Andrea Kimi Antonelli came agonisingly close to Sprint pole on Friday, missing out by just 11 thousandths of a second. Less than 24 hours later, however, the Mercedes driver bounced back in spectacular fashion by claiming his first Formula 1 Sprint victory, becoming the youngest driver ever to win a Sprint race.
Achieving the milestone at Silverstone, home of several of his closest championship rivals, made the result even more significant. It was another impressive statement from the young Mercedes star, who now heads into Sunday’s British Grand Prix as one of the clear favourites for victory.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli passes Lewis Hamilton for historic victory
At the start, the Bologna-born driver tucked in behind pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari, but he also had to defend against a lightning launch from Lando Norris. Starting sixth on the grid, the McLaren driver immediately challenged Antonelli for second place and briefly managed to take the position on a couple of occasions during the opening two laps.
That battle allowed Lewis Hamilton to build a small advantage at the front. Once Andrea Kimi Antonelli reclaimed second place, however, he quickly closed the gap to the Ferrari and was already tucked into the slipstream of the SF-26 by lap five of the 17-lap Sprint.
After spending several laps studying Hamilton’s driving, Kimi Antonelli made his move on lap eight, completing a decisive overtake on the Hangar Straight. Lewis Hamilton tried to stay with the Mercedes for as long as possible, but even a small amount of graining on Antonelli’s front-left tyre could not prevent the Italian from pulling away and securing a thoroughly deserved victory.
Lewis Hamilton exceeds expectations for Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton may have hoped to repeat the kind of defensive masterclass he produced during last year’s Sprint in China, but there was still every reason for Ferrari to be encouraged.
Before the weekend, Silverstone had been identified as one of the circuits where the SF-26 was expected to struggle badly because of its power deficit. Instead, Ferrari surprised almost everyone by taking Sprint pole and remaining firmly in the fight throughout the race, with the seven-time world champion delivering another outstanding performance in front of his home crowd.
Lando Norris completes the podium as George Russell struggles
Lando Norris also deserves plenty of credit after making the most of his superb start. While an intense battle for fourth unfolded behind him, the reigning World Champion built enough of a gap to keep George Russell at bay despite the Mercedes driver’s late attempt to close in.
George Russell once again experienced the same difficulties that had affected him during Sprint Qualifying. The Mercedes driver had to work extremely hard just to finish fourth, while his championship deficit to teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli increased to 43 points.
Even so, Russell eventually prevailed in his battle with Charles Leclerc, who endured another difficult afternoon. A poor getaway compromised the Ferrari driver’s race from the very beginning, and despite improving his pace later on, he could only finish fifth.
Late battles further down the order
For roughly two-thirds of the Sprint, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri remained involved in the battle near the front. However, as the race progressed, both drivers gradually lost ground and eventually had to settle for sixth and seventh respectively.
The fight for the final championship point became an all-Red Bull family affair. Liam Lawson eventually came out on top for Racing Bulls after an aggressive defensive move against Isack Hadjar at Stowe. The incident was immediately placed under investigation by the stewards and could still have consequences for the New Zealand driver.
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