Lewis Hamilton expressed "amazing surprise" after securing pole position for the British Grand Prix Sprint at Silverstone, a result he hadn't anticipated. The seven-time champion narrowly beat Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli by just 0.011 seconds, putting his Ferrari team at the front for Saturday's shortened race after a challenging season.

This unexpected performance follows Hamilton's win in Barcelona, which was overshadowed by a difficult weekend in Austria where the team's upgraded engine struggled. Despite previous pessimism about his home race prospects, Hamilton felt his car's pace was strong during practice, giving him confidence for the Sprint.

Antonelli, who leads the championship, acknowledged Ferrari's significant step forward and welcomed the challenge, while Max Verstappen noted Hamilton and Antonelli looked fast and anticipated a tougher battle with drivers behind him rather than the front two. Hamilton believes he can defend his lead, aiming to hold off the formidable Mercedes and Red Bull.

Hamilton's pole position marks a significant turnaround, demonstrating Ferrari's potential at a track where they weren't expected to dominate. The team will aim to capitalize on this strong qualifying performance in the Sprint race.