Kimi Antonelli expects Ferrari challenge after Silverstone pole: “It won’t be easy”. Andrea Kimi Antonelli predicts tough battle with Ferrari in British GP.

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli believes the biggest challenge in the British Grand Prix will be keeping Ferrari behind after claiming his fifth pole position of the 2026 Formula 1 season at Silverstone.

Fifth pole position of the season

Heading into qualifying for the British Grand Prix, the two Mercedes drivers were tied on four pole positions each this season, with George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli level at the top of the team’s qualifying tally.

However, on his teammate’s home turf, the 19-year-old Italian edged ahead with another outstanding performance. It capped off a flawless Saturday at Silverstone, having already secured victory in the Sprint race earlier in the day and further underlining why he currently leads the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship.

A difficult Q2 session

Antonelli once again demonstrated his exceptional speed, but he admitted after qualifying that the session was far from straightforward. Speaking to Sky Sport F1, the Mercedes driver explained that Q2 proved particularly challenging.

“Honestly, I didn’t have everything under control,” he explained. “The beginning of the session was a bit difficult. On the first lap with the used tyres, I was trying to build up the rhythm, especially after the Sprint Race. Then, on my first run in Q2, I made a mistake at Turn 3 because of the wind and also because the brakes were still a bit cold. They didn’t respond very well when I hit the brakes. It wasn’t ideal, but I have to say everything came together perfectly in Q3.”

Ferrari remains the biggest threat

Despite overcoming those difficulties to secure pole position at the iconic Silverstone circuit, Antonelli believes the real challenge will come in Sunday’s race. Ferrari has looked extremely competitive throughout the weekend, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton set to line up directly behind the Mercedes driver in second and third place.

“Lewis was very fast in the Sprint, so it won’t be easy to keep the Ferraris behind,” he added. “I’ll need to make a good start, settle into a strong rhythm immediately and at least get out of the overtaking zone. It won’t be easy, especially if we have as much wind as we did today.”

With Ferrari showing impressive race pace throughout the Silverstone weekend, Antonelli knows that converting pole position into victory will require a clean getaway and a flawless opening stint if he wants to keep both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton behind.