Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position for the British Grand Prix Sprint race at Silverstone on Friday, July 3, 2026, leading every segment of Sprint Qualifying.
The seven-time world champion edged Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli by just 0.011 seconds, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen third, 0.321 seconds off the pace.
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Charles Leclerc placed the second Ferrari fourth, more than three-tenths slower than his teammate.
It was Hamilton's first pole in any Formula 1 qualifying format since the China Sprint last season.
Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle praised the performance: "Lewis made the difference. That was a classic Lewis Hamilton Silverstone lap."
Approximately 150,000 spectators cheered as Hamilton beat the Mercedes drivers, despite his earlier concerns about Ferrari's straight-line speed.
"Wow. OK.
I like it. I love this place.
I love this crowd," said Hamilton. "We're ahead of Mercedes.
>>> Hamilton Takes Silverstone Sprint Pole Ahead of Antonelli and Verstappen
They have so much power, these guys. We did not expect we would be competing for the front row, so it's an amazing surprise.
I'm ecstatic."
Hamilton credited minor vehicle adjustments made ahead of the weekend for helping the team regain competitiveness after a difficult Austrian Grand Prix.
Leclerc expressed surprise at the team's overall pace but acknowledged his ongoing struggles with car handling.
"Lewis is more often at 100% of the potential of the car, which I'm not," he said. "I have to work on everything, really."
Further down the grid, George Russell qualified fifth for Mercedes. McLaren's Lando Norris overcame early car damage to place sixth, ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri.
Red Bull's Isack Hadjar finished eighth, with Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad completing the top ten.
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The 17-lap Sprint race is scheduled for Saturday at 12:00 PM local time, followed by main Grand Prix qualifying at 4:00 PM.
