Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the 2026 British Grand Prix during Saturday’s qualifying session, setting a fastest lap time of 1:28.111. This marks his fifth pole of the season, placing him ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who qualified second and third respectively.
The qualifying session, held on July 4, 2026, saw Antonelli deliver a strong performance despite challenging gusty wind conditions. Leclerc was just 0.175 seconds behind the Mercedes driver, while Hamilton took third place on the grid at his home race. George Russell, Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate and the championship leader, recovered from an off-track incident in Q1 and a subsequent front wing change to qualify fourth.
Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar led his team’s qualifying effort in fifth place, with Max Verstappen qualifying seventh after expressing dissatisfaction with his car’s performance. McLaren faced difficulties during qualifying, with Oscar Piastri finishing eighth and Lando Norris ninth. Pierre Gasly of Alpine received a three-place grid penalty for impeding during Q1, which dropped him from 12th to 15th on the starting grid.
The session also featured an investigation into Esteban Ocon for not slowing sufficiently under yellow flags, though no penalty was applied. Racing Bulls were fined €5,000 for an unsafe pit release involving Arvid Lindblad and Oscar Piastri. The unpredictable wind conditions added an extra layer of challenge for the drivers throughout qualifying.
Other notable qualifiers included Liam Lawson in tenth for Racing Bulls, Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg for Audi, and Pierre Gasly for Alpine, who was affected by his penalty. Valtteri Bottas qualified for Cadillac, while Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso also took part in the session.
The British Grand Prix race is scheduled to start at 15:00 local time on July 5, 2026. The qualifying results set the grid for the race, with Antonelli aiming to convert his pole position into a strong performance on race day.
