‘Ecstatic’ Hamilton rolls back the years with Silverstone Sprint pole

SILVERSTONE, England: ‌A beaming Lewis Hamilton rolled back the years with a vintage display for Ferrari at Silverstone on Friday as he topped every session and took pole position for Saturday’s sprint at the British Grand Prix.

The 41-year-old seven-time world champion thrilled a big crowd with a final best lap in one minute and 28.376 seconds to outpace championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes by 0.011 seconds.

“I’m so happy, just so happy,” said Hamilton, who on Sunday will seek to add to his record nine wins in his home event’s main race.

“We didn’t expect we would be competing for the front row so it’s an amazing surprise. I’m ecstatic.

“This track is still just phenomenal and so great to drive — and we didn’t have the engine drop-off (in power output) that we had anticipated.

“It all goes back to the work of everyone at the factory. They are pushing so hard. Last year, we were in a rut, but this season is so different — we have a real synergy now and we are adding small bit to add performance every week.

“And Silverstone is so great — it’s the best track in the world to drive!“

Hamilton’s sprint pole is the third of his career and could earn him important points if he wins to boost his bid to win a record eighth drivers’ world title.

He told a fans event at Silverstone on Friday evening that he would carry on racing until he had achieved that ambition.

His successor at Mercedes, when he left for Ferrari at the end of 2024, 19-year-old Antonelli, hugged him after qualifying.

“It was so close between us,” the Italian said.

“So for me, it is a shame. In SQ1, I felt a bit bad and we made a slight balance adjustment and it was night and day and we were back on the pace

“In the end, there was a little