Kimi Antonelli takes pole position for 2026 British Grand Prix

Kimi Antonelli takes pole position for 2026 British Grand Prix

Kimi Antonelli has secured pole position for the 2026 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, capping a strong Saturday for the championship leader. Driving for Mercedes, Antonelli clocked a fastest lap of 1:28.111 to beat Charles Leclerc by 0.175 seconds.

The front row will feature a battle between Mercedes and Ferrari, with Leclerc starting second. Lewis Hamilton, competing on home soil, will start third for Ferrari, placing the Scuderia in a strong attacking position for the opening lap. George Russell completes the top four, providing Mercedes with a second car in the front two rows.

The qualifying session was not without drama. George Russell experienced a frightening moment in Q1 when an inside-front lock-up sent him skidding toward the barriers at Luffield. Russell managed to recover, returning to the pits before getting back on track to advance.

Further back, Red Bull and McLaren faced a challenging session, unable to challenge for the top spots. Isack Hadjar led the way for Red Bull in fifth, while Lando Norris starts sixth for McLaren. Max Verstappen starts seventh, having finished qualifying 0.782 seconds behind Antonelli. Oscar Piastri, who was at risk after the initial runs of Q2, recovered to start eighth.

The Racing Bulls showed strong midfield pace, placing both Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson in the top 10, starting ninth and 10th respectively.

The grid was shuffled following a stewards' hearing regarding Pierre Gasly. The Alpine driver was handed a three-place grid penalty for unnecessarily impeding Lance Stroll during Q1. According to a document released after the hearing, Gasly remained on the racing line at a slow speed near Turn 15 while Stroll was on a timed lap.

The stewards noted that Gasly's radio was not functioning at the time. Gasly reportedly expected Kimi Antonelli to remain behind him rather than overtake, believing Antonelli was not on a timed lap. However, the stewards determined that Gasly had information available via his dashboard to know Stroll was approaching. Consequently, Gasly drops from his original qualifying position of 12th to start 15th.

This penalty promotes several drivers in the midfield. Nico Hulkenberg of Audi moves up to 12th, followed by Ollie Bearman of Haas in 13th and Carlos Sainz of Williams in 14th.

Other notable performances included Gabriel Bortoleto, who narrowly missed Q3 by three hundredths of a second in his Audi. His lap was six tenths quicker than teammate Nico Hulkenberg. At the bottom of the grid, Franco Colapinto fell in Q1 after spinning through Maggotts and Becketts; he will start 19th. The final positions are occupied by the Aston Martin duo of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso in 21st and 22nd.

The race, consisting of 52 laps, takes place Sunday, July 5, 2026, at the Silverstone Circuit.

Confirmed Starting Grid