British Grand Prix: Charles Leclerc returns to victory, Kimi Antonelli scores no points

The Monegasque driver returned to winning ways nearly two years later, triumphing at Silverstone ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. Kimi Antonelli, hampered by a mechanical problem, left empty-handed.

Silverstone is sacred ground for the Formula 1, which was born there 76 years ago. And after all these years, the British circuit remains as strongly linked as ever to the premier category, delivering sensational races at every edition of the British Grand Prix. Often, it is the human stories that are highlighted at Silverstone, especially in recent seasons: from Leclerc's heartbreak, caught at the last minute by Hamilton in 2021, the seven-time world champion returned to the top with Mercedes Benz after more than two years without a victory, including his first F1 victory Carlos Sainz in 2022 or the emotional success of the local favorite Lando Norris In 2025: Silverstone knows how to honor great drivers.

And it was a great player, who had been struggling in recent weeks, who regained his place this Sunday. Charles Leclerc ended a nearly two-year drought to secure his 9th Formula 1 victory, his first since the 2024 United States Grand Prix. Starting second on the grid, the No. 16 car rediscovered its mojo in qualifying after making some "philosophy" changes to its Classic Ferrari for saleThis paid off and restored his confidence. At the start, the Monegasque got a perfect start to pull away from Kimi Antonelli, the pole-sitter, accompanied by his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who was promoted to 2nd place but quickly penalized five seconds for jumping the start.

Charles Leclerc finally returns to victory

The first lap was marked by a clash between Alex Albon et Oliver Bearmanwhich earned the Thai player a 10-second penalty. Oscar piastri (McLaren), he destroyed his front wing and had to go through the pits to change it, which compromised his race.

As the laps progressed, Charles Leclerc gradually extended his lead, while Lewis Hamilton eventually yielded to Kimi Antonelli. The Italian delayed his pit stop for fresh tires, stopping 10 laps later than Leclerc, and rejoined the race just 7 seconds behind. The comeback was underway, but it stalled after only a few laps: Antonelli suffered a mechanical issue with his front left wheel, which significantly slowed him and dropped him to 10th place. Unable to stay on track, the Italian also received a 5-second penalty for exceeding track limits.

Audi, Alpine and Racing Bulls in the points

This penalty ultimately dropped him out of the points, as the race finished under the safety car. The cause was his off-track excursion. Max Verstappen At the Stowe corner, a few laps from the finish: the Dutchman lost control of his Red Bull and crashed into the gravel trap. Returning to the pits hoping for a restart for the final lap, Lewis Hamilton lost his second place to George Russell, but the seven-time world champion still managed to secure a podium finish alongside his teammate Charles Leclerc.

Lando Norris, meanwhile, finished just off the podium (4th) in front of a crowd that supported him, including the huge "Landostand" grandstand, all decked out in fluorescent yellow. Isaac Hadjar takes advantage of Antonelli and Verstappen's problems to move into 5th place ahead of the two Racing Bulls, both of whom are once again in the points. Furthermore, the two Alpine by Franco Colapinto (9th) and Pierre Gasly (10th) also manage to break into the top 10.

The pleasant surprise comes from Audi and Gabriel Bortoletowho scored points for the first time since the Australian GP. On the other hand, it was more complicated for Nico Hulkenbergforced to retire due to a technical problem. This triggered a virtual safety car, which had little impact on the standings.

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F1

• 14/07/2026
• 15:25

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F1 – British Grand Prix
The classification of the race