Scott Gulbransen
Kimi Antonelli’s championship lead looked a lot safer a week ago before Mercedes teammate George Russell cut it from 50 points to 40 with a win at the Red Bull Ring. Now the series heads to Silverstone for a sprint weekend at the 2026 British Grand Prix that could go one of two ways: Antonelli rebuilds his cushion, or this turns into a real fight inside the same Mercedes garage.
Here’s our pick: Antonelli wins it back on Sunday. Russell finishes second in front of his home crowd, and Lando Norris takes the final step on the podium. But it all comes with a caveat: keep an eye on Max Verstappen, who showed more pace in Austria than he has all year. Let’s get into the why.
Winner: Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes
Kimi Antonelli has taken six poles in eight rounds this season and Mercedes has turned five of those into wins. Austria was the exception. Verstappen crashed in Q3, Russell inherited a clean run to pole and he made it stick on Sunday while Antonelli came home third. That one slipped away more than it was lost outright.
Silverstone should hand it back. The circuit runs around 68.6% full throttle with barely any braking, closer to 12%, which rewards energy deployment over the mechanical grip that briefly worked in Red Bull’s favor at Spielberg. Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel ask a driver to commit through high-speed corners for lap after lap and Antonelli has looked comfortable doing exactly that all year. Throw in a compressed schedule, just one practice session before Friday’s sprint qualifying, and the team with the best baseline setup gets an edge before anyone’s turned a competitive lap. That’s been Mercedes all season.
Related: Lewis Hamilton Puts Formula 1 Title Pressure on Kimi Antonelli with First Ferrari Win in Spain
P2: George Russell | Mercedes
George Russell has the momentum heading into his home race. His Austrian win was his first since Melbourne in March, snapping a run in which he watched his teammate reel off five straight victories. He’s also 0-for-2 at his home race, a late retirement in 2024 and a strategy call that wrecked his 2025 weekend. A car that suits him and a crowd behind him make second a reasonable target, not a reach.
P3: Lando Norris | McLaren
Lando Norris is carrying something heavier. He won this race last year, his first home victory, and shows up as the defending champion at a track that’s usually been good to McLaren. Austria didn’t produce a podium, but the signs were there. Silverstone’s flowing layout should suit the car better than the stop-start corners at the Red Bull Ring did.
Read More: Lando Norris signs contract extension with F1’s McLaren
Possible Spoiler: Max Verstappen | Red Bull
Then there’s Max Verstappen. Red Bull’s seven-part upgrade finally translated into a result at the Red Bull Ring, where he ran second and felt, for the first time all season, like he could actually race for the win.
“I think what was satisfying is that this was the first time I felt like I could actually fight for the win,” Verstappen said after the race. It wasn’t perfect. He said the rear of the car got difficult to manage in the second half of the grand prix, something Red Bull still hasn’t sorted out.
That matters here. Silverstone asks for fast-corner commitment and energy management, not the heavy braking zones that make up more of Spielberg and nobody knows yet if Red Bull’s gains carry over to a different kind of track. Verstappen’s been careful not to overpromise. All of it plays out against reported contact between him and McLaren about next season, so a strong weekend would say something on two fronts at once: where Red Bull’s development is headed and how much leverage Verstappen has.
Formula 1 is live on Apple TV+ in the United States. Sprint qualifying runs Friday, the sprint and qualifying Saturday, and the British Grand Prix on Sunday at 10 a.m. ET.
Related: Verstappen, Hamilton Warn Formula 1’s Battery Problem Will Resurface at Silverstone
2026 British Grand Prix at Silverstone FAQ
Kimi Antonelli is predicted to win at Silverstone, with George Russell finishing second and Lando Norris rounding out the podium.
Antonelli leads George Russell by 40 points after Russell’s win at the Red Bull Ring cut the gap from 50 points.
No. Russell retired while fighting for the win in 2024 and lost the 2025 race to a strategy call that didn’t work in his favor.
Silverstone runs at roughly 68.6% full throttle with only about 12% braking, which rewards energy deployment over the mechanical grip and braking stability that briefly favored Red Bull at the Red Bull Ring.
Red Bull’s upgrade package gave Verstappen his most competitive weekend of 2026 in Austria, where he finished second, though he said the car’s rear became difficult to manage in the second half of that race.
Formula 1 is live on Apple TV+ in the United States, with sprint qualifying on Friday, the sprint and qualifying on Saturday, and the race on Sunday.
