Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli delivered a composed performance to win an eventful British Grand Prix sprint race after overtaking Lewis Hamilton in a thrilling fight at Silverstone.
The 19-year-old Italian stayed patient after failing to find a way past the Ferrari driver in the opening stages, while McLaren’s Lando Norris, Mercedes team-mate George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen were caught in a chaotic battle behind.
Antonelli carefully managed his battery power before making his decisive move on lap eight. After closing in on Hamilton through the opening sector, he used his saved energy to attack on the Hangar Straight and passed the seven-time world champion before Stowe.
Hamilton tried to respond but was unable to match the Mercedes’ straight-line speed, allowing Antonelli to pull away and increase his championship advantage to 43 points over Russell.
Antonelli said the early fight with Hamilton had been intense, explaining that he waited for the right moment to use overtake mode after getting a strong exit and seeing an opportunity to attack.
Hamilton admitted keeping the Mercedes behind had been extremely difficult, particularly with the windy conditions creating a headwind on the straight. The Ferrari driver said he pushed hard to keep Antonelli out of range but could not defend once the Mercedes gained the benefit of the tow and extra battery deployment.
Despite missing out on victory, Hamilton said Ferrari’s performance at Silverstone was better than expected, with the team closer to Mercedes than they had predicted before the weekend.
Behind the leading pair, Norris produced one of the standout drives of the sprint. Starting sixth, the McLaren driver surged into third place on the opening lap and even briefly moved ahead of Antonelli before the Mercedes rookie regained the position.
Norris then became involved in an aggressive battle with Russell and Verstappen as the trio exchanged places during the opening laps. The McLaren driver eventually secured third and moved away from the fight behind.
The reigning world champion said he was pleased with the result, admitting he did not have the pace to challenge Mercedes or Ferrari but was happy with his start and the way he managed the car.
Russell had also enjoyed a strong opening lap, climbing from fifth to third after passing Verstappen around the outside at Turn Four and fighting past both McLaren cars. However, he lost ground shortly afterwards as Norris and Verstappen found a way back through.
The Mercedes driver recovered fourth place by overtaking Verstappen on lap nine but admitted he felt a podium finish had been possible.
Verstappen’s difficult sprint continued when Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc passed him one lap later, dropping the Red Bull driver to sixth. He was later forced to defend from Oscar Piastri but managed to keep the McLaren behind.
Further back, Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson secured the final points position after resisting late pressure from Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar.