Brundle names Antonelli the driver to beat after Silverstone sprint victory over Hamilton

Kimi Antonelli extended his dominant 2026 Formula 1 season with a sprint race victory at Silverstone, overtaking seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton to take the win and prompting Sky Sports analyst Martin Brundle to declare the 19-year-old the undisputed driver to beat in this year’s championship.

Antonelli, in only his second F1 season, has been in remarkable form. He became the youngest driver to lead the standings after back-to-back wins at the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix, then added three further consecutive victories in Miami, Canada and Monaco. A retirement in Barcelona and a third-place finish in Austria briefly interrupted his momentum, but his Silverstone sprint win underlined that he remains the championship’s dominant force.

“Kimi used his head in the sprint. That’s a maturity now that’s way beyond his years,” Brundle said during the British Grand Prix weekend broadcast. “He’s a little bit wild from time to time — we saw that in Austria on the first lap — but he’s surviving those. Then, he settles down with incredible pace, especially in the second half of a tyre stint. He’s unquestionably the driver to beat in this championship.”

Former W Series driver Naomi Schiff, who joined Brundle on commentary, echoed the sentiment while acknowledging that early doubts about Antonelli’s readiness have been firmly put to rest. “When he came into Formula 1, we thought Toto [Wolff] brought Kimi in prematurely,” Schiff said. “He doesn’t lack any raw speed, it’s how you rein him in and how to make sure he doesn’t make too many mistakes. He’s only 19, but what a wonderful story it is for F1.”

Antonelli now leads the drivers’ championship with 179 points. His Mercedes team-mate George Russell sits second on 136 points, with Hamilton third on 132. The results have also propelled Mercedes to the top of the constructors’ standings with 315 points, well clear of Ferrari on 215 and McLaren on 167.