15:56
The music has played, and it's time for qualifying! Here we go!
Antonelli at Silverstone
© XPB Images
F1 Silverstone Saturday sprint race and qualifying as it happened
Live coverage of Saturday at the F1 British Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Drivers divided over Lego parade lap
- Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren bring upgrades; Mercedes does not
- Antonelli wins sprint race from Hamilton
The ninth round of the 2026 Formula 1 season takes place at the British Grand Prix.
Silverstone hosted the first official F1 Grand Prix in 1950 and continues to be a firm favourite of both drivers and fans in the modern era.
On Thursday, drivers were vocal in their concerns about how energy-starved the layout could be, with few heavy braking zones to recover energy into the batteries. However, when the action got underway on Friday, the issue was far less intrusive than had been feared.
A bizarre dispute is also taking place in regard to Sunday's parade lap, which will take place in Lego go-karts, with each driver having their own vehicle. Whilst some are all for it and are eager to get going, such as Lando Norris and Valtteri Bottas, there are others who are less excited about the prospect, with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen both voicing concern, and the former suggesting he does not intend to take part.
Fresh off the back of his victory at the Red Bull Ring, George Russell is keen to add to his points haul with a first win on home soil, but starts the Sprint Race from fifth place after a disappointing qualifying.
Hamilton started the sprint race from pole position but lost out to Antonelli, who made a mid-race pass into Stowe. In qualifying, the pair had been split by 0.011s, with the tight margins setting up qualifying nicely.
The weekend sees the return of the Sprint Race format, meaning that a single practice session will take place before Sprint Qualifying on Friday. Saturday will see the Sprint Race contested first, before normal programming is resumed, with Qualifying. The Grand Prix will start at 3pm BST on Sunday.
2026 British Grand Prix Saturday schedule
Sprint Race: 12:00pm BST - 1:00pm BST
Qualifying: 4:00pm BST - 5:00pm BST
04 Jul 2026
15:52
10 minutes to go. The answers we want: who will get pole, and how far will Aston Martin be behind any other team?
15:49
Speaking of a lot of changes, mechanics are still underneath Norris' car, which remains on the stands. Despite finishing third in the sprint race, he was not overly happy with his McLaren.
15:49
A big difference in approach at Ferrari, with few changes made to Hamilton's car, but much broader changes to Leclerc's.
Antonelli has a few small tweaks to overturn the gap from sprint qualifying. Not long until we see if it's enough.
15:47
Inside Biggin Hill: The colossal tech operation powering modern Formula 1 broadcasts
Inside Biggin Hill: The colossal tech operation powering modern Formula 1 broadcasts
In just a few short years Formula 1’s popularity has exploded and continues to grow.
Last year Formula 1’s global fanbase reached 827 million jumping by 63% increase since 2018. Since then we’ve seen the additions of more races, sprint formats and a host of new tracks around the globe.
Last year Formula 1’s global fanbase reached 827 million jumping by 63% increase since 2018. Since then we’ve seen the additions of more races, sprint formats and a host of new tracks around the globe.
Inside Formula 1's Media and Technology Centre in Biggin Hill
15:32
We are now just half an hour away from qualifying, and the engines are beginning to be warmed up in the garages.
15:23
Whilst speaking about Norris, we should probably mention the Landostond at Stowe. Packed with 16,000 fans, it has grown year on year. But so has George Russell's envy of the stand, with the Mercedes driver now after his own grandstand, and joking that he could "steal" Norris' prime location.
Norris greets fans at Silverstone
© XPB Images
15:21
There was also a peculiar radio message from Norris after finishing third in the sprint race, where he questioned when McLaren is 'going to get it right'. He had been asked to fuel save during the race, but this was not his only frustration.
Norris at Silverstone
© XPB Images
15:18
It was a tense battle between Antonelli and Hamilton for much of the sprint race, and the Italian revealed just how much it took to overcome the seven-time champion when speaking to the media, including Crash.net, after the session.
Antonelli won Saturday's 17-lap sprint race
15:07
In sprint qualifying on Friday, Hamilton won out by just 0.011s from Antonelli, with the Italian reflecting afterwards that he had left some time on the table.
With each of the three phases of qualifying longer today, there can be no such mistake when things get underway in just shy of an hour.
15:06
Good afternoon!
Good afternoon and welcome back to Silverstone for qualifying at the British Grand Prix. With the sprint element of the weekend now out of the way, it's back to the normal schedule for the remainder of the weekend.
12:58
2026 F1 Silverstone: Full British GP sprint results
2026 F1 Silverstone: Full British GP sprint results
Kimi Antonelli denied Lewis Hamilton victory in the Formula 1 British Grand Prix sprint race.
Antonelli overcame Hamilton after taking advantage of an alternative deployment strategy to blast past mid-race along the Hanger Straight.
The top three in the Silverstone sprint race
© XPB Images
12:49
Antonelli reacts to sprint win
"We were both pushing very hard, and when I got into overtake, I knew my chance was coming," said Antonelli
"Then, out of four, that lap I was very close. I went alongside at Brooklands, and he used the boost, so I decided to wait, and then, obviously, going into Woodcote, I used everything I had, so was able to overtake.
"From that point, I just tried to get into my rhythm and just try to break the overtake that he had, and just try to to bring it home."
12:44
Hamilton reacts to sprint P2
"They're particularly quick up to Turn 6," said Hamilton. "And so, I had to sometimes use a boost there. But, one of the biggest places is as you come around Stowe, Turn 15, you get on the power, and there's no power, and, that's where he was catching me massively.
"Once he got the overtake mode, then I couldn't hold him back, because he has extra deployment through the lap, and I couldn't break that one-second barrier then. So, as soon as that was lost, I knew he was coming."
12:41
Kimi Antonelli denies Lewis Hamilton home win in Silverstone F1 sprint
Kimi Antonelli denies Lewis Hamilton home win in Silverstone F1 sprint
Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli overtook Lewis Hamilton to deny the Ferrari driver a home victory in the British Grand Prix sprint race.
After delighting a raucous 150-000 strong home crowd by taking a surprise pole position on Friday, Hamilton led the opening stages of Saturday’s 17-lap sprint but couldn’t hold on to convert his front-of-the-grid start into the win.
Antonelli won Saturday's 17-lap sprint race
12:33
Norris is not happy with McLaren, telling them he wishes they would 'get it right once'. A reminder: he finished in third place.
12:31
Antonelli wins the Silverstone sprint race
Antonelli wins the Silverstone sprint! Hamilton is second, with Norris in third and Russell fourth.
What a race that was!
Lawson JUST holds Hadjar off for the final points-paying position, but is under investigation for moving under braking.
12:29
Antonelli lead by 2.3s as we head onto the last lap.
12:29
Hadjar can't find his way past Lawson, and is complaining about the Racing Bulls driver moving under braking. He does have a case on that one.
12:28
Onto the final two laps, and Norris is being caught by Russell. The gap is 1.1s, and Norris has been told to save fuel.
12:27
Stroll has pitted for medium tyres and remains in P21. That's something that happened...
12:24
Antonelli is stretching his lead over Hamilton, with the championship leader now clear by 1.4s. Norris is still in no man's land in P3, so looks in a good position to keep his position.
12:23
A key battle lower down the order to watch is between Lawson and Hadjar over P8. After a dreadful start, Hadjar has been making his way back towards the points, which are awarded only to the top 8.
Lawson currently holds the place, and is 1.7s clear, but the gap is coming down.
12:21
Hamilton has dropped out of overtake mode range of Antonelli at the front. Not by much, with the margin at 1.2s, but it's enough.
12:20
Full deployment for Leclerc, and he goes through on Verstappen. We're now on lap 11 of 17.