British Grand Prix: Kimi Antonelli passes Lewis Hamilton to win Silverstone sprint race

“It was a very fun top 10 lap with Lewis,” Antonelli said. he said. “We were both pushing hard. When I went into transition mode, I knew my chance was approaching.”

“When I got close to Brooklands he used the boost so I decided to wait and then I got closer and used everything.”

Hamilton said: “It’s a tough race to keep Mercedes behind, as I said it could be. And because it was so windy today, there was a strong wind on the back straight, he flew past us. We’ve got work to do to close that gap as long as we can keep going.”

Behind them, Norris drove an excellent race, moving from sixth to fourth in the standings on the first lap, before passing Russell on the second lap.

There were several exciting laps with Norris, Russell and Verstappen swapping places until Norris managed to consolidate third place and pull away from the challenge behind him.

“It was a very good race,” said the world champion. “I’m very, very happy, I had a good start, I was good in the first round, I don’t have the pace to go with these guys but I had a good fight with George. It was a pleasant surprise.”

Russell managed to pass Verstappen on lap nine, and the four-time champion fell into the clutches of Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who passed the Red Bull a lap later.

Verstappen dropped back but managed to overtake McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to finish sixth.

Racing Bull’s Liam Lawson blocked the attack of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar as he took the final points positions in the closing laps.

Qualifying for Sunday’s main grand prix will be held on Saturday at 16:00 CET.