Leclerc ends wait for a win at British Grand Prix as F1 leader Antonelli hits more trouble

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco celebrates on the podium after winning the British F1 Grand Prix, in Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Morgan Harlow)

SILVERSTONE, England -- Charles Leclerc took his first Formula 1 win in nearly two years as a chaotic British Grand Prix ended behind the safety car on Sunday and standings leader Kimi Antonelli missed the points again with a damaged car.

Leclerc surged past Antonelli at the start as the Mercedes driver dropped to third but the Italian was chasing Leclerc down in the final laps when he reported a steering problem. Leclerc took the win under the safety car after a spectacular spin into the gravel from third by Max Verstappen.

“Finally!” Leclerc said over the radio after taking the win. “This one felt particularly good, even if I wished it was a more normal ending.”

Leclerc leaped out of his car and ran to a crowd of Ferrari staff who surged forward to embrace him, toppling a crowd barrier onto their driver. Leclerc’s last F1 victory was at the United States Grand Prix in October 2024.

Antonelli’s race falls apart

Antonelli reported issues with his car, he came into the pits but that didn’t help and he started dropping back through the field. Later, Verstappen’s spin shook up the race again.

Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate and title rival George Russell went on to second to deny Ferrari a one-two finish, staying out on old tires when Lewis Hamilton came into the pits under the safety car.

Hamilton had fresh tires but couldn’t use them because the race finished behind the safety car. He crossed the line third.

Hamilton was also facing an investigation after the race for allegedly infringing yellow-flag conditions around the time he lost the place to Russell.

Antonelli was ninth across the line after ignoring the team’s pleas to retire the car so he could fight for the final points places. He ended up outside the points anyway. The Italian dropped to 16th with a time penalty for going off-track as he wrangled his damaged car around the corners.

Mercedes has dominated the 2026 season so far but reliability is becoming its weak spot.

Antonelli has now missed the points twice in three Grand Prix races after car trouble also derailed him when Hamilton won the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, and Russell had a dramatic car failure in Canada in May.

Russell gets title boost despite lack of pace

Second place for Russell revives his title chances even though the British driver had struggled for competitive pace all weekend. Antonelli’s lead shrinks from 43 points over Russell to 25, the value of a single race win.

Russell had been fourth in the sprint, fourth in qualifying and was battling Verstappen for fourth in the race before the late drama.

It was “a very unlucky race... then very lucky,” Russell said.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff told Sky Sports Germany the team believed Antonelli’s car was damaged when he hit a curb on what he called a bittersweet day for the team.

Lando Norris was fourth for McLaren after his teammate Oscar Piastri’s race was ruined by early damage, while Isack Hadjar was fifth for Red Bull.

The Racing Bulls duo of Liam Lawson and British rookie Arvid Lindblad were sixth and seventh, ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto in eighth for Audi. The two Alpine drivers, Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly, ended up ninth and 10th thanks to Antonelli’s penalty.

The Associated Press