Kimi Antonelli Used Everything to Beat Hamilton

Kimi Antonelli explained his intense battle with Lewis Hamilton in the Silverstone Sprint after the Mercedes driver won and extended his drivers' standings lead to 43 points over George Russell.

Antonelli started the Sprint from second and immediately ran behind Hamilton in the early phase. The pair then broke away from the main pack before Antonelli made the decisive move in the middle of the race to pass the Ferrari driver.

The duel itself was short, but it carried significant intensity because Antonelli continued to close in lap after lap. The 19-year-old gained a few tenths each tour before finding the opportunity to attack in the 17-lap race ahead of the British Grand Prix.

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"It was a very fun first 10 laps with Lewis," Antonelli said. "We were both pushing very hard."

Antonelli explained that Overtake Mode became a key factor in the fight. He got close out of Turn Four and moved alongside into Brooklands, but Hamilton used boost, forcing Antonelli to delay his attack.

"When I got into Overtake Mode, I knew my chance was coming. Out of Turn Four I was very close, so I went alongside into Brooklyns but he used the boost, so I decided to wait," Antonelli said.

"Going into Stowe I used everything I had, then I was able to overtake. From that point on I tried to get into my rhythm and try to break the Overtake Mode then bring it home," Antonelli added.

The victory strengthened Antonelli's momentum at the top of the 2026 Formula 1 standings. Attention now turns to the main race at Silverstone, where Hamilton, Russell and the other leading rivals must respond to Antonelli's growing advantage.