Much as Kimi Antonelli admitted he admired the British Grand Prix, its challenge and sporting spectacle, the Italian teenager was in absolutely no mood to give a British driver so much as a sniff of a chance of enjoying a day in the sun at Silverstone as he swept to a majestic pole position for Sunday’s race.
Were will alone enough the huge crowd at the old airfield would surely have powered Lewis Hamilton into the top spot but their vocal support was simply not enough. Antonelli took his first pole here with exactly the type of precision driving and commitment required on the high-speed blast that rewards drivers who can find the very edge. He did so with an authority and almost unconscious ease that unsurprisingly left his rivals a little deflated.
The competition was tight and intense so Antonelli was pushed hard but when it mattered on the very final runs he found a level that could not be matched. The 19-year-old Italian, who leads the world championship and won the sprint race on Saturday morning, had almost two-tenths on Charles Leclerc in second and three-tenths on Hamilton in third, no small margins. His Mercedes teammate George Russell, in the same machinery, could manage only fourth, nearly four-tenths back.
“This weekend is probably one of the most special, alongside Monza, because the crowd is amazing,” said Antonelli. “It’s incredible to see how much support there is for everyone. Of course for Lewis in particular but he’s kind of the legend here.
“No, actually he is the legend here. At Silverstone the crowd just gives you such a positive energy. To see people just wait such a long time just to see you and to even maybe get an autograph or a picture, it’s just incredible. It’s such a positive energy that just makes the weekend so special. It’s crazy that more than half a million people are coming.”
He was beaming afterwards, as he might be. After his victory from Hamilton in the sprint race and with Russell in fourth, Antonelli has increased his lead in the world championship over Russell to 43 points and Hamilton by 47.
Hamilton, disappointed and with a something of a resigned air, revealed he had a problem with his energy deployment and understeer and that the second row was as much as he might have expected. Nor was he particularly optimistic for Ferrari’s chances on Sunday. He had been chased down and easily passed by Antonelli in the sprint race on Saturday and was well aware that with similar race pace on Sunday, if the Italian is away cleanly he will likely be untouchable.
Antonelli and Mercedes had demonstrated once more that their early season form as the leaders of the pack remains intact across the swathe of upgrades every team has now employed and ensures Mercedes remain unbeaten this season in qualifying despite Ferrari’s early pace over the weekend.
Antonelli was as confident and assured as he has been this season to deliver his fifth pole from nine races, once again demonstrating that he must still be considered the favourite for the title. He has five wins already and now every chance to convert it to another on Sunday.
Russell will of course be disappointed by fourth and had already made hard work of it when he went off during Q1. Heading into Luffield he locked up and went straight on and careered across the gravel to take a glancing blow against the wall. He did manage to return to the pits but with damage to the front of the car. He was mystified as to what had happened in that it was a highly unusual incident. “That was very weird. I’ve never locked up there in my whole career,” he said.
He went out again after repairs and was able to continue to make it through the session but said he was suffering from a straightline speed deficit, that he could not explain.
McLaren too have not enjoyed the most productive weekend at their home race. For their final quick runs in Q3, they were struggling for grip and looked a handful to drive, were out early but were not near the pace of the Mercedes and Ferrari. Leclerc duly took the top spot and was promptly pipped by Hamilton, until the Mercedes pair proved to have the edge, Antonelli from Russell by nine-hundredths of a second and two-tenths up on Hamilton in third.
The last quick laps were set up for a gripping showdown, in which Hamilton knew he could go quicker, having lost a fraction correcting a minor slide at Village. Antonelli went out first, which vexed the Italian and he questioned the team as to their rationale, while Hamilton went out last, looking to benefit from the track evolution.
The Italian’s concerns proved unfounded however as Antonelli did improve in the middle and final sectors, showing huge commitment and he was a full two-tenths quicker on his opening time. Leclerc too improved but Hamilton could not, three-tenths back on Antonelli’s pole time of 1min 28.111sec, with Russell relegated to fourth.
Antonelli’s first Silverstone pole may not have been the crowd pleaser the fans so badly wanted but it was a performance that suggested more will surely follow.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could manage only sixth and eighth for McLaren, with four-time champion Max Verstappen in seventh for Red Bull.
