Charles Leclerc secured his first victory at the British Grand Prix on Sunday, demonstrating a brilliant race for Ferrari. The race proved dramatic and at times controversial, concluding under the influence of vortex mode after championship leader Kimi Antonelli experienced mechanical issues.
Race progression and finish
The twenty-eight-year-old Monegasque finished 0.427 seconds ahead of George Russell from Mercedes. Russell remained on track, while both Ferrari cars made pit stops five laps before the end of the race, after four-time champion Max Verstappen retired due to a breakdown.
The decision to pit proved disadvantageous for seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who lost second place, dropping to third during the stop. This occurred because the stewards decided not to resume the race in the final laps as expected. Earlier, Hamilton received a five-second penalty for an almost imperceptible false start.
Results and statistics
As a result, many spectators were disappointed and bewildered, as the race ended in a procession. Antonelli, who won the sprint on Saturday, maintains the lead in the title race with 179 points, ahead of Russell by 25 points, while Hamilton trails by seven points.
Leclerc's victory marked his ninth Grand Prix win and his first since winning the US Grand Prix in Austin in October 2024. This success propelled him to fourth place in the championship with 108 points. It also confirmed Ferrari's emergence as a force in the title fight, especially after Mercedes won the first six races of the season.
Leclerc stated over the team radio: 'Hard times never last. Only resilient people remain.' This victory was Ferrari's 250th and the first at Silverstone since 2022.
Race participants' issues
Antonelli, who started poorly from pole position, climbed to second place and looked ready to fight for the win until he made two late pit stops to repair the car due to damage. He continued the fight but finished 16th.
Russell, who recovered after a puncture during the race, secured his first podium at the home event ahead of Hamilton, who achieved a record sixteenth podium at his favorite track, where he had already won nine times. The British driver noted: 'My first podium here – I am so happy to be here. I was unlucky with the puncture, but then I was very lucky with the vortex mode at the end. A shame for fans to miss the finish.'
Meanwhile, reigning world champion Lando Norris finished fourth.
Race development details
The race began under almost perfect conditions in front of 175,000 spectators but ended in confusion and disappointment, as fans criticized the transformation of an exciting spectacle into a procession finish.
Antonelli started poorly from fifth on pole position and dropped to third place on the first lap behind both Ferrari cars. By the sixth lap, Leclerc led Hamilton by a margin of 2.3 seconds, while Antonelli was in third place trailing by just one-third of a second, and Russell was fourth.
Leclerc pitted from the leading position on lap 26, handing the lead to Antonelli, who pitted on lap 35, as Hamilton began a series of attacks on Verstappen. Both drivers fought fiercely before Hamilton overtook him at Laffield on lap 38, seconds before the virtual safety car (VSC) was activated after Nico Hülkenberg spun his Audi at Copse.
Antonelli subsequently encountered technical difficulties on lap 42 of 52. He reported over the radio: 'Something is broken. The car won't turn.' He required two pit stops due to damaged wheel fairings to continue fighting for points.
All this left Leclerc ahead of his teammate Hamilton by 20 seconds before the drama involving Verstappen on lap 47, when he went into the gravel at Stowe, triggering a late full vortex mode intervention.
Ferrari made pit stops with both cars to fit soft tyres, however, Russell stayed on track and moved up to second place ahead of an unlucky Hamilton, as the outcome of the race was determined by a decision made in the control tower, rather than the final racing lap.
