Antonelli beats home hero Hamilton to win Silverstone F1 Sprint

Andrea Kimi Antonelli claimed victory in Saturday's Sprint at Silverstone after overtaking Lewis Hamilton, denying the Ferrari driver a home sprint win despite Hamilton starting from pole position.

Hamilton had thrilled the packed Silverstone crowd on Friday by securing a surprise Sprint pole, but converting that into victory proved beyond his reach over the 17-lap contest.

The seven-time world champion made a strong start and successfully defended the lead during the opening laps, keeping Antonelli behind as the Mercedes driver searched for an opportunity.

That chance arrived on lap eight. Using superior straight-line speed along the Hangar Straight, Antonelli swept past Hamilton well before the end of the back straight, with the move underlining the significant difference in battery deployment between the Mercedes and Ferrari. Once into the lead, the Italian never looked back.

Antonelli quickly established a comfortable advantage and crossed the finish line 2.745 seconds ahead of Hamilton to claim another Sprint victory. The result also strengthened his lead in the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers' Championship, continuing an impressive campaign for the Mercedes youngster.

Behind the leading duo, Lando Norris secured third place for McLaren Racing. Although Norris ran comfortably in the final podium position, he was unable to match the pace of the front two and finished around seven seconds behind Hamilton. He also had to withstand late pressure from Mercedes driver George Russell, who settled for fourth.

Charles Leclerc finished fifth for Ferrari, while Max Verstappen recovered to sixth after another poor getaway. The reigning world champion started third but dropped to seventh at the start in his Red Bull before fighting back to sixth by the chequered flag.

Oscar Piastri claimed seventh place after a difficult Sprint for McLaren, while Liam Lawson came out on top in an entertaining battle with Isack Hadjar to finish ninth the final points-paying position in eighth.

Fellow rookie Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten, and the race also marked the first time this season that all 22 drivers reached the finish, with the Sprint running without any retirements or major incidents.