Formula One leader Kimi Antonelli was too fast for Ferrari, and dealt another stinging blow to Mercedes teammate George Russell, as the teen seized pole position for the British Grand Prix yesterday after winning an earlier sprint race.
The Italian’s closest title rival Russell qualified only fourth at a windy Silverstone, behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Leclerc was 0.175 of a second slower than the 19-year-old, whose fifth pole of the season extended Mercedes’s record of securing the top slot at all nine grands prix so far in the campaign. “It was a very tidy lap, a lap where I put everything together,” said Antonelli, of his best time of one minute 28.111 seconds set after going out first for the final run.
“It was very tricky with the wind because it was very gusty and unpredictable.”
Antonelli earlier won the sprint ahead of Hamilton, to go 43 points clear of Briton Russell in the standings.
Taken the sport by storm
Winner of five races in a row until Hamilton ended the streak in Spain last month, Antonelli has taken the sport by storm and appears to have the measure of Russell at his home race. “It’s not going to be easy because I have two Ferraris behind me and, for sure, they will work together,” he said of the challenge he faces this afternoon.
“Their pace is good but ours was strong in the Sprint. Hopefully we can keep that for tomorrow and do a good race.”
Isack Hadjar qualified fifth for Red Bull, ahead of McLaren’s reigning world champion and last year’s winner Lando Norris.
Red Bull’s four-time world champion Max Verstappen will line up seventh, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri eighth and the Racing Bulls pair of rookie Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson completing the top 10 places.
Antonelli described his battle earlier yesterday with Hamilton in the sprint race as “very” fun. “We were both pushing very hard,” said Antonelli, who had missed out on pole by a mere 0.011 of a second and challenged Hamilton for the lead when they went side by side at the first corner.
“Out of Turn Four I was very close, so I went alongside into Brooklands but he used the boost, so I decided to wait. Going into Stowe I used everything I had, then I was able to overtake.”
Tough race
Hamilton saluted the crowd before saying: “Tough race to keep the Mercedes behind.”
Norris got ahead of Antonelli on the opening lap but the move was short-lived with the Italian taking the place back and then waiting for the right moment to take Hamilton.
“A good race and good fighting, especially the first few laps with the Red Bull and with Mercedes,” said Norris, who had appeared to be unhappy with his team over the radio at one point when he urged them to “get it right for once”.
Leclerc was fifth and Verstappen sixth after qualifying third.
Piastri was seventh and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson took the final point in eighth.
Reuters
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