Lewis Hamilton and George Russell missed out on a front-row start at the British Grand Prix, as Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position at Silverstone. Antonelli's dominant performance saw him finish nearly four-tenths of a second ahead of Russell, who settled for fourth place.
Q1 Highlights
Isack Hadjar surprised the field by topping the timesheet in Q1 with an impressive lap. George Russell faced early drama after locking up and driving onto the gravel, briefly stopping when his car's nose hit the barrier. He managed to reverse and continue, completing a lap that advanced him to Q2 despite a broken front wing.
Pierre Gasly drew the ire of Lance Stroll, who accused him of impeding during the session. Stroll shouted on the radio: "What the f*** is he doing?" Gasly was summoned to the stewards afterward. Aston Martin once again occupied the bottom two positions, with the team awaiting upgrades in Budapest to improve competitiveness.
Franco Colapinto finished 19th after spinning off at Maggotts and Becketts on his final run. The two Cadillacs and the Haas of Esteban Ocon were the other cars eliminated in Q1.
Q2 Drama
Max Verstappen expressed frustration with his car, saying on the radio: "What a disaster" after being outperformed by teammate Hadjar with three minutes remaining. Both drivers advanced to Q3. Williams were the slowest of the remaining 16 cars, with Carlos Sainz edging Alex Albon on what Sainz called a "horrible lap."
Oliver Bearman, Nico Hulkenberg, Gasly, and Gabriel Bortoleto were eliminated. The pole shootout featured cars from the top four teams and both Racing Bulls. Antonelli set the fastest time in Q2, more than four-tenths ahead of Russell, with the two Mercedes split by the Ferraris—Charles Leclerc outpacing Lewis Hamilton.
Q3 Decider
Hamilton had a small snap during his first Q3 run, potentially costing him the two-tenths needed to challenge Antonelli. Antonelli took provisional pole on his first run but angrily questioned: "Why am I first?" when Mercedes sent both drivers out for their final laps. He improved significantly, going nearly four-tenths quicker than Russell again to secure pole, while Russell finished fourth.
Leclerc produced a strong lap to deny Hamilton a front-row spot, resulting in an all-British second row. Verstappen managed only seventh, beaten by Lando Norris in the underpowered McLaren and teammate Hadjar, who showed stronger pace throughout qualifying.
