Charles Leclerc claims his first win since 2024 at Silverstone

The British Grand Prix began in warm and dry conditions at Silverstone, with Kimi Antonelli starting from pole position ahead of the two Ferraris. However, the Mercedes rookie made a poor getaway and was passed by both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton before the opening corners.

Leclerc took the lead, Hamilton moved into second, and Antonelli dropped to third. There was also plenty of action further down the field, with Oscar Piastri suffering damage after contact on the opening lap and Alex Albon needing an early pit stop for a new front wing.

Leclerc soon started to build a gap at the front, while Hamilton came under heavy pressure from Antonelli. The Mercedes driver stayed close for several laps before making a clean move around the outside at Copse on lap 11 to take second place. At the same time, Hamilton's race became more complicated after the stewards handed him a five-second penalty for a false start. Behind the leading three, Max Verstappen recovered from seventh on the grid and moved into the battle for the top five despite complaining about problems with his car.

The race settled into a strategic fight as the first pit stops approached. Hamilton was called into the pits on lap 24 to serve his penalty, even though he told Ferrari that his tyres were still in good condition. The stop dropped him behind George Russell. Leclerc stopped one lap later, briefly handing the lead to Antonelli, who stayed out for a longer first stint. Once the Mercedes driver made his stop, Leclerc returned to the front, while Antonelli rejoined in second with tyres that were around 10 laps fresher than the Ferrari.

Hamilton meanwhile fought his way back through the field. After several exciting wheel-to-wheel battles with Russell and Verstappen, he eventually overtook the Red Bull driver to climb back into the top three. At the front, Antonelli steadily reduced Leclerc's advantage and looked ready to challenge for the victory during the closing stages.

That battle never happened. Antonelli suddenly reported that something was broken on his Mercedes, and the team discovered that a damaged front-left wheel shield was causing the problem. The Italian lost a huge amount of time before returning to the pits, where Mercedes removed the broken part. Although the team suggested retiring the car, Antonelli insisted on continuing. His difficult afternoon became even worse when he received a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits, dropping him out of the points.

With Antonelli out of contention, Leclerc looked set to cruise to victory and held a lead of almost 30 seconds over Hamilton with only a few laps remaining. However, the race changed dramatically when Verstappen spun into the gravel at Stowe, bringing out the Safety Car. Ferrari reacted by pitting both Leclerc and Hamilton for fresh soft tyres, while Russell stayed out on his used medium tyres and inherited second place.

It looked as though the Safety Car would pull into the pits for a one-lap sprint to the finish, but it was sent back out after initially preparing to come in. As a result, the race ended behind the Safety Car, denying the fans a dramatic final lap and leaving Ferrari wondering whether its late strategy call had cost Hamilton second place.

Leclerc secured his first victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season in an impressive drive from start to finish. Russell finished second for Mercedes, while Hamilton completed the podium in third but he will still be investigated after the race for yellow flag infrigement.

Lando Norris crossed the line in fourth, followed by Isack Hadjar in fifth and Liam Lawson in sixth. Racing Bulls also celebrated seventh place for Arvid Lindblad, while Gabriel Bortoleto finished eighth for Audi. Franco Colapinto took ninth for Alpine, and Pierre Gasly claimed the final point in tenth after Antonelli's penalty dropped him outside the top 10.