On the track that Lewis Hamilton knows like the back of his hand, the record world champion has had to yield to the championship leader. Kimi Antonelli waited eight laps behind the Ferrari driver in Silverstone before making the decisive overtaking move in lap nine to claim the first sprint victory of his Formula 1 career.
Hamilton had taken pole position on Friday and looked forward to a “great race” – but energy management on the high-speed circuit dictated the race action, and Antonelli coolly seized the right moment. With nine wins and 15 podium finishes, Silverstone is Hamilton’s most successful circuit of all.
In the battle for the championship crown, Antonelli’s lead grew by eight points (compared to seven for Hamilton) to now 47 points. Both are once again the top favourites for Sunday’s race (16.00), with Saturday’s qualifying session (17.00, Sky) set to be decisive.
In the midfield there was plenty of entertainment: Lando Norris finished third, followed by championship runner-up George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri – five drivers who fought each other in open battles with numerous overtaking moves. Nico Hülkenberg finished only 13th in the Audi.
