Antonelli’s pole, from a driver looking comfortable and confident around the fast sweeps of Silverstone, dealt Russell another blow in their title fight.
He had already extended his championship lead still further with victory in the sprint and their starting positions give Russell an uphill struggle as he seeks to take his first win at his home race.
Leaving the pits for his final lap, Antonelli complained about being the first driver to run but he need not have worried.
He beat his previous time by nearly 0.3secs to put himself well out of reach of his rivals.
“I was a bit stressed because I never really like going first for the last run but the last lap was very tidy. It came all together,” Antonelli said.
“It was very tricky with the winds because it was very gusty, unpredictable, and to build the car to pole was very satisfying.”
