Kimi Antonelli steals the show at Silverstone, bypassing Lewis Hamilton for Sprint victory
The Mercedes driver fought back to claim victory in the British Grand Prix Sprint race, beating out Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
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Hamilton started the race on pole position and kept championship leader Antonelli at bay through the opening lap at Silverstone.
The 41-year-old F1 star secured an early lead over his rival, however, the 19-year-old prodigy made his move on the Hanger straight and eventually weaved past the Hamilton's Ferrari to take control of the race.
Antonelli crossed the line 2.7 seconds clear of Hamilton, with Lando Norris third and George Russell fourth.
The sprint triumph allows Antonelli to extend his championship advantage over Mercedes teammate Russell from 40 points to 43 points ahead of qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix. This was also his very first sprint race win.
Hamilton is now 47 points off the championship pace.
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Top 10 driver standings after British GP sprint:
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 179 points
2. George Russell (Mercedes) - 136 points
3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 132 points
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 85 points
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 83 points
6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 82 points
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 76 points
8. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 42 points
9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 41 points
10. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 31 points
The British crowd will have wanted Hamilton to make a comeback, but he was no match for Antonelli’s Mercedes as he galloped to the finish line to claim another win to extend his championship lead.
“In control all the way,” said Antonelli’s race engineer, Peter Bonnington, at the end of the race.
“Let’s go,” Antonelli replied.