Leclerc wins at Silverstone as Antonelli's weekend unravels
The short version
Charles Leclerc won the 2026 British Grand Prix for Ferrari, finishing 0.427s ahead of George Russell after a race that ended behind the safety car. Lewis Hamilton was third. Pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli damaged his car, made several extra stops, took a penalty and finished 15th with no points, which cut his championship lead to 25.
- 0.427sMargin of victory
- 1:31.777Fastest lap · Antonelli
- P19 → P9Colapinto · biggest mover (+10)
- 2Retirements · incl. Albon, Hülkenberg
Charles Leclerc
George Russell
Lewis Hamilton
Charles Leclerc won at Silverstone, the first time he’s done so. He beat pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli into Turn 1 and was still leading when the race finished behind the safety car. It was his first win since Austin in 2024.
The start
Leclerc got ahead of Antonelli into the first corner. Lewis Hamilton also made a fast start, but it was too fast: he got a 5-second penalty for a false start. Two Virtual Safety Cars followed, one to clear an umbrella from the grass and one when Nico Hülkenberg’s Audi stopped at Copse.
Two Mercedes, two very different days
George Russell had a slow puncture that cost him an extra stop, but he recovered to finish 0.427s behind Leclerc. Antonelli, who had won Saturday’s sprint, broke his left-front wheel shield, made several pit stops and then took a track-limits penalty. He finished 15th with no points.
Behind the safety car
Late in the race Max Verstappen spun into the gravel at Stowe, and the race finished behind the safety car, which is why the top ten were covered by just 3.4s. Hamilton finished third for his 16th British Grand Prix podium, and Franco Colapinto went from 19th on the grid to ninth.
Antonelli’s lead over Russell is down to 25 points (179 to 154).
Key moments
- StartLeclerc passes pole-sitter Antonelli into Turn 1. Hamilton gets a 5-second penalty for a false start.
- VSCTwo Virtual Safety Cars: one to clear an umbrella from the grass, one for Nico Hülkenberg's stopped Audi.
- TroubleAntonelli breaks his left-front wheel shield and has to make several stops. Russell recovers from a slow puncture.
- FinishVerstappen spins into the gravel at Stowe. The race finishes behind the safety car.
Race classification
2026 British Grand Prix · official classification| Pos | Driver | Time / Gap | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | 1:27:11.335 | 25 |
| 2 | George Russell | +0.427 | 18 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | +0.772 | 15 |
| 4 | Lando Norris | +1.149 | 12 |
| 5 | Isack Hadjar | +1.598 | 10 |
| 6 | Liam Lawson | +2.023 | 8 |
| 7 | Arvid Lindblad | +2.214 | 6 |
| 8 | Gabriel Bortoleto | +2.413 | 4 |
| 9 | Franco Colapinto | +3.229 | 2 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | +3.445 | 1 |
| 11 | Oscar Piastri | +4.014 | 0 |
| 12 | Oliver Bearman | +5.245 | 0 |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon | +5.512 | 0 |
| 14 | Sergio Pérez | +7.403 | 0 |
| 15 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | +8.005 | 0 |
| 16 | Valtteri Bottas | +8.162 | 0 |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 18 | Fernando Alonso | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 19 | Lance Stroll | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 20 | Max Verstappen | Retired | 0 |
Source: official results on Formula1.com, including post-race penalties.
Did not finish
2 retirements| Driver | Reason |
|---|---|
| Alexander Albon | Collision |
| Nico Hülkenberg | Stopped on track |
Weekend sessions
Practice, qualifying and sprint · tap to expandClassifications update on their own, within about 10 minutes of being published.
Practice 1
| Pos | Driver | Best | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:29.260 | 32 |
| 2 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:29.473 | 29 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | 1:29.859 | 31 |
| 4 | George Russell | 1:29.938 | 31 |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | 1:30.147 | 25 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | 1:30.240 | 27 |
| 7 | Lando Norris | 1:30.288 | 27 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | 1:30.338 | 28 |
| 9 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:30.743 | 29 |
| 10 | Liam Lawson | 1:30.850 | 28 |
| 11 | Franco Colapinto | 1:30.966 | 28 |
| 12 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:31.035 | 28 |
| 13 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:31.339 | 32 |
| 14 | Oliver Bearman | 1:31.373 | 27 |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | 1:31.684 | 33 |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon | 1:31.684 | 27 |
| 17 | Alexander Albon | 1:31.697 | 30 |
| 18 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:32.150 | 22 |
| 19 | Sergio Pérez | 1:32.241 | 23 |
| 20 | Fernando Alonso | 1:32.957 | 25 |
| 21 | Pierre Gasly | 1:33.019 | 25 |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | 1:33.130 | 26 |
Sprint Qualifying
| Pos | Driver | SQ1 | SQ2 | SQ3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:29.273 | 1:28.747 | 1:28.376 |
| 2 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:29.746 | 1:28.846 | 1:28.387 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | 1:29.689 | 1:29.242 | 1:28.697 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | 1:29.380 | 1:28.922 | 1:28.703 |
| 5 | George Russell | 1:29.675 | 1:29.246 | 1:28.733 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | 1:30.142 | 1:29.401 | 1:28.740 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | 1:29.583 | 1:29.120 | 1:28.772 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | 1:29.470 | 1:29.280 | 1:28.835 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | 1:29.850 | 1:29.067 | 1:28.927 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:30.453 | 1:29.330 | 1:29.367 |
| 11 | Pierre Gasly | 1:30.444 | 1:29.482 | — |
| 12 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:30.407 | 1:29.679 | — |
| 13 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:30.107 | 1:29.707 | — |
| 14 | Franco Colapinto | 1:30.894 | 1:29.983 | — |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | 1:31.073 | 1:30.197 | — |
| 16 | Alexander Albon | 1:30.779 | 1:30.650 | — |
| 17 | Oliver Bearman | 1:31.083 | — | — |
| 18 | Esteban Ocon | 1:31.714 | — | — |
| 19 | Sergio Pérez | 1:31.776 | — | — |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:32.020 | — | — |
| 21 | Fernando Alonso | 1:32.910 | — | — |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | 1:32.988 | — | — |
Sprint Race
| Pos | Driver | Time / Gap | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 26:12.129 | 8 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | +2.745 | 7 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | +9.783 | 6 |
| 4 | George Russell | +10.639 | 5 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | +12.620 | 4 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | +16.550 | 3 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | +17.551 | 2 |
| 8 | Liam Lawson | +30.233 | 1 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | +30.953 | 0 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | +35.110 | 0 |
| 11 | Pierre Gasly | +40.273 | 0 |
| 12 | Franco Colapinto | +41.026 | 0 |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | +42.499 | 0 |
| 14 | Oliver Bearman | +45.784 | 0 |
| 15 | Nico Hülkenberg | +46.680 | 0 |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon | +49.810 | 0 |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | +50.379 | 0 |
| 18 | Alexander Albon | +50.757 | 0 |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | +1:15.117 | 0 |
| 20 | Fernando Alonso | +1:31.872 | 0 |
| 21 | Lance Stroll | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 22 | Sergio Pérez | +1 Lap | 0 |
Qualifying
| Pos | Driver | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:29.719 | 1:28.493 | 1:28.111 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | 1:29.534 | 1:28.626 | 1:28.286 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:29.644 | 1:28.864 | 1:28.458 |
| 4 | George Russell | 1:29.985 | 1:28.920 | 1:28.481 |
| 5 | Isack Hadjar | 1:29.276 | 1:29.069 | 1:28.746 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | 1:30.186 | 1:29.383 | 1:28.877 |
| 7 | Max Verstappen | 1:29.549 | 1:29.113 | 1:28.893 |
| 8 | Oscar Piastri | 1:29.971 | 1:29.218 | 1:29.032 |
| 9 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:29.661 | 1:29.324 | 1:29.305 |
| 10 | Liam Lawson | 1:29.300 | 1:29.429 | 1:29.716 |
| 11 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:30.269 | 1:29.461 | — |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | 1:30.345 | 1:30.063 | — |
| 13 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:29.539 | 1:30.076 | — |
| 14 | Oliver Bearman | 1:30.570 | 1:30.501 | — |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | 1:30.562 | 1:30.623 | — |
| 16 | Alexander Albon | 1:30.638 | 1:31.341 | — |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | 1:30.680 | — | — |
| 18 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:31.227 | — | — |
| 19 | Franco Colapinto | 1:31.321 | — | — |
| 20 | Sergio Pérez | 1:31.451 | — | — |
| 21 | Lance Stroll | 1:32.863 | — | — |
| 22 | Fernando Alonso | 1:33.025 | — | — |
Quick answers
Who won the 2026 British Grand Prix?
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) won the 2026 British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit on 5 July 2026, finishing 0.427s ahead of George Russell in a race time of 1:27:11.335.
Who finished on the podium at the 2026 British Grand Prix?
P1 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), P2 George Russell (Mercedes), P3 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari).
Who set the fastest lap at the 2026 British Grand Prix?
Andrea Kimi Antonelli set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:31.777.
How many drivers retired from the 2026 British Grand Prix?
2 drivers did not finish: Alexander Albon (collision), Nico Hülkenberg (stopped on track).
Why did Kimi Antonelli finish 15th at Silverstone?
Antonelli broke his left-front wheel shield, made several pit stops and received a 5-second penalty for track limits. He finished outside the points.
Who won the 2026 British sprint?
Kimi Antonelli won the Silverstone sprint, passing Lewis Hamilton, who started from sprint pole. It was Antonelli's first F1 sprint win.