Pole-sitter and Mercedes' Italian driver Kimi Antonelli (C) poses with second placed Ferrari's Charles Leclerc (L) of Monaco and third placed Ferrari's British driver Lewis Hamilton after the qualifying session of the Formula One British Grand Prix 2025 at the Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone, Britain, July 4, 2026. (Photo by Jin Cheng/Xinhua)
SILVERSTONE, England, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Saturday, edging Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and continuing his strong weekend form with victory in the sprint race earlier in the day.
The 19-year-old Italian beat Leclerc by 0.175 seconds, with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton third and Mercedes teammate George Russell fourth, 0.370 seconds adrift of Antonelli.
Isack Hadjar took fifth place, finishing ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris in sixth and Red Bull's Max Verstappen in seventh. Oscar Piastri was eighth, with Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson completing the top 10.
Antonelli's performance extends his advantage over Russell in their intra-team battle and adds pressure on the British driver at his home race.
The Mercedes driver initially expressed concern after being the first to leave the pits for the final run but improved his lap by nearly three-tenths of a second to secure pole.
"I was a bit stressed because I never really like going first for the last run, but the last lap was very tidy," Antonelli said. "The wind made it tricky - very gusty and unpredictable - but putting the car on pole was very satisfying." ■
Ferrari's British driver Lewis Hamilton competes during the qualifying session of the Formula One British Grand Prix 2025 at the Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone, Britain, July 4, 2026. (Photo by Jin Cheng/Xinhua)
Mercedes' Italian driver Kimi Antonelli competes during the qualifying session of the Formula One British Grand Prix 2025 at the Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone, Britain, July 4, 2026. (Photo by Jin Cheng/Xinhua)
McLaren's British driver Lando Norris competes during the qualifying session of the Formula One British Grand Prix 2025 at the Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone, Britain, July 4, 2026. (Photo by Jin Cheng/Xinhua)
