Formula 1’s Great Britain leg concludes round nine of the 2026 F1 season this afternoon with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc looking to challenge the might of Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes. Antonelli starts the race on pole position following a thrilling lap of 1:28.111 in qualifying and is seeking to extend his lead at the top of the world drivers’ championship. A lean two weeks had seemingly halted his momentum but the 19-year-old lit up Silverstone on Saturday to remind everyone of his title credentials. Aiming to upset him is Hamilton, who has shown great pace this weekend for Ferrari but will start the race P3 with his teammate Leclerc on the front row with Antonelli. The Ferrari duo may need to execute a perfect team strategy today if they are to overcome the pace of the Italian. They will also need to deal with Mercedes’ George Russell. He’s P4 on the grid and harbours title ambitions of his own so will want to impress at his home grand prix. Follow the British Grand Prix with The Independent. How can I watch it online and on TV?The British Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. Sky’s coverage of Sunday’s race starts at 12:55 pm (BST).Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action from Silverstone on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.In the United States, every practice, qualifying and race session will be streamed on Apple TV this year. You can stream Apple TV for FREE, with Apple TV’s seven-day free trial.If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch, then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help.Mike Jones5 July 2026 12:13When is the British Grand Prix? The British Grand Prix takes place this afternoon at Silverstone Circuit. Lights out is set for 3pm with Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes sitting on pole position ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.Mike Jones5 July 2026 12:07State of playFormula 1 heads to Silverstone in Great Britain for round nine of the 2026 F1 season in a sprint weekend that could play a key role in the drivers’ championship title race.Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli still leads the way but since claiming a fifth consecutive victory with a victory in Monaco the impressive 19-year-old has seen his lead cut to 43 points.A DNF in Barcelona helped Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton close the gap, as the seven-time champion claimed a first grand prix win for the Italian team, before Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate George Russell earned victory at the Austrain Grand Prix last time out.But, Antonelli responded in fine fashion on Saturday at Silverstone to first win the sprint race before claiming pole position ahead of the Ferrari pairing of Charles Leclerc and Hamilton. The 19-year-old is now the favourite to claim victory on Sunday.Mike Jones5 July 2026 12:01Good morning!Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of today’s British Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc look to challenge Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli for the crown. Hamilton had impressed on Friday by being the quickest on track in each session before taking pole for the sprint race on Saturday. Yet, Antonelli excelled yesterday. First he overtook Hamilton to win the sprint and extend his lead in the drivers’ championship before he went on the claim pole position for today’s grand prix. Leclerc, in contrast to Hamilton, seemed to struggle across the weekend but a fine lap in qualifying secured him a front row start and the potential to challenge at the top of the grid. How will today’s race play out and is there any way to stop Mercedes and Antonelli? Mike Jones5 July 2026 11:36