F1 British GP: Charles Leclerc wins as Kimi Antonelli hits trouble

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Charles Leclerc headed George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to win the British Grand Prix as Formula 1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli lost second place with late reliability troubles.

Leclerc had snatched the lead away from polesitter Kimi Antonelli at the start, with third-placed starter Hamilton also following his Ferrari team-mate through.

While Leclerc made his only pitstop, Antonelli stayed out to eke out a handy tyre-life advantage on the Ferrari man, only pitting on lap 35 of 52. But on lap 41 Antonelli reported "something is broken" on his Mercedes. It emerged Antonelli's left wheel shield failed, causing crippling handling issues that made the Italian pit twice to rectify the issue but saw him drop outside the top 10, losing 18 crucial points in the drivers' standings.

Antonelli's misfortunate sealed the first win of 2026 for Leclerc, as he nursed a comfortable 20-second lead on team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

From third on the grid, Hamilton took a five-second time penalty for a false start, but after sitting out his punishment during his pitstop the seven-time world champion easily came out on top of a three-way fight with Red Bull's Max Verstappen and the second Mercedes of George Russell.

Verstappen looked set to claim an unlikely podium after struggling with his Red Bull's handling, gearbox and power unit deployment, but the Dutchman dramatically spun off the road at Stowe with six laps to go, beaching himself in the gravel bed.

Verstappen's off brought out the safety car, which looked like it was going to set up a manic one-lap shoot-out as the majority of the field pitted for soft tyres. Russell stayed out on mediums, however, giving his track position on old mediums in second, ahead of Hamilton and McLaren's Lando Norris.

But while race control reported the safety car would come in at the end of the penultimate lap, the vehicle continued on, with Leclerc heading Russell and Hamilton locked into the podium positions.

Hamilton is still to face the FIA race stewards for a yellow-flag infringement.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari​

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Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Meanwhile, the finish was a lucky break for Russell, who had suffered more misfortune by having to make an additional pitstop for a slow puncture.

Norris ended up in fourth, benefitting from Verstappen's and Antonelli's misfortune after the reigning world champion had been all at sea with his McLaren, which was unable to keep up with the competition on Silverstone's demanding layout.

Isack Hadjar was fifth for Red Bull, ahead of midfield leaders Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad for the impressive Racing Bulls squad.

Gabriel Bortoleto finally scored hard-earned points for Audi with eighth, with Alpine duo Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly rounding out the top 10 for Alpine.

Luckless Antonelli crossed the finish line in 16th, seeing his championship lead on team-mate Russell dwindle to 25 points.

Photos from British GP - Sunday​

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari​

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

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Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing

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Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing

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Goldie​

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Goldie

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Jeremy Clarkson enters the paddock.​

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Jeremy Clarkson enters the paddock.

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Moses​

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Moses

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Sir Brian May​

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Sir Brian May

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Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsports and Cassidy Towriss​

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Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsports and Cassidy Towriss

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Flavio Briatore, Alpine​

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Flavio Briatore, Alpine

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Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing​

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Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing

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Ben Whittaker​

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Ben Whittaker

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Pierre Gasly, Alpine​

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Pierre Gasly, Alpine

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Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team​

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Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

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Sir Brian May, Ferrari garage

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari​

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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George Russell, Mercedes​

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George Russell, Mercedes

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Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team​

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Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

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Lando Norris, McLaren​

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Lando Norris, McLaren

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Alex Greenwood, Audi F1 Team garage​

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Alex Greenwood, Audi F1 Team garage

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Ben Whittaker, Aston Martin F1 Team garage

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Sam Claflin​

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Sam Claflin

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Franco Colapinto, Alpine, Pierre Gasly, Alpine​

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Franco Colapinto, Alpine, Pierre Gasly, Alpine

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George Russell, Mercedes​

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George Russell, Mercedes

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Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari​

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Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing​

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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

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Nico Hulkenberg, Audi F1 Team​

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Nico Hulkenberg, Audi F1 Team

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Oscar Piastri, McLaren​

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Oscar Piastri, McLaren

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Franco Colapinto, Alpine, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Pierre Gasly, Alpine​

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Franco Colapinto, Alpine, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Pierre Gasly, Alpine

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George Russell, Mercedes; Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls​

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George Russell, Mercedes; Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes​

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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Lando Norris, McLaren​

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Lando Norris, McLaren

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George Russell, Mercedes​

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George Russell, Mercedes

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes​

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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Jeremy Clarkson, Alpine F1 Team​

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Jeremy Clarkson, Alpine F1 Team

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Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing​

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Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari​

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari​

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Lando Norris, McLaren​

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Lando Norris, McLaren

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari​

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari​

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team, Carlos Sainz, Williams​

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Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team, Carlos Sainz, Williams

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari​

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes​

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari​

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari​

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari​

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Sir Jackie Stewart​

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Sir Jackie Stewart

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari​

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Read Also:
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Five quick takeaways from the F1 British GP

2026 British Grand Prix results​


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