I'm so incredibly happy, says Leclerc after British GP victory

Charles Leclerc returned to the top step of the podium with a commanding drive at Silverstone, converting a strong start into his first Formula 1 victory in almost two years.

The Ferrari driver overtook polesitter Kimi Antonelli at the start and controlled the race from the front. After his only pit stop, Leclerc quickly regained the lead and looked set for victory, although Antonelli began closing the gap on fresher tyres before suffering a technical problem. A late Safety Car then ensured Leclerc stayed in front until the chequered flag.

"It feels incredible. Unfortunately the end was maybe not the one I will have dreamt of, but to win after the last few weekends that have been particularly difficult, all the work that we put into trying to get the feeling back in the car," said the Ferrari driver, as quoted by official F1 website.

"I felt like I had found something yesterday between the Sprint and Qualifying but I had to confirm that today. And today, the feeling was back where it needs to be. I'm so incredibly happy," Leclerc added.

The victory marked an important turnaround for Leclerc, who had endured a frustrating 2026 campaign before arriving at Silverstone. His last podium came at the Japanese Grand Prix in March, while crashes in Monaco and Barcelona, together with several difficult weekends, left him searching for answers.

Leclerc also admitted that keeping Antonelli behind in the closing laps would have been far from easy if the Mercedes rookie had not encountered problems.

"With Kimi it would have been close. He was very fast when he was coming towards me, so it would have been very difficult to keep that first place," said the Monegasque driver.

"Then I heard he had a problem, so I was like 'okay, I have quite a big gap, it should be straightforward'. But then the Safety Car at the end, and then for whatever reason, I think some back markers had to pass us so I did all the Safety Car at 100, 120kph. My tyres were completely cold. So I was sceptical about the restart. It's not great for the fans that are here at the track, but in the helmet I was happy that there was not a restart to keep that win. It feels really good," concluded Leclerc.