Hamilton fastest in sprint qualifying before the 2026 British GP

Lewis Hamilton was the fastest in the sprint qualifying before the 2026 British GP, the Briton was the fastest in every segment. The competition between the top teams at the front was close, and Hamilton won with a minimal advantage over Antonelli.

Read more Antonelli won the sprint before the 2026 British GP

Friday’s sprint qualifying was held in very stable weather conditions, with the track temperature constantly at 40 degrees Celsius. There were no interruptions, failures, crashes, etc., everyone drove very smoothly, able to show their full potential.

Results of the sprint qualifying before the 2026 British GP

Discussion of the sprint qualifying before the 2026 British GP

Lewis Hamilton was the fastest in Friday’s practice and in every segment of qualifying. It feels like the old days of his dominance. Personally, I am very surprised by this. I expected Ferrari to perform better at Silverstone, as there are several fast corners and slow sections where their car’s advantage would show. On the other hand, on the long straights, where there is also a lack of electric power, I expected them to lose more time and ultimately be behind the Mercedes drivers and possibly also Red Bull. Hamilton turned out to be the fastest, even though on the final lap he caught a slide in the last corners (he took a big risk there), losing 0.1 seconds. I am very impressed by how Hamilton drove; he feels confident in this car and is pushing hard.

Hamilton’s only rival was Kimi Antonelli, who drove a very good but not optimal lap in SQ3. The Italian was 0.127 seconds faster in the second sector on worse tires in the second segment than on his flying lap in SQ3. Hamilton was also faster in the second sector in SQ2, but by 0.060 seconds. Summing the sector times, Antonelli had the potential to be the fastest, but he did not put together a good enough lap on his single attempt in the final segment.

Ferrari was close to Mercedes on the straights in qualifying – for the first time this season. This is the result of optimal energy use. I expect rivals to run simulations and change their plans for the main qualifying. I also bet that the Ferrari car is the best in terms of aerodynamic efficiency, meaning they have the most favorable downforce-to-drag ratio. This is very advantageous at Silverstone.

Verstappen lost over 0.3 seconds, most of which came from the second sector, which is driven almost entirely smoothly and without braking. Perhaps Red Bull has less downforce and loses time in the fast corners there, or too much drag, or it is a matter of energy use and lack of charging capability. Charles Leclerc was regularly slower than Hamilton; at Silverstone, he remains a step behind him. George Russell disappointed in qualifying, finishing only fifth. He consistently looked slower than Antonelli. We will see if the Briton wants to fight hard in the sprint or will be satisfied with this position.

McLaren looked very mediocre when they had to drive at 100% in SQ3; their drivers do not gain as much as others from the front. Something is missing on the car side or in engine use. Major car improvements and better use of the Mercedes engine are needed. Perhaps the reason is running old engines; McLaren is the only team from the Mercedes camp that has not yet received upgrades.

Read more Analysis of qualifications before the 2026 British GP

In SQ3, we had representatives from only five teams; Racing Bulls drivers again all advanced, as the team has currently grown into the fifth force. It is worth noting the lap times, as Liam Lawson lost only 0.551 seconds to Hamilton and only 0.230 seconds to Verstappen. That was an excellent result. The form of this team improved a few weeks ago, just when the FIA announced that Red Bull Ford is the strongest engine. Since then, four cars with this engine have regularly been at the front.

The power balance outside the TOP10 was quite consistent with what could be expected. The only surprise for me was the elimination of both Haas drivers in the first segment; I expected more from them.

Summary and predictions for the sprint

Silverstone is one of the worst tracks for the current regulations. Cars have less downforce, so the pace in fast corners has dropped. Additionally, there is a lack of electric energy, few strong braking zones, and nowhere to charge the batteries, so in some places drivers use super clipping (driving at full throttle, but part of the combustion engine power is used to charge the battery). However, this is not as visible as I personally expected. If someone watches onboard, they will hear the engine mode change, but from the outside, it is not very noticeable. The pace compared to last year dropped by 3.5 seconds, which is a good result.

In sprint qualifying, we saw that intermediate tires are very good for this track; you can do several flying laps on them. It looks like this will be the primary compound for the race. In the sprint, drivers should also use them, but I would not be surprised if someone risks driving on soft tires, which also perform well here. Driving the sprint on soft tires would mean saving tires for the two-stop strategy on Sunday, which is unlikely. At this moment, a one-stop strategy is expected on Sunday.

In the sprint, I expect a lot of battles at the front and overtaking maneuvers, especially in the first phase. Hamilton will have to push hard to win.

The summary of internal duels in sprint qualifying and the sprints themselves can be checked at this link. It also includes a table of points scored this year only in sprints.

Read more Leclerc won the surprise-filled 2026 British GP