Kimi Antonelli won the sprint before the 2026 British GP after overtaking Lewis Hamilton halfway through the distance. During the sprint, there were a large number of overtaking maneuvers in the positions directly behind the two leaders, which dominated the course of the competition.
Read more Analysis of qualifications before the 2026 British GP
The sprint was held in stable weather conditions, with the track temperature around 37 degrees Celsius. Alex Albon started from the pit lane. All drivers reached the finish, there was only a short period of yellow flags when Perez hit Alonso’s car causing him to spin.
Results of the sprint before the 2026 British GP
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Points |
| 1. | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 26:12.129 | 8 |
| 2. | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +2.745s | 7 |
| 3. | Lando Norris | McLaren | +9.783s | 6 |
| 4. | George Russell | Mercedes | +10.639s | 5 |
| 5. | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +12.620s | 4 |
| 6. | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +16.550s | 3 |
| 7. | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +17.551s | 2 |
| 8. | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +30.233s | 1 |
| 9. | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +30.953s | 0 |
| 10. | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +35.110s | 0 |
| 11. | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +40.273s | 0 |
| 12. | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +41.026s | 0 |
| 13. | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +42.499s | 0 |
| 14. | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +45.784s | 0 |
| 15. | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +46.680s | 0 |
| 16. | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +49.810s | 0 |
| 17. | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +50.379s | 0 |
| 18. | Alexander Albon | Williams | +50.757s | 0 |
| 19. | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | +75.117s | 0 |
| 20. | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +91.872s | 0 |
| 21. | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1 lap | 0 |
| 22. | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +1 lap | 0 |
Nico Hulkenberg received a five-second penalty for going off track and gaining an advantage.
Summary and discussion of the sprint before the 2026 British GP
This was supposed to be a sprint marked by many overtaking maneuvers related to different energy usage, and it was. Lewis Hamilton had a good start and led for the first seven laps. Antonelli had to fight with other drivers on the first lap, so he had to make up just over a second to Hamilton. The Briton initially defended himself, but it was clear it was only a matter of time before he lost the lead. Antonelli literally overtook him, having over 35 km/h speed advantage on the Hangar straight, which was due to three factors (wind, overtaking mode, and generally higher Mercedes speeds in this section). Hamilton did not lose much to the Italian in the following laps but was steadily falling behind. Antonelli deservedly won the sprint, and Hamilton deservedly finished second. They were the best drivers and built a significant gap over the rest of the field.
Norris, Russell, Leclerc, Verstappen, and Piastri repeatedly overtook each other in the first laps, changing their positions. Because of this, they lost a lot of time to the leaders. After a few laps, the situation stabilized, drivers began to use electric power similarly and drive at their own optimal pace. Then the drivers started to race according to the power hierarchy. Lando Norris secured third place because he quickly escaped from the group fighting directly behind. In the last laps, George Russell chased him, having better pace. Despite a poor start, Charles Leclerc found his way well and finished fifth. Oscar Piastri disappointed, dropping out of the tight lead group very quickly and finishing seventh. In the end, he was unable to catch Verstappen.
The Red Bull drivers disappointed, losing a lot at the start. They were the only ones in the top group running on used tires, which may have affected their race pace. Verstappen initially made very good progress, but when the drivers started to run “their own race,” he remained in sixth place with no chance to fight for more. Hadjar dropped to 13th at the start, later gained four positions, but was unable to return to the points positions. At the end, there was a close situation with Lawson; if the stewards give the New Zealander a penalty, the results will change. Lawson deserves praise because he drove really well. Update 18:30 Lawson received a warning from the stewards, so this does not change the results.
Read more Leclerc won the surprise-filled 2026 British GP
Further down the order, there was fighting, but it was a competition without a chance for points. At the very end of the field, there was a minor collision between Perez and Alonso. The Mexican had to pit because of this, and the Spaniard spun.
Summary
The sprint, as expected, delivered a lot of overtaking and chaos at the start because drivers were still working out the best use of the engines – there was no time for that in a single practice session. I understand that many fans may not like this, but on this type of track, this will be the case this year.
The wear of intermediate tires in the sprint was minimal, drivers were able to accelerate at the end – Antonelli set a record on the last lap. This confirms the forecasts; Sunday’s race should be run with a one-stop strategy. Tires are secondary this weekend; the important thing is the use of electric power, which makes the main difference.
I expect big changes in engine settings because teams will understand the optimal use after the sprint. The power hierarchy in the main qualifying should be more representative. I bet Mercedes drivers will clearly speed up.
In 2026, six sprints are scheduled. The current summary of internal duels in qualifying for sprints 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 A handful of F1 Circus statistics after the 2026 British GP
