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4 hours ago
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Charles Leclerc won the British Grand Prix after a dramatic finish at Silverstone that saw the championship leader Kimi Antonelli dropping from contention for the lead to 16th after a mechanical problem. Leclerc ultimately won under the safety car from Mercedes’ George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in third. The defending world champion, Lando Norris, was in fourth for McLaren.
Hamilton was under investigation for a yellow flag infringement, but was cleared.
In what had been a tactical race for much of the contest, Antonelli had been chasing down Leclerc in the final third, with Leclerc believing the game was up only for Antonelli to suffer a sudden mechanical problem with the wheel shield on his front left which broke when he went over the kerbs at Copse, leaving him struggling to turn the car.
He had to pit, his shot at the win gone in a moment. He went out again but the problem remained and had to pit again for the team to deal with it, leaving him in tenth. He then received a five-second penalty for track limits, having gone off as he struggled with his steering, dropping him to 16th.
Yet the late drama continued, with Leclerc leading from Hamilton by 20 seconds and Max Verstappen chasing them down, the Dutchman went off at high speed at Stowe in the shade of the Landostand, prompting the safety car with four laps to go. There was no error on his behalf it appears the rear just suddenly stepped out and a furious Verstappen was just a passenger. “Fuck this car, unbelievable,” he said.
Leclerc and Hamilton promptly pitted for fresh rubber but Russell did not and he took second place in the process. An expected restart for the final lap however ended in some confusion. The safety car was due to come in but did not and it was indicated as redeployed and the race ended behind it. A disappointing finish, especially for Hamilton who had lost a place but one Leclerc was happy to celebrate.
The win is a huge achievement after what was a difficult year for Leclerc and Ferrari in 2025. It is his first at the British GP and his first since the US GP in 2024. After Hamilton’s recent win in Spain it demonstrates once more they can take on Mercedes and best them.
The result is also a real blow to Antonelli’s championship lead. Russell has now closed the gap to his teammate to 25 points with Hamilton moving to 32 behind the Italian.
Antonelli’s slow start had not been the best opening as he was passed by both Ferraris into turn one, however the Italian moved relentlessly up on Hamilton and the pair began vying with one another until the Italian made it stick with relative ease on the inside at Copse on lap 11, before setting off after Leclerc who was now four seconds ahead.
Hamilton took a five-second penalty for a jump start, which he served in his pit stop while Mercedes kept Antonelli out long, looking for a tyre advantage in the final third.
A fired-up Hamilton on fresh rubber was not hanging about as he went wheel to wheel with Russell for fourth, the pair exchanging places through Copse and then Maggotts in a thrilling contest from which Russell still just held the place. Hamilton reset and went again, this time round the outside at Brooklands only for Russell to comeback again.
Russell was told he had a slow puncture but it did not appear to be affecting his pace as he attacked Verstappen but the team had to pit him a lap later, apparently costing him dearly, only for the finale to be turned as Antonelli’s issue became clear just as he had been hunting down Leclerc. The crowd were denied a grandstand finale but the championship has become finely poised indeed.
