:29.111 to guarantee himself pole position for Sunday's British Grand Prix. The eight points from the sprint also stretched the young Mercedes star's advantage at the top of the standings; the Italian now leads George Russell by 43 points and Lewis Hamilton by 47.

The Ferraris emerged as Antonelli's closest challengers in the final part of qualifying, though in a surprising order. Charles Leclerc outqualified his teammate to take second and a place on the front row, while home hero Hamilton — Friday's sprint pole-sitter, who is chasing a record tenth British GP victory on Sunday — had to settle for third. Russell recovered from an early scare, having slid off at Luffield and brushed the barrier with front-wing damage, to snatch fourth.

Another of the day's standout names was Isack Hadjar. Fastest in the opening segment, the Red Bull driver qualified fifth, ahead of teammate Max Verstappen; the three-time world champion could only manage seventh, behind Lando Norris as well. Oscar Piastri, meanwhile, ended up eighth in the second McLaren. Racing Bulls' young pairing of Lindblad and Lawson continued their remarkable top-10 consistency.

The 52-lap British Grand Prix starts at 15:00 local time on Sunday. Having pocketed both the sprint and pole on the same day, Antonelli will be chasing a weekend treble, while Ferrari's two-pronged attack and Silverstone's unpredictable weather are already setting the stage for a breathless race.

Top 10

1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) — 2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) — 3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) — 4. George Russell (Mercedes) — 5. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) — 6. Lando Norris (McLaren) — 7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) — 8. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) — 9. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) — 10. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)

Image: Motorsport Week