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SILVERSTONE, England, July 4 (Reuters) - Kimi Antonelli seized his first Formula One sprint race victory at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Saturday, overtaking home favourite Lewis Hamilton and extending his lead in the championship. Hamilton, driving for Ferrari and starting from pole position, initially held the advantage but came under mounting pressure from the 19-year-old Mercedes driver. On the eighth of 17 laps, Antonelli deployed Overtake Mode on the Hangar Straight, swept past Hamilton with apparent ease and quickly pulled clear. He crossed the line 2.7 seconds ahead, earning a maximum eight points and becoming the youngest sprint winner in Formula One history. SILVERSTONE, England, July 4 (Reuters) - The result moved Antonelli 43 points ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell in the standings, with 179 points to Russell’s 136, while seven times world champion Hamilton sits third on 132. Hamilton, who became the first driver this season to fail to convert a sprint pole into victory, praised the Silverstone crowd and said it had been a tough race to keep the Mercedes behind in windy conditions. McLaren’s world champion Lando Norris surged from sixth on the grid to third at the flag after a rapid start, briefly passing Antonelli on the opening lap before losing the place again. Norris then held off a late challenge from Russell, who finished fourth, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc fifth, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen sixth, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri seventh and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson taking the final point in eighth as attention turned to qualifying for Sunday’s main grand prix.

By Michael Grant | JQJO News