Antonelli Let Down by the Car: "That Must Not Break"

Andrea Kimi Antonelli leaves the British Grand Prix empty-handed for the second time this season – once again, the World Championship leader is let down by his car.

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Unlike in Barcelona, where his car came to a halt after an "electrical shutdown," the Italian teenager's suspension broke at Copse Corner.

Two pit stops later, Antonelli tried to drag his car to the finish – but a penalty for track limits ultimately dropped the Sprint winner and Silverstone polesitter out of the points.

"I had a real chance to win the race," the World Championship leader said, dejected. He had quickly caught up to Leclerc after the stop before the defect set him back.

After the second unscheduled stop, the car felt fine again. However, a points finish was lost due to the already issued five-second penalty: with damaged suspension, the Italian simply left the track too often.

Perhaps a Remarkable Moment in Hindsight

Not only was the 19-year-old immensely frustrated about the missed opportunity. Despite leading the Constructors' Championship and holding a double lead in the Drivers' Championship, Mercedes has already lost several "big points" this season due to technical issues.

"The curb is incredibly high, and he pushed really hard. But that simply must not break," Toto Wolff grumbled on "ORF".

The team principal "would have brought Antonelli in ten laps earlier" due to safety concerns, but the championship leader refused to accept it and simply continued.

"I hope that at the end of the year, if everything has gone well, this scene will be replayed and people will say 'look how he held on'. But right now, it really hurts."

Only a 25-Point Lead Remaining

The five-time season winner's lead is now melting away: thanks to George Russell's second place, the 18-year-old's lead over his teammate is now just 25 points.

But the Briton also didn't get through the race without worries: Antonelli's closest challenger fell back due to a slow puncture and a subsequent second pit stop, seemingly burying his podium ambitions.

Russell Inherits P2 in Late Safety Car Phase

However, luck returned to Russell at the end of the race: while Max Verstappen lost his Red Bull at Stowe corner and retired, Ferrari brought both of its drivers into the pits again during the subsequent Safety Car phase.

Mercedes left its driver out; Hamilton rejoined the track two-tenths behind his former teammate. As the race was not restarted afterwards, Russell claimed his first podium finish at his home race.

"Congratulations to Charles. It's my first podium at Silverstone. It was an unlucky race for me with the puncture. In the end, the Safety Car was good for me. A pity for the fans, but good for me. Ferrari was very fast this weekend," said the second-place finisher in the interview after the race.