Antonelli denies Hamilton a home sprint win

Saturday, 4 July 2026 16:26

By Reuters

Kimi Antonelli beat home favourite Lewis Hamilton to win the British Grand Prix sprint race for Mercedes on Saturday and forge 43 points clear in the Formula One standings.

Ferrari's Hamilton started on pole but had to settle for second, 2.7 seconds behind, after being passed on the eighth of 17 laps.

McLaren's Lando Norris finished third.

Antonelli's teammate George Russell, his closest championship rival, finished fourth at a blustery Silverstone.

With a maximum eight points for a sprint win, 19-year-old Italian Antonelli now has 179 points to Russell's 136 with seven times world champion Hamilton on 132.

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