Kimi Antonelli reclaimed the winner's spot on Saturday, thwarting Lewis Hamilton's attempt at a celebrated home sprint triumph before the British Grand Prix.

Hamilton turned pole into an early advantage and held off Antonelli during the first seven laps, yet the Italian overtook on lap eight by deploying his power boost to seize command of the 17-lap contest.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Antonelli yelled on team radio after taking the checkered flag.

"The opening 10 laps with Lewis proved very exciting as both of us pushed hard," Antonelli noted later. "Momentum is building and the team effort is paying off."

Hamilton's second-place result added to his improved form after ending a lengthy winless run with victory at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix last month, his first since moving to Ferrari.

"I pushed to the limit and gave everything possible," Hamilton remarked. "We still need to work on closing that performance difference."

Lando Norris secured third place aboard McLaren's retro white-and-green livery after briefly holding second early on and then prevailing in a tight duel with George Russell and Max Verstappen for the final podium position.

Antonelli's triumph, his first since the Monaco Grand Prix last month, widened his Formula 1 title lead to 43 points over teammate Russell, who finished fourth from a fifth-place start.

Russell noted a puzzling shortage of speed during Friday qualifying, a disappointment following his win at the previous Austrian Grand Prix that had lifted his championship prospects.

Charles Leclerc placed fifth for Ferrari, Verstappen finished sixth for Red Bull, Oscar Piastri took seventh for McLaren, and Liam Lawson earned the final point in eighth for Racing Bulls by fending off Verstappen's teammate Isack Hadjar.

Qualifying for Sunday's British Grand Prix takes place later on Saturday.