Hamilton sprint pole British GP: Ferrari shine
Lewis Hamilton grabs sprint pole at Silverstone while Lando Norris survives a major scare with brake duct damage in SQ2.
The Hamilton sprint pole British GP story is official. Lewis Hamilton has taken sprint pole position at Silverstone, putting Ferrari firmly in the spotlight ahead of Saturday’s Sprint Race. It was a dominant performance from the seven-time world champion on home soil.
Hamilton sprint pole British GP: how it happened
After a busy FP1 session, Lewis Hamilton headed into Sprint Qualifying with momentum after topping the timesheets for Ferrari in front of the British crowd. He carried that form all the way through to SQ3.
Ferrari followed up on their impressive free practice pace, setting the fastest two times in the first part of sprint qualifying before Hamilton sat atop the timing sheets once again in SQ2. In SQ3, he went even faster. Ferrari hit the times again. Hamilton delivered a 1m28.747s, which was enough for the Hamilton sprint pole British GP result.
The final classified order had Hamilton on top with a 1:29.273, Charles Leclerc second for Ferrari at +0.107, Isack Hadjar third for Red Bull at +0.197, Oscar Piastri fourth for McLaren at +0.310, and George Russell fifth for Mercedes at +0.402.
You can check the full official 2026 British Grand Prix page on Formula1.com for live updates throughout the weekend.
Norris survives a big scare in SQ2
The big drama of the session involved defending world champion Lando Norris. Norris was carrying brake duct damage, which looked to be affecting his confidence at Silverstone. He managed to avoid elimination but only by under a tenth of a second, as Pierre Gasly’s Alpine came up just short.
After Norris suffered some brake duct damage in SQ1, his team battled to fix it before his one run in SQ3. He eventually qualified tenth for McLaren, lining up well behind his rivals for the sprint. Norris will need a strong race if he is to limit the damage. You can read more about his difficult season in our piece on why Norris’s title defence is falling apart.
Ferrari and Mercedes lead the way
Hamilton set the pace in practice for the British Grand Prix, the opening session of the latest sprint weekend. He is searching for a record-extending tenth victory at Silverstone, and got off on the right foot on Friday.
The Mercedes AMG F1 team showed flashes of speed through Kimi Antonelli, but George Russell struggled. Russell was again struggling with his lap, improving by just two-tenths from SQ1 and dropping to P8. That is a concern for the reigning Austrian GP winner heading into the Sprint.
There was also a moment of worry during SQ2 when Hamilton abandoned a decent-looking final lap, saying he was losing power. It raised questions about whether there is something to worry about for Ferrari. The team will be watching that closely, especially given the energy concerns at this circuit. Our earlier piece on why battery fears could shake the British Sprint explains the challenge in detail.
Midfield shake-up and eliminations
At the bottom of the timing sheets sat six drivers from three teams: Aston Martin, Cadillac and, unusually, Haas, with Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon qualifying 17th and 18th.
Williams pair Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon both managed to escape through into SQ2, by just a hundredth of a second in Sainz’s case, to snap a brutal recent run. The pair will start 15th and 16th respectively.
Hamilton sprint pole British GP: what to expect next
Silverstone is hosting the fourth Sprint weekend of the 2026 Formula 1 season, with Zandvoort and Singapore set to host two more later in the campaign. That means the Hamilton sprint pole British GP result carries real weight in the title picture.
Hamilton, third in the championship and just a handful of points behind Russell, has his own momentum. A record-extending home win in red, in a Sprint weekend where up to 33 points are available across Saturday and Sunday, would blow the championship wide open.
The Sprint Race fires off on Saturday. Ferrari look fast, Norris is damaged, and the British crowd is firmly behind their home hero. Expect fireworks. For the full history of this legendary venue, check out our Silverstone Circuit Guide. You can also follow all the official timing data on the Formula 1 official site.
