Lewis Hamilton gave his all to the roars of the home crowd, but the valiant and determined British driver could not defy the laws of physics. The superior pace of Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes secured victory for the Italian teenager in the British Grand Prix sprint raceon Saturday.
Hamilton had not expected to be even in the chase given Ferrari’s power deficit to Mercedes, but their performance has surpassed expectations and Hamilton was back at the sharp end at his home race. He had claimed pole for the sprint and then held his lead for half of the 17-lap dash before Antonelli powered past for the lead on Hangar Straight.
The pair had enjoyed a feisty scrap. The seven-time champion, with all his experience against the 19-year-old whose verve and dash has captivated. For all that Hamilton tried, , the Ferrari was no match for Antonelli’s Mercedes.
Hamilton accepted there was little he could do despite a sterling effort to secure second place. “It was a tough race to keep the Mercedes behind. I did say that was potentially the case yesterday,” he said. “He came flying past. I was pushing as hard as I could. I gave it absolutely everything, but well done to Kimi. We’ve got work to do to try and close that gap, so we can keep up.”
Behind the leaders, Lando Norris claimed third for McLaren with Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate, George Russell, in fourth.
It was another demonstration of the Antonelli’s skill, but also his composure, biding his time before clinically passing Hamilton and then opening a lead to the flag. His first F1 sprint win was another demonstration of his burgeoning talent in only his second season in Formula One, during which he has taken five wins. While narrowly beaten to pole, he had the edge in race pace that showed ominous form for Sunday’s race.
Antonelli has extended his advantage in the title race and now leads Russell by 43 points and Hamilton by 47.
Hamilton vied with Antonelli from the start, but Hamilton held his place as Norris moved up to third. The Mercedes was strong, with Russell moving up to third from fifth, but Norris was in the mood for a fight and duly came back at the Mercedes to reclaim the place.
Hamilton and Antonelli were swiftly in a race of their own, with the pair opening a five-second gap on the chasing pack. Antonelli was keeping the seven-time champion honest, but around the mid-point began to climb all over the back of the Ferrari.
He was within three-tenths by lap seven, the pair running line astern as Hamilton was forced on to the defensive against the Mercedes’ superior pace. The veteran used all his guile, but was ultimately powerless as the Italian swept past on lap nine, the decisive moment of the contest.
Antonelli, as he has done repeatedly this season, immediately opened a lead from Hamilton to the disappointment of the crowd who had hoped their man might open the weekend with a win, before closing out with ruthless precision and a two and half second lead at the flag. Hamilton, though, will be buoyed up by the pace Ferrari showed and a second place that was hard fought and deserved.
