Antonelli beats Leclerc & Hamilton to Silverstone pole
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the British Grand Prix, outpacing Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, as well as his teammate George Russell.
Antonelli impresses in qualifying
Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli took pole position for the British Grand Prix with a commanding performance at Silverstone. The Italian beat Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by 0.175 seconds.
Lewis Hamilton was third in the second Ferrari, ahead of George Russell, who was 0.370 seconds slower than his 19-year-old teammate.
Isack Hadjar of Red Bull finished fifth, beating Max Verstappen for only the second time this year when both completed qualifying. Verstappen ended up seventh, behind McLaren's Lando Norris in sixth. McLaren's Oscar Piastri led the Racing Bulls of rookie Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson to complete the top ten.
Antonelli, who had already won the sprint race earlier on Saturday, looked comfortable and confident around the fast Silverstone sweeps. Despite complaining about being the first driver to run on his final lap, he improved his previous time by nearly 0.3 seconds.
"I was a bit stressed because I never really like going first for the last run but the last lap was very tidy. It came all together," Antonelli said. "It was very tricky with the winds because it was very gusty, unpredictable, and to build the car to pole was very satisfying."
Leclerc's second place marked the first time he had beaten Hamilton in qualifying since the Miami Grand Prix in early May, ending a run of races where he struggled for confidence in the car.
"I am pleased," Leclerc said. "It has been a few tough races when the feeling was not quite right, struggling to put everything together. There has been so much work behind the scenes to get back that feeling. This was the first time I had it back, I have struggled to be consistent but it is a good start."
Hamilton, who was passed by Antonelli on the Mercedes driver's run to victory in the sprint, commented: "Of course I'm not satisfied. I'm third. Both these guys did a great job today. Charles has been doing good improvements and we just didn't have the pace of the Mercedes but we are slowly closing the gap and to have both of us here is good for the team."
The British Grand Prix race is scheduled for Sunday at 15:00 BST.
