Drama for Antonelli: Leclerc claims first win since 2024

Charles Leclerc secures his first win of the season in Formula 1 at Silverstone.

It is his first triumph since Austin (USA) 2024.

George Russell finishes second in the Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton taking third in the second Ferrari.

Max Verstappen spun into the gravel a few laps before the end while running in third place, with the ensuing Safety Car bringing the race to a close. Ferrari thereby lost out on a one-two finish because Russell, unlike both Scuderia drivers, did not pit – no further restart was granted.

Kimi Antonelli suffered a suspension failure and managed to limp his Mercedes to the finish, but only placed 16th due to a time penalty.

Ferraris with One-Two Lead – Hamilton Receives Penalty

This time, the race start went to the two Ferraris: Antonelli got away well with a strong reaction time but then failed to get up to speed properly. Both Leclerc and Hamilton overtook the championship leader.

However, trouble quickly loomed for the seven-time world champion: At his home Grand Prix, the 41-year-old moved too early and consequently received a five-second penalty.

While Isack Hadjar was quickly overtaken by Max Verstappen, the starting phase, however, went completely wrong for Oscar Piastri: The McLaren driver dropped to the back of the field early with front wing damage and was ultimately unable to climb back into the points.

Verstappen Takes Third with Undercut

By lap eleven, the Ferrari one-two lead was ultimately over after Antonelli overtook his Mercedes predecessor.

While positions remained unchanged for several laps thereafter, the two Red Bull drivers took a risk with very early pit stops.

On lap 24, Hamilton and Russell also pitted – while the Ferrari driver lost two places due to his served penalty, Verstappen moved past both rivals with an undercut.

At the front, the two leaders pursued different strategies – Leclerc pitted with the competition, while Antonelli attempted an overcut and temporarily took the lead.

Russell Drops Back with Puncture

A three-way battle quickly emerged for third place thereafter: Russell and Hamilton closed in on Verstappen within a few laps, with the two former Mercedes teammates dueling back and forth for numerous laps.

However, Russell soon dropped out of the three-way fight – the two-time season winner had a slow puncture and ultimately had to pit again.

While Hamilton was closing in on Verstappen, the Dutchman pitted under VSC after Nico Hülkenberg’s retirement and remained in a lurking position on fresh mediums.

Drama for Antonelli and Verstappen – Ferrari Forfeits One-Two Victory

Further ahead, Mercedes faced another drama: Antonelli suffered suspension damage at Copse – after two immediate pit stops, the Italian dropped back to ninth but attempted to continue.

But the drama wasn't over yet, as Verstappen buried his podium ambitions shortly before the end: The four-time world champion lost his car at Stowe, slid off track, and retired. The Safety Car consequently shuffled the field once more.

This was because the two Ferraris then pitted for fresh soft tires, while Russell stayed out, inheriting second place. A fateful error: The race was not restarted afterwards.