Silverstone - Race

Mercedes' domination has been apparent at Silverstone. Despite Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton setting the quickest time of all during sprint qualifying, it was Kimi Antonelli who not only took home the win but also qualified on pole for Sunday's main event. This made him the unquestionable favourite coming into the Grand Prix. The thing about Formula One, however, is that it can often be unpredictable, and no race is won until the checkered flag falls. 

Usually, the starting strategies are split among the 22 drivers, but as the cars lined up to start the British Grand Prix, all were sporting the medium tires. As soon as the lights went out, the two Ferraris moved past the leading Mercedes, securing a surprising 1-2, with Charles Leclerc as the man at the very front. Antonelli immediately began chasing Hamilton, but his efforts ended up having little relevance as the Brit received a 5-second penalty for moving before the signal, not long before the Grand Prix had begun. He wasn't the only driver for whom the first laps did not go according to plan. Alex Albon was penalised for making contact with the Haas of Oliver Bearman, and Oscar Piastri pitted at the end of the first lap, immediately falling to the very back of the grid. 

Now with a penalty to his name, Hamilton began creating a gap between Leclerc and the rest of the field, all while being continuously chased by the relentless Antonelli. The Mercedes driver caught him on lap 11, immediately setting his sights on the race leader. A little behind the fight for the podium, Max Verstappen was busy trying to overtake George Russell and move into P4. He completed the move on lap 17 but drove into the pits almost immediately after.  His teammate followed his lead a few laps later, but the other drivers stayed out for a bit longer, even when given a brief opportunity for a shorter pit when a virtual safety car was called in to give the marshals time to clean up a rogue umbrella that had appeared on track. 

Hamilton and Russell changed their tires on lap 24, and since the Ferrari driver had to serve his penalty, he was overtaken by his former teammate. Both of them ended up behind Verstappen, who managed to perform a well-executed undercut. Leclerc pitted soon after handing the temporary lead into the hands of Antonelli. Thus, by lap 26, Antonelli, Leclerc, Norris, Verstappen, and Russell made up the top five, with the man in first and the man in third still yet to pit. 

Norris changed his tires on lap 28, as Leclerc moved ever closer to the race leader. His Ferrari teammate, in the meantime, tried to make his move on Russell, but every time he managed to find a way by, the Mercedes driver reclaimed the position. The two managed to move in on Verstappen ahead, and it seemed like a three-way fight might be in store until Russell dove into the pits, forced to change his tires due to an unexpected puncture. 

Unable to push the moment back any longer, Antonelli pitted on lap 35, returning the lead of the race to Leclerc. Having completed his stop, the Italian ended up only seven seconds behind the Ferrari with much fresher tires and a lot of power in his engine. He quickly began making up the difference and threatened to take away the Monegasque's first real chance of winning a race in 2026. His chase was paused by a yellow flag, and a virtual safety car brought on by Nico Hulkenberg coming to a stop at the pit exit. Some drivers, like Verstappen or Norris, took the opportunity for a shorter pit, but the ones fighting for the lead decided to stay out. By the time the safety car ended, five seconds separated the man in first from the man in second. 

It seemed like Antonelli was bound to catch Leclerc sooner or later until issues with his suspension first forced him to drive in for two additional pit stops and eventually to retire the car altogether. Although the young Italian was determined to keep going and try to add at least one point to his tally, he ultimately received a penalty for exceeding track limits and was told to finish the race early. He wasn't the only top driver for whom the day ended in disappointment. On lap 48, Verstappen ended up in the gravel, causing a second safety car to be called onto the track. 

Both Ferrari drivers decided to use the chance to pit, and while the stop had no impact on Leclerc's race, it ended up taking away Hamilton's P2. Having pitted, he found himself behind Russell and planned on overtaking him as soon as racing was resumed. Unfortunately for him, in a decision incomprehensible to many fans, it never was. The race ended under the safety car, forcing Hamilton to stay in third as his teammate took the win for the first time in 2026.

Order of the grid.

1. Charles Leclerc 

2. George Russell

3. Lewis Hamilton

4. Lando Norris

5. Isack Hadjar

6. Liam Lawson

7. Arvid Lindblad

8. Gabriel Bortoleto

9. Franco Colapinto

10. Pierre Gasly

11. Oscar Piastri

12. Oliver Bearman

13. Esteban Ocon

14. Sergio Perez

15. Kimi Antonelli

16. Valtteri Bottas

17. Carlos Sainz

18. Fernando Alonso

19. Lance Stroll

DNF: Max Verstappen, Alex Albon, Nico Hulkenberg