Formula 1 | Kimi Antonelli takes pole in British Grand Prix qualifying

Nineteen-year-old Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position for the British Grand Prix on Saturday, setting his best qualifying time of the season with a final, decisive lap. The young star edged out Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by 0.175 seconds, with Lewis Hamilton a further 0.347 seconds back in third.

Antonelli's teammate, George Russell, continued his inconsistent performance, qualifying fourth and trailing Antonelli by 0.370 seconds. Antonelli admitted to feeling nervous before his final qualifying run, as he dislikes being the first driver on track for a fast lap. "My last lap was really clean. The pieces fell into place," Antonelli stated after qualifying.

The challenging wind conditions at Silverstone throughout qualifying made driving difficult. "Gusty and unpredictable wind made driving difficult. We improved as qualifying progressed. Taking pole position feels good," Antonelli added. This pole position marks his fifth of the season, and he also won the sprint race earlier on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas had a more modest qualifying session, ending in the first elimination round in 18th place. Despite this, it represents his best qualifying result of the season, outperforming his teammate Sergio Perez, who qualified 20th. Antonelli currently leads the World Championship by 43 points over Russell.