Lewis Hamilton turned Ferrari’s encouraging Silverstone Friday into pole position for Saturday’s British Grand Prix Sprint, beating Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli by just 0.011s in Sprint Qualifying.
The seven-time world champion had already set the pace in the only practice session, a trend covered in ReadMotoSport’s Hamilton FP1 Silverstone analysis, before carrying that speed through SQ1, SQ2 and the final soft-tyre shootout.
Hamilton’s decisive 1:28.376 put him ahead of Antonelli, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, giving Ferrari first and fourth for the 17-lap Sprint. George Russell took fifth, while McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were left sixth and seventh after failing to convert their early pace.
Hamilton’s margin changes Ferrari’s weekend
The official Formula 1 race hub confirmed Hamilton, Antonelli, Verstappen, Leclerc and Russell as the top five, while the FIA report listed the final gap to Antonelli at 0.011s and Verstappen at 0.321s.
That matters because Silverstone’s 5.891km layout usually exposes drag, balance and tyre warm-up compromises. Ferrari did not simply benefit from a one-lap spike; Hamilton led every phase of Sprint Qualifying, which makes Saturday’s first stint a live examination of whether the SF-26 can resist Mercedes and Red Bull across race fuel.
McLaren left chasing after damage note
Norris reached SQ3 but was left seventh on the road before moving ahead of Piastri, with Formula 1 noting Zak Brown’s confirmation that the Briton had carried minor damage from SQ1. That leaves McLaren boxed into recovery mode before grand prix qualifying later on Saturday.
The Sprint starts at 12:00 local time, followed by full Grand Prix qualifying at 16:00. Hamilton now owns the cleanest launch position, but Antonelli’s pace and Verstappen’s third place keep the front row pressure immediate.
