Kimi Antonelli tightened his grip on the championship by securing pole position for the British Grand Prix, producing another clinical qualifying performance to beat Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone.
What To Know
- Kimi Antonelli secured pole with a 1m 28.111s lap, his fifth of the 2026 season.
- Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton completed the top three for Ferrari.
- Isack Hadjar starred with fifth, while McLaren struggled with Norris sixth and Piastri eighth.
- Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were referred to the stewards after qualifying.
The Mercedes driver claimed his fifth Grand Prix pole position of the season after controlling the decisive Q3 shootout. Having already gone quickest on the opening runs ahead of team-mate George Russell, Antonelli found even more pace with his final effort, stopping the clock at 1m 28.111s. Despite improvements from Ferrari on their final attempts, neither Leclerc nor Hamilton could deny the Italian another pole-winning performance.
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Leclerc came closest to preventing Antonelli from claiming top spot, finishing just 0.175 seconds behind in second place after improving on his final lap. Hamilton also found time during the closing moments of the session but had to settle for third, ensuring both Ferraris will line up directly behind the championship leader for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
2026 British Grand Prix Qualifying Results
2026 British Grand Prix Qualifying, 4 July 2026
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:29.719 | 1:28.493 | 1:28.111 | 19 |
| 2 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:29.534 | 1:28.626 | 1:28.286 | 18 |
| 3 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:29.644 | 1:28.864 | 1:28.458 | 17 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:29.985 | 1:28.920 | 1:28.481 | 17 |
| 5 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:29.276 | 1:29.069 | 1:28.746 | 18 |
| 6 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:30.186 | 1:29.383 | 1:28.877 | 17 |
| 7 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:29.549 | 1:29.113 | 1:28.893 | 18 |
| 8 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:29.971 | 1:29.218 | 1:29.032 | 18 |
| 9 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:29.661 | 1:29.324 | 1:29.305 | 17 |
| 10 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:29.300 | 1:29.429 | 1:29.716 | 20 |
| 11 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:30.269 | 1:29.461 | 10 | |
| 12 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:30.345 | 1:30.063 | 12 | |
| 13 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:29.539 | 1:30.076 | 15 | |
| 14 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 1:30.570 | 1:30.501 | 15 | |
| 15 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:30.562 | 1:30.623 | 15 | |
| 16 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:30.638 | 1:31.341 | 14 | |
| 17 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 1:30.680 | 9 | ||
| 18 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:31.227 | 8 | ||
| 19 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:31.321 | 5 | ||
| 20 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:31.451 | 9 | ||
| 21 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:32.863 | 9 | ||
| 22 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:33.025 | 9 |
Russell ended qualifying fourth after briefly appearing capable of challenging for pole during the opening Q3 runs, while Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar continued his impressive weekend by taking an excellent fifth place.
McLaren endured another frustrating qualifying session at their home race. Lando Norris could manage only sixth despite strong support from the Silverstone crowd, while team-mate Oscar Piastri qualified eighth after never quite finding the pace to challenge those ahead.
Max Verstappen split the two McLarens in seventh, with the reigning World Champion visibly unhappy with the balance of his RB22 throughout the session. The Dutchman struggled to extract consistent performance from the Red Bull and was unable to mount a realistic challenge for the front two rows.
Racing Bulls continued their encouraging form by placing both cars inside the top 10. British rookie Arvid Lindblad secured ninth on his first Formula 1 qualifying appearance at Silverstone, while Liam Lawson completed the top 10.
Just missing out on a place in Q3 was Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto, who fell short by only 0.032 seconds and will start 11th. Pierre Gasly qualified 12th for Alpine but will face a post-session investigation after being noted for an alleged impeding incident during qualifying.
Nico Hulkenberg placed the second Audi 13th ahead of Haas driver Ollie Bearman in 14th. Williams endured another difficult afternoon, with Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon qualifying only 15th and 16th, respectively.
Esteban Ocon’s session came to an early conclusion in Q1 after qualifying 17th for Haas. The Frenchman has since been summoned to the stewards for an alleged failure to slow under single yellow flags, which were triggered after Alpine’s Franco Colapinto ran wide through Becketts before recovering to finish 19th.
Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas split the Haas and Alpine drivers in 18th, while team-mate Sergio Perez qualified 20th. Aston Martin completed another disappointing qualifying session, with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso occupying the final row of the grid in 21st and 22nd, respectively.
Antonelli’s latest pole position caps another outstanding day for Mercedes after earlier claiming victory in the Sprint race, placing the Italian in the strongest possible position to extend his championship advantage. However, with both Ferraris locked onto the second row and several rivals showing competitive race pace throughout the weekend, Sunday’s British Grand Prix promises to be another pivotal chapter in the fight for the world championship.
Race Guide
Championship: 2026 F1 World Championship
Race date: Sunday, 5 July 2026
Race start time: 15:00 local time
Circuit: Silverstone Circuit
Laps: 52
Circuit length: 5.891km
2025 winner: Lando Norris
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