Mercedes teenager Kimi Antonelli captured his first career Formula 1 Sprint victory on Saturday, running down pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton to win the British Grand Prix Sprint. The 19-year-old crossed the finish line 2.7 seconds clear of the Ferrari driver at Silverstone, extending his lead in the 2026 World Championship.
Hamilton commanded the opening half of the 17-lap contest. He launched off the line cleanly and held the advantage until lap 8. That is when Antonelli set his trap. The Mercedes driver executed a clinical dummy move on the Wellington Straight. The feint forced Hamilton to drain his defensive battery, leaving him vulnerable as Antonelli blasted past down the Hangar Straight, according to Motorsport.com, which also verified the final 2.7-second finishing gap and the brewing five-way battle for third place behind them.
Behind the lead pair, absolute chaos erupted. A vicious scrap for the final podium spot consumed the midfield, dragging Lando Norris, George Russell, Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, and Charles Leclerc into a multi-lap dogfight. Norris ultimately survived the scramble to secure third place for McLaren, edging out his Mercedes rival in the final corners as confirmed by a verified Guardian report detailing Lando Norris locking down the final podium step ahead of George Russell.
Further back, the aggression spilled over. Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso collided heavily at Turn 3. The contact forced Perez to dive into the pits for repairs. FIA stewards immediately reviewed the clash and slapped the Red Bull driver with a 10-second penalty.