British Grand Prix: Formula One – live updates

6 hours ago 9

Key events

Lewis Hamilton, in his 20th British GP, seeking his 10th win, talks of the privilege of driving in front of the home crowd. He says: “It really is the best race of the whole year because the fans show up and the energy they bring. I’m still building, so still got a long way to go. I love Silverstone. I love the fans here. Thank you so much for always bringing this great energy and it means the world to me and to all of us.”

Today’s proceedings had a twist, with drivers out in Lego karts. All a bit of fun, though one driver wasn’t so keen. In a Viaplay interview, Max Verstappen said this: “I prefer to play with Lego at home, you know, with the kids. Not on a go-kart here, to be honest. I prefer to stand on a truck, just with everyone together. I think that’s more fun and I think it also looks more professional.

“At the end of the day we are Formula One drivers, I think we should not look like kids and clowns trying to ram into each other. I don’t think that is what Formula One needs, but it is what it is.”

Here’s Giles Richards’ qualifying report.

The competition was tight and intense so Antonelli was pushed hard, but on the final runs he found a level that could not be matched. The 19-year-old, who leads the world championship and won the sprint race on Saturday morning, had almost two-tenths on Charles Leclerc in second and three-tenths on Hamilton in third, no small margins. His Mercedes teammate, George Russell, in the same machinery, was fourth, nearly four-tenths back.

First celeb spot of the live blog: Jack Grealish. Can he play right-back?

The remaining starting grid positions:

11. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
12. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
13. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
14. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
15. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
16. Alex Albon (Williams)
17. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
18. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
19. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
20. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
21. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
22. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

Here’s the drivers’ standings after that sprint race.

1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 179 points
2. George Russell (Mercedes) - 136 points
3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 132 points
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 85 points
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 83 points
6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 82 points
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 76 points
8. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 42 points
9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 41 points
10. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 31 points
11. Ollie Bearman (Haas) - 18 points

Preamble

It’s the biggest weekend in British motorsport, and this year the car park will not be flooded. Instead, in warm conditions, the drivers’ championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, starts on pole, with two Ferraris behind him, the Mercedes driver having already claimed the sprint race. British hopes lie in Lewis Hamilton, and perhaps George Russell in fourth.

Here’s the qualifying times from Saturday for the top ten.

1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:28.111
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.175
3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.347
4 George Russell Mercedes +0.635
5 Isack Hadjar Red Bull +0.635
6 Lando Norris McLaren +0.766
7 Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.872
8 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.921
9 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls +1.194
10 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +1.605