Antonelli Claims First Sprint Win by Passing Hamilton at Silverstone

• Antonelli took the lead from Hamilton on lap eight of 17, executing the pass down the Hangar Straight after the seven-time world champion spent too much energy defending
• The 19-year-old Mercedes driver claimed the first Sprint victory of his Formula 1 career, finishing 2.7 seconds clear of Hamilton at the chequered flag
• Antonelli’s championship lead over teammate George Russell grew to 43 points, with Hamilton closing to within four points of Russell in second place

Kimi Antonelli passed Lewis Hamilton at the circuit Hamilton knows best and claimed the first Sprint victory of his Formula 1 career. The 19-year-old took the lead on lap eight and was not threatened again, pulling 2.7 seconds clear of the Ferrari driver across the final nine laps of a 17-lap contest at Silverstone.

Hamilton had held off Antonelli through seven laps of near-constant pressure, but used a significant chunk of electronic energy defending down the Hangar Straight late in lap eight. It left him exposed on the next straight, and Antonelli went through. From that point, it was a one-car race at the front.

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The Pass That Settled Everything

Hamilton had taken pole for the Sprint on Friday and made the most of it off the line. He cut across to squeeze Antonelli at the start, holding the lead through the opening laps as Mercedes applied pressure from directly behind.

Antonelli described the race in two distinct phases. “It was a very fun first 10 laps with Lewis, we were both pushing very hard,” he said. The opening phase was a sustained tactical exchange, with Antonelli looking for gaps and Hamilton covering them. The turning point came when Antonelli engaged overtake mode and committed to the move.

“When I got into Overtake Mode, I knew my chance was coming,” Antonelli said. “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.”

Hamilton’s account explained why the move worked when it did. “Obviously with it being so windy today, a big, big headwind down the back straight, he came flying past,” Hamilton said. The conditions amplified the effect of Antonelli’s push and Hamilton’s energy expenditure. Once the pass was made, there was no response available.

Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, described what had happened from the pit wall. “In the Sprint, we saw lots of yo-yoing as drivers used different deployment strategies to try and gain position. Kimi was able to get ahead of Lewis and then break the overtake mode to take the win.”

Pulling Clear and Bringing It Home

Once in free air, Antonelli’s priority shifted. He set about breaking the one-second gap that keeps a driver in overtake mode range, then controlled the pace from the front. “From that point on I tried to get into my rhythm and try to break the Overtake Mode then bring it home,” he said.

He had mentioned in the Formula 1 debrief that the opening of the Sprint had not come easily for him. “I was struggling for momentum at the start of the Sprint but once I caught up to Lewis and got within overtake mode, I was confident I could get the pass done,” he said. “Once I was in free air, I had the pace to build a gap and bring home the car for the win.”

At the flag, Antonelli crossed 2.7 seconds ahead of Hamilton. The secondary race was closer. Lando Norris finished third, ahead of Russell in fourth, Charles Leclerc in fifth and Max Verstappen in sixth, with regular position changes in that group across the Sprint’s middle laps. Verstappen struggled for pace as the race progressed after making a poor start.

Hamilton’s Honest Verdict

Hamilton had nothing but acknowledgment for the teenager who passed him. “(It was a) tough race to keep the Mercedes behind,” he said. “I did say that was potentially the case yesterday and obviously with it being so windy today, a big, big headwind down the back straight, he came flying past. I was pushing as hard as I could, I gave it absolutely everything. But well done to Kimi and we’ve got work to do to try and close that gap so we can keep up.”

He added, speaking to Formula 1 media, that the home crowd had driven him through the day. “It’s been a long day so a huge thank you to all the fans here. This morning I really enjoyed the fight with Kimi and gave absolutely everything to bring home some good points with second place.”

Six points for second placed Hamilton in the championship context, and the Sprint delivered a shift in the standings. Hamilton moved within four points of Russell in second place. Ferrari now have both cars in the championship fight.

Championship and What Antonelli Knows

The Sprint’s points allocation is limited but its effect on Antonelli’s championship lead was real. He extended his advantage over Russell to 43 points. Russell, caught in the battle for third for most of the race, could not pass Norris in the closing stages and finished fourth.

Antonelli was not ready to use the Sprint win as a reason to relax. “The momentum is there,” he said. “We are doing a great job together with the team but we cannot let our guard lower. Lewis and Ferrari are doing an incredible job. Red Bull and McLaren are coming and George is super quick. We just need to keep raising that bar and keep delivering performances.”

The Sprint win arrived at a particular moment for Antonelli, given where he was 12 months ago. He was midway through his rookie season with Mercedes, weeks on from a maiden podium in Canada and still learning what life at the front of Formula 1 demanded. At Silverstone on Saturday, in front of a crowd largely supporting the nine-time British Grand Prix winner he had just passed, he took his first Sprint victory and stretched his championship lead in the process. The day underlined how quickly this season has moved.

The win came at a good moment in the championship. Antonelli’s lead had been narrowing across the previous two rounds. A technical failure in Barcelona had cost him a podium when he was running second with four laps to go, and a third-place finish in Austria had followed in a race where his speed had again suggested more was available. The Sprint victory at Silverstone broke that pattern.

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Written by

Jack Renn

Jack Renn is an editor at F1 Chronicle and a veteran motorsport journalist with 25 years of experience covering Formula 1 and international motorsport. A member of the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS), the global body representing accredited sports journalists, Jack has spent his career reporting from paddocks and press rooms across the F1 calendar. His work spans race analysis, technical insight, and in-depth features, giving readers authoritative coverage grounded in decades of firsthand experience at the highest level of the sport.

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