F1 2026: British Grand Prix Qualifying Recap

Kimi Antonelli untouchable as Mercedes youngster takes pole in Silverstone

Kimi Antonelli picked up his fifth pole of the season as the Mercedes driver pipped the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to take pole position at the British Grand Prix 2026 qualifying. While Antonelli’s incredible season continued, Ferrari continued to ride their recent upward shift in form with Leclerc managing a front row start with Hamilton starting on the second row with fellow Brit and former teammate George Russell. McLaren were the biggest let-downs of the afternoon as the Woking-based team struggled and will have their task cut out for the main race. For Antonelli, it was a perfect Saturday as earlier in the day, he had won the British Grand Prix 2026 Sprint as well.

If you missed the British Grand Prix 2026 qualifying, here’s a quick recap. 

Q1 – Ferraris dominate while Stroll outqualifies Alonso

Qualifying got underway with the Ferraris and Mercedes drivers at the top of the timesheets as expected after the first runs while Red Bull’s duo of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar also showed strong pace over one lap. George Russell went off at the Luffield straight and went into the gravel and hit the barrier as well which left him without a time as the clock ticked down.

As the session came to an end the Cadillacs and Aston Martins were in the drop zone as expected and along with them was George Russell and Gabriel Bortoleto, with the latter two not having set a time with five minutes to go. Russell’s first saw him go P6 while Isack Hadjar  went quickest fastest late on with a 1:29.276s. As the session ended it was Valtteri Bottas, Franco Colapinto, Sergio Pérez, Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon missing out on Q2.

Drivers eliminated in Q1:

Esteban Ocon

Valtteri Bottas

Franco Colapinto

Sergio Pérez

Lance Stroll

Fernando Alonso

Q2 – Antonelli sets the pace as Williams and Audi struggle

Verstappen set the first time of Q2 with a 1:29.308s with Hadjar pipping him instantly with a 1:29.183s as the Red Bulls continued to show pace. Hamilton was the first to break into the 1:28s as Hamilton’s first time saw him put up a 1:28864s with Leclerc two-tenths slower than him. George Russell’s first lap saw him go 0.056s slower than Hamilton while Antonelli aborted his opening lap after going wide on track at Village. Once Antonelli got his first time on the board, he was 0.179s slower than Hamilton and slotted in at third place behind his teammate. 

With the clock ticking down, Piastri was the biggest name in the drop zone but the McLaren driver’s final lap saw him go P7 while Leclerc and Antonelli exchanged the top spot amongst themselves right at the end. It was the Audi and Williams duos along with Ollie Bearman and Pierre Gasly missing out on Q3 with the Williams pair of Sainz and Albon being the slowest in Q2.

Drivers eliminated in Q2:

Gabriel Bortoleto

Pierre Gasly

Nico Hülkenberg

Ollie Bearman

Carlos Sainz

Alex Albon

Q3 – Antonelli sets the benchmark as McLarens struggle

Oscar Piastri’s 1:29.231s was the first time on the board in Q3 but he was quickly dislodged from the top spot when the Ferraris and Mercedeses put their times on the board. Kimi Antonelli went quickest early on, after the top four teams got their laps on the board, and put up a time of 1:28.385s and was 0.096s quicker than his teammate George Russell. As the cars came out for their final laps, it was Antonelli first out on the track and taking provisional pole with a 1:28.111s. Russell was unable to get quicker while Hamitlon and Verstappen failed to go quicker as well. Leclerc came closest as he was 0.175s behind Antonelli as Hamilton slotted in third place by going three tenths slower than Antonelli’s final time.

Starting grid for the British Grand Prix 2026 (before penalties applied)

1.Kimi Antonelli

2. Charles Leclerc

3. Lewis Hamilton

4. George Russell

5. Isack Hadjar

6. Lando Norris 

7. Max Verstappen

8. Oscar Piastri

9. Arvid Lindblad

10. Liam Lawson

11. Gabriel Bortoleto

12. Pierre Gasly

13. Nico Hülkenberg

14. Ollie Bearman

15. Carlos Sainz

16. Alex Albon

17. Esteban Ocon

18. Valtteri Bottas

19. Franco Colapinto

20. Sergio Pérez

21. Lance Stroll

22. Fernando Alonso