'Ferrari have done an incredible step forward' – Antonelli reflects on missing out on British GP Sprint pole to Hamilton

Kimi Antonelli believes "Ferrari have done an incredible step forward", as the Mercedes driver just missed out on pole position in Sprint Qualifying to Lewis Hamilton ahead of the British Grand Prix.

The Italian teenager, who leads the Drivers' standings by 40 points from Mercedes team mate George Russell, missed out on top spot on Friday by just 0.011s.

Hamilton had set the pace throughout Friday, going quickest in the single one-hour Free Practice session, before going fastest in all three segments of Sprint Qualifying.

It continues a strong run of form for the seven-time World Champion, which includes a win in Barcelona and a further three podiums, with Antonelli wary of the threat Hamilton poses in Saturday's 17-lap Sprint.

"Ferrari have done an incredible step forward, so definitely is going to be very tough. Plus Lewis is in great form," said Antonelli, who leads Hamilton by 46 points in the title race.

"But that's good, we like the challenge and we try to make the best out of it. Of course, we'll go for it and try to do our best. It's not going to be easy but everything is on the table to do well so we'll make sure that we do well."

Antonelli was left only P7 in the opening segment of Sprint Qualifying, admitting that his car needed a readjustment between sessions in order to make him more comfortable.

Russell had also struggled during the session, failing to challenge the leading times and eventually finishing fifth quickest but more than three tenths adrift of Hamilton's benchmark.

"To be fair, SQ1 I felt a bit bad, I didn't feel great in the car but then we made a slight balance adjustment and SQ2 felt night and day," said Antonelli.

"We were suddenly back on the pace and SQ3 was a little bit left on the table but was a decent lap and unfortunately was super close to Lewis but of course congrats to him. On our side, we'll focus on tomorrow."