Lewis Hamilton eyes British Grand Prix Sprint victory after taking ‘amazing’ pole at Silverstone for Ferrari | F1 News
Lewis Hamilton said his British Grand Prix Sprint pole came as a “wonderful surprise” but now believes his Ferrari is fast enough to win at Silverstone in Saturday’s shortened race.
The seven-time world champion had been downbeat about his chances at his home race on Thursday, but answered the doubters in practice before pipping championship leader Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli to victory by 0.011 seconds.
Hamilton took his first Grand Prix win at Ferrari in Barcelona last month, but it was followed by a disappointing weekend in Austria, where the Italian team’s improved engine – introduced after concerns that it lacked the power of Mercedes’s and Red Bull’s – struggled in the hot conditions.
Hamilton said: “We are ahead of Mercedes and Red Bull, these guys have a lot of power.”
“They’ve been amazing all year, the boys in blue [Mercedes] this weekend, these heroes, but my team does not agree, they will continue to push, and that is what I am proud of.
“It won’t always be like this, but we didn’t expect coming into Silverstone to compete, we really didn’t, so, this is an amazing surprise. I’m very happy.”
After pulling off an upset when he and Antonelli appeared to be in a league of their own, Hamilton expressed his belief that he could keep the Italian, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in third place, behind him in the 17-lap contest.
With only one practice session on Sprint weekends, drivers have limited opportunity to simulate long races, but Hamilton is happy with his experience.
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Sky Sports F1’s Ant Davidson shows how Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton managed to edge out Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli on sprint pole at the British GP.
“I think our pace was good,” he added. “We did a short kind of long run in practice. We didn’t have a lot of time.
“But the car felt good there, so I think we should have a good race tomorrow.
“I mean, I’m starting from the front row, I can’t remember the last time I was from the front here.
“It’s not that easy when you have these guys who can follow you and approach with more energy, but I will do my best to keep them behind.”
Antonelli: Lewis is in form, but we love a challenge!
Antonelli, who leads the Drivers’ Championship by 40 points over team-mate George Russell, was on the temporary pole before being overtaken by Hamilton.
“It was so, so close, and so embarrassing,” Antonelli said.
“The SQ1 I was feeling bad, I didn’t feel good in the car, but then we made a small adjustment to the balance and the SQ2 felt night and day, and suddenly we were back in shape.
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Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell reflect on their performance during the Sprint Qualifying session at the British Grand Prix.
“The SQ3 was a bit off the table, but it was a decent lap, and unfortunately too close to Lewis.
“But we congratulate him, and for our part, we will focus on tomorrow now.”
Hamilton is third in the standings, 46 points behind Antonelli, with the Italian accepting the challenge of the driver he replaces at Mercedes at the start of 2025.
He added: “Ferrari have made an incredible step forward, so it will be very difficult. Also, Lewis is in good form, but that is good, we like the challenge and we will try to make the best of it.
“That’s right [I can fight for the win tomorrow]we will seek it and we will try to do our best. It won’t be easy, but everything is on the table to do well.”
Verstappen: Hamilton and Antonelli look a bit faster
Verstappen came out on top in a very close battle for third place, with four drivers – Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri – finishing within one second of him.
The Dutchman was 0.321s behind Hamilton’s best effort, but was 0.075 clear of McLaren’s Piastri in seventh.
For that reason, he was able to watch the session well but was also not overly optimistic about his chances of challenging the top two on Saturday.
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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen responds to rumors linking him with McLaren.
Verstappen said: “It was very close, I could have been P3 or P6 or P7, but we were on the good side.
“We were a little bit closer but still not where we want to be. The corner, maybe a little bit, but also the transmission stuff, so a few things we have to check to try to get more lap time. We will try to do that for sure after the Sprint.
“See [Hamilton and Antonelli] look quickly. And if they look fast, usually their teammates also have to be fast at race pace when everything is a little quieter.
“So, for me, I think it’s going to be a big battle with the guys behind me.”
British GP schedule for Sky Sports F1
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Take a look back at some of the most amazing moments from across the years at the British Grand Prix
Saturday July 4th
9.30am: F3 Sprint*
11am: British GP Sprint build-up*
12pm: BRITISH GP SPRINT*
1.40pm: F2 Sprint*
2.50pm: British GP Qualifying buildup*
4pm: BRITISH GP QUALIFYING*
6pm: F1 Academy Race 1
6.45pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday July 5th
8.20am: F3 Feature Race*
9.55am: F1 Academy Race 2*
11.10am: F2 Feature Race*
12.55pm: Grand Prix Sunday: British GP build-up*
3pm: THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX*
5pm: Checkered Flag: British GP reaction
6pm: Ted’s Briefing
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is at Silverstone on Sprint weekend for the British Grand Prix – live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky One – with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream Sky Sports NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
