Antonelli Takes Pole and Sprint Win at British GP, Russell P4
Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position and his first Sprint victory for Mercedes at Silverstone, with George Russell qualifying fourth.
- 1:28.111
- P1
- P4
What Happened
Kimi Antonelli dominated Saturday at Silverstone, winning the F1 Sprint and then securing pole position for Sunday's British Grand Prix. The young driver overtook Lewis Hamilton in the Sprint and set a fastest lap of 1:28.111 in Q3 to take pole. George Russell finished fourth in both sessions after recovering from an off-track moment in Q1.
“The car has felt good all day, and we’ve managed to put everything together, both in the Sprint and then in Qualifying. My final effort was a very tidy lap and proved good enough for pole position.”
“On my final run though I caught some traffic on my out lap and didn’t quite get the tyres in the right window. That meant that my push lap was compromised from the start and we had to settle for P4.”
Team principal Toto Wolff highlighted the close battle with Ferrari, noting that both drivers showed strong pace despite challenges from wind and traffic. Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin added that the car's long-run pace was encouraging and that opportunities remain for Sunday's race.
Why this matters
The results set up a competitive British Grand Prix, with Mercedes and Ferrari battling at the front and Antonelli showing strong pace.
Terms in This Story
- Pole position
- The first-place starting position on the grid, determined by the fastest qualifying lap.
- Sprint
- A short race held on Saturday that sets the grid for the main Grand Prix.
- Q1, Q2, Q3
- The three qualifying sessions where drivers are eliminated and the final grid is set.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.