SILVERSTONE, Great Britain — Kimi Antonelli has taken victory in a Formula 1 Sprint race for the first time. The Mercedes driver won Saturday’s event in advance of Sunday’s British Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris.
Hamilton held the lead from pole as the event got underway, squeezing Antonelli off the line to defend his position – but Antonelli remained hot on the tail of the Ferrari as the laps ticked down, keeping the pressure on throughout.
The decisive move came on Lap 8, with the championship leader surging ahead into P1 before stretching out an advantage at the front – and from there he was untroubled at the front, ultimately crossing the line 2.745 seconds ahead of Hamilton.
“It was a very fun first 10 laps with Lewis. We were both pushing very hard. Once I got into Overtake mode, I knew my chance was coming,” Antonelli said.
“Out of Turn 4, I got very close alongside into Brooklands, but he used the Boost, so I decided to wait. Then, going into Stowe, I used everything I had and was able to overtake. From that point on, I just got into my rhythm, tried to stay out of his Overtake range, and bring the car home.”
Norris took third place in the McLaren, the British driver keeping Mercedes’ George Russell at bay who had to settle for fourth.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc followed in fifth ahead of Max Verstappen, while the other McLaren of Oscar Piastri and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson completed the points-paying positions in seventh and eighth.
Antonelli’s triumph means that his points tally now stands at 179, having stretched his lead in the standings to 43 points over Russell.
