Terrible luck for Antonelli: Leclerc wins Silverstone spectacle

In the chaos at Silverstone, Charles Leclerc capitalized on a technical disaster suffered by championship leader Kimi Antonelli. The teenager complained of damage to his Mercedes ten laps from the end while chasing down the Ferrari leader, was dropped far back, and finished 16th, leaving him without points for the third consecutive race.

July 05, 2026

From: dpa

Leclerc kept his cool at the British Grand Prix, which saw a late safety car period following Max Verstappen's Red Bull spin into the gravel, and stood atop the podium for the first time since the 2024 US Grand Prix in Texas. The Monegasque driver relegated Antonelli's teammate George Russell to second place. Local hero Lewis Hamilton finished third, despite serving a five-second penalty for a false start and ultimately losing second place with a tactical error during his pit stop.

Antonelli, who won Saturday's sprint, remains the championship leader. However, his lead over Russell shrank to 25 points. "The suspension is broken," he shouted over the radio in the closing stages, before having to pit and coming close to retiring his car several times.

Leclerc and Hamilton overtake Antonelli

Hollywood actor Hugh Grant and Queen's lead guitarist Brian May were among those who witnessed yet another botched start from Antonelli. The Italian teenager had secured pole position after his first victory in the Silverstone sprint race. But for Antonelli, things rarely go perfectly from the front. In turn one, Leclerc in the first Ferrari overtook him, and Hamilton in the second Ferrari also passed the Mercedes driver.

Kimi Antonelli was the unlucky player of the day. © APA/afp / PETER POWELL

A week ago, Verstappen's second-place finish in Spielberg seemed to have sparked a turnaround for Red Bull. But frustration returned in Silverstone. The Dutchman only managed sixth place in the sprint race and qualified no higher than seventh. Four laps from the end, Verstappen slid into the gravel – a debacle.
"Embarrassing, bad," was Verstappen's conclusion, who complained about the car's balance and lack of top speed. "Honestly, I hate this car," said the Red Bull star after his retirement.

Antonelli snatched the first Ferrari on lap eleven. He overtook Hamilton in the legendary high-speed Copse corner and began his pursuit of Leclerc. The Monegasque driver, who had missed pole position by just 0,175 seconds the day before, extended his lead to as much as four seconds.

Hamilton serves time penalty

Verstappen went on the offensive, switching to hard tires as early as lap 18 of 52. However, the maneuver didn't bring him to the front. Hamilton pitted on lap 24 and immediately served his time penalty. One lap later, Leclerc's Ferrari also received the hard compound tires. Antonelli stayed out longer – a delicate balancing act. It wasn't until lap 36 that the mechanics fitted hard tires to the championship leader's Mercedes. His 13-second lead over Leclerc turned into a seven-second deficit.

The race ended behind the safety car. © APA/afp / BEN STANSALL

Then the 175.000 spectators witnessed a completely wild finale. Antonelli initially complained about problems with his car and negotiated with his pit crew for several laps about whether he should retire early. The young star prevailed and drove to the end, but received a time penalty for repeatedly running wide.
Then Verstappen also went off the track, ending up in the gravel. The safety car came out and slowed the field until the final lap. Hamilton tried a pit stop to attack for first place again. But he rejoined the track in third place behind Russell – something the strategists probably hadn't intended.

Keywords Motorsport Formula 1 Silverstone