Kimi Antonelli reclaimed victory on Saturday by preventing Lewis Hamilton from claiming a popular home win in the sprint event before the British Grand Prix.
Hamilton began from pole and led Antonelli until lap eight of 17, when the Italian overtook using electrical power assistance.
“Let’s go! Let’s go!” Antonelli radioed the team following the triumph.
“It was an exciting opening 10 laps alongside Lewis, with both drivers pushing hard,” Antonelli later noted. “The momentum continues, and we are performing well with the team.”
The contest illustrated Formula 1 in 2026, where charging and using electrical power shaped on-track duels.
This enabled drivers such as Lando Norris to exchange positions repeatedly, though it also required lifting through Silverstone’s renowned high-speed turns to recover energy.
Hamilton competed for victory again after his recent success at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, his first since joining Ferrari.
“I pushed to the limit and gave everything,” Hamilton stated. “We need to reduce the deficit.”
Lando Norris finished third for McLaren in their retro white-and-green livery after briefly holding second early on and prevailing in a close fight with George Russell and Max Verstappen.
Antonelli’s first victory since the Monaco Grand Prix extended his championship lead to 43 points over teammate Russell, who placed fourth from fifth on the grid.
Russell had noted unusual lack of pace in qualifying, following his Austrian Grand Prix win that improved his title prospects.
Charles Leclerc took fifth for Ferrari, Verstappen sixth for Red Bull, and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri seventh. Liam Lawson finished eighth for Racing Bulls but faced investigation over his duel with Verstappen’s teammate Isack Hadjar.
