Kimi Antonelli claimed his first win since the Monaco Grand Prix last month, extending his championship lead to 43 points over Mercedes teammate George Russell. The Italian teenager won the British Grand Prix sprint race at Silverstone on Saturday, passing Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton on lap 9 of 17.
Antonelli overtakes Hamilton for the lead
Hamilton had taken pole for the sprint and held the lead for the first half of the race. However, Antonelli powered past on Hangar Straight on lap 9, breaking the hearts of the home crowd. The seven-time champion admitted he could not match the pace of Antonelli's Mercedes.
"It was a tough race to keep the Mercedes behind. I did say that was potentially the case yesterday," Hamilton said. "He came flying past. I was pushing as hard as I could. I gave it absolutely everything, but well done to Kimi, and we've got work to do to try and close that gap, so we can keep up."
Norris takes third, Russell fourth
Lando Norris finished third for McLaren, edging out George Russell and Max Verstappen. Antonelli's victory was a demonstration of both his skill and composure, as he bided his time before clinically passing Hamilton and opening a lead to the flag.
This was Antonelli's first F1 sprint win in only his second season, during which he has taken five race wins. He now leads the world championship by 43 points over Russell and 47 points over Hamilton.
Race action and implications for Sunday
Hamilton and Antonelli were quickly in a race of their own, opening a five-second gap on the chasing pack. Antonelli kept the seven-time champion honest and began to climb all over the back of the Ferrari around the mid-point. By lap seven, he was within three-tenths of a second. Hamilton used all his experience but was ultimately powerless as Antonelli swept past on lap nine.
Antonelli immediately opened a lead and closed out with ruthless precision, finishing two and a half seconds ahead at the flag. Hamilton, however, will be buoyed by Ferrari's pace and a hard-fought second place that showed he could be in the mix on Sunday.
