liveUpdated 1m agoFollow live updates from today’s Sprint race before qualifying sets the grid for tomorrow’s Grand Prix.The Athletic’s F1 TeamJuly 4, 2026 at 6:25 AM EDTMcLaren driver Lando Norris enters the track ahead of the sprint race at the 2026 British GP Getty ImagesNorris' last instructions Luke Smith/The AthleticHere's Norris is going through his final chats with his McLaren engineers before getting in his car to go to the grid a few moments ago.McLaren assembling Norris' machine Luke Smith/The AthleticMcLaren are doing some work on Lando Norris’s car. Plenty of time still, the grid isn't even open yet. He'll start sixth today.Not long until lights out Alex Kalinauckas/The AthleticWe're down to 45 minutes before the sprint race start and Luke and Madeline have headed down to the grid (currently being swapped, above) to see the cars up close ahead of the start. We'll add their snaps in here ahead of the race, although this is rather dependent on the rather patchy Silverstone cell data coverage. If it's anything as bad as the traffic leaving the track last night - with some team staff stuck for up to two hours try to get out of the infield aread - we'll have to add them in post-race. But here's hoping everything arrives smoothlyHamilton's home advantage Alex Kalinauckas/The AthleticLewis Hamilton's resurgence in F1 has gone down very well with the home fans here at Silverstone. I was out on track for both F1 sessions on Friday and Hamilton was warmly applauded out of the pits each time, before the crowd roared their collective approval when he set the quickest time in both practice and SQ3.I snapped this picture of Hamilton waving to the fans in the Becketts grandstand - where the adulation was flowing across the track toward the saluting Ferrari driver. He's sporting yellow gloves, which will make it easier for fans in the stands to see when he's waving in their direction, plus Hamilton's helmet this weekend is a slightly darker shade of yellow and featuring the colors of the Grenada flag to honor his heritage. It was in this helmet design that Hamilton took his first Silverstone F1 win - in 2008, one of his best ever drivers - when racing for McLaren. He's since taken eight more, with that record of nine the most for any one driver a single track.A first Silverstone sprint since 2021 Getty ImagesF1 has not held a sprint race at Silverstone since the very first F1 sprint race back in 2021. That year, there were just three races as the format was trialed before being expanded to six in 2023.The 2021 Silverstone sprint was held at the height of the rivalry between Lewis Hamilton, then of Mercedes, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who was gunning for his first world title that year. The paired fought closely at the start of the sprint, but it was Verstappen who held on to win by 1.4 seconds and, with it, secure pole position for Sunday's grand prix, as was the format back then.Come Sunday, the pair's GP Lap 1 battle ended in an infamous collision at Copse, which left Verstappen's car careening into the barrier and leaving the Dutchman in need of a precautionary hospital checkover. Hamilton got a penalty for the incident, but still managed to win the race. It went down as a big flashpoint within their remarkable title fight.Bättig shows F1 Academy regulars the way Getty ImagesChiara Bättig, the wild card entry for the Silverstone F1 Academy round, has taken the all-women junior driver series by storm.The 16-year-old Swiss driver topped the timesheets in practice and then proceeded to secure pole with a 0.177-second margin over Alisha Palmowski, who is leading the standings in her second season in the championship.It marked a historic moment, as Bättig is the first wild card driver to secure pole position and the youngest driver in the series' history to do so. Wild card drivers appear at select races only across the season.Bättig is a three-time Swiss karting champion in the OK Junior category and she competed in the Champions of the Future Academy Program International Series, as an as F1 Academy's Discover Your Drive karter. She ended the 2025 season as runner-up in the OK-N Senior category.Bättig is competing in British F4 this season, which is a helpful category to prepare drivers to advance up the motorsport ladder (and into F1 Academy if that's the path they choose).F1 Academy will resume on Saturday at 6:05 pm local time (1:05 p.m. ET) for the reverse grid race, where Emma Felbermayr will start from pole. The feature race, with Bättig on pole, will take place at 10:00 a.m. local time on Sunday (5:00 a.m. ET). American victory in Briton on Independence Day Getty ImagesThere's already been racing action at Silverstone, with Campos Racing driver Ugo Ugochukwu winning the Formula 3 race an hour ago - the American driver (above) making a fine start to the Fourth of July celebrations.There will be Formula 2's sprint race taking place shortly after the F1 variety, plus a demonstration of classic F1 cars for the crowd packed into Silverstone.Then, this evening, after F1 main race qualifying, the first race of the F1 Academy round will be held.Here's Madeline Coleman to explain what happened in F1 Academy qualifying on Friday.Fine margins cost Antonelli in SQ3 Getty ImagesJust 0.011-seconds separated Kimi Antonelli from sprint race pole at Silverstone, as he narrowly losing out to Lewis Hamilton at the end of the session.Antonelli recovered from what he said felt like a difficult start to the session, as he felt a “night and day” difference going into SQ2, only to then just miss out on top spot in the final stage.“SQ3 (there) was a little bit left on the table, but it was a decent lap,” said Antonelli. “Unfortunately it was super close to Lewis, but of course congrats to him. On our side we’ll focus on tomorrow now.”Antonelli leads the world championship by 40 points from his Mercedes teammate George Russell, who will start the sprint down in fifth place.But it could well be Hamilton and Ferrari that pose the biggest challenge to Antonelli in the 17-lap race.“Ferrari have done an incredible step forward, so definitely it's going to be very tough, plus Lewis is in a great form,” said Antonelli. “But that's good, we like the challenge, and we'll try to make the best out of it.”Advantage Antonelli Again Getty ImagesStarting alongside Hamilton will be Mercedes' championship leader Kimi Antonelli. He looked to have pole sewn up until Hamilton can through and nipped ahead - to a chorus of cheers from the home crowd. But with George Russell down in fifth in the other Mercedes, this is a big chance for Antonelli to increase his standings lead for the first time since Monaco.Here's Luke Smith to explain what happened in the dying moments of sprint qualifying on Friday evening.Day two underway at the British GP Alex Kalinauckas/The AthleticGood morning from Silverstone - it's sprint race and main race qualifying day at the British Grand Prix.Hopes are high for the home fans, as Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton starts from sprint race pole. This is the first time Hamilton has started on pole at Silverstone since the 2021 sprint race (incidentally, also F1's first ever such event).The paddock and grandstands are filling up and there's just an hour remaining before its time for lights out.