Lewis Hamilton secured first position for the sprint race of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, setting the fastest time this Friday. The British Ferrari driver dominated the qualifying session with a lap of 1m28s376, beating Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen. Brazilian representative Gabriel Bortoleto will start from 12th place in the short race, which takes place this Saturday.
The sprint race will start on Saturday, at 8 am (Brasília time). The weekend’s schedule also includes classification for the main race, which will be shown at noon on sportv3. The British Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, starting at 11am, with live coverage on TV Globo and sportv3.
Gabriel Bortoleto’s qualifying performance began with the fifth fastest time in SQ1, beating his teammate Nico Hulkenberg. Although he dropped back to 12th position initially, a fast second lap lifted him up to 11th. However, in the next phase of the classification, the Brazilian driver recorded a provisional ninth lap, but was unable to improve his performance, ending the session in 12th place.
The Ferrari team demonstrated superiority over its competitors during the single free practice session, with emphasis on Lewis Hamilton’s performance. Teams like Red Bull and Mercedes sought prominent positions throughout the three qualifying stages, but the seven-time champion remained at the top of the group of the top three from the beginning.
For Hamilton, this pole in the sprint race represents his first since the 2025 Chinese GP, where he also won the race, marking Ferrari’s only victory that season. Interestingly, the experienced 41-year-old driver stands out for being the only non-Mercedes competitor to win a race in 2026, a feat achieved at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix just two weeks ago.
What was the formation of the starting grid for the sprint race?
First sprint qualifying stage eliminates six riders in 12 minutes
At the beginning of the segment, Andrea Kimi Antonelli recorded the initial reference time, using medium tires that were mandatory. Charles Leclerc and, later, Lewis Hamilton surpassed the Italian. The pair were briefly overtaken by Isack Hadjar, but quickly regained the lead in the last four minutes. In the final moments, Max Verstappen was unable to reach the fastest times, finishing the stage in sixth place, behind Oscar Piastri and George Russell.
With the checkered flag, the host country recorded its first notable absence: Haas team’s Oliver Bearman became the first British driver not to advance to SQ3.
Drivers who did not advance in SQ1
- Oliver Bearman (Haas) – 17th
- Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 18th
- Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) – 19th
- Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – 20th
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 21st
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 22nd
Second qualifying session concludes the participation of six more competitors
The second stage began with Charles Leclerc in the lead, also using the mandatory medium tires, until Lewis Hamilton overtook him. Andrea Kimi Antonelli managed to position himself between the two, reaching the second provisional time. George Russell finished his first attempt shortly after his opponents, but only achieved eighth place. In the last sixty seconds, Leclerc set another fast lap, however, without managing to overtake Hamilton.
Competitors who left the competition in SQ2
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 11th
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – 12th
- Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) – 13th
- Franco Colapinto – 14th
- Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 15th
- Alexander Albon (Williams) – 16th
Dispute for pole in the final stage of SQ3 lasted eight minutes
In the final stretch of the session, with less than three minutes to go, the cars left the pits for a single decisive attempt. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris alternated in the lead, being later overtaken by Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Then, the Ferrari drivers showed their strength: Charles Leclerc recorded the second fastest time, and Lewis Hamilton took first place. The last to complete their laps, Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar and George Russell, were unable to threaten the seven-time champion; the Dutchman from Red Bull took the third fastest lap, the Frenchman the eighth and the Mercedes driver secured fifth place at the conclusion of the stage.
