Here’s Giles Richards’ report from Silverstone.
Hamilton is still under investigation for a yellow flag infringement however.
In what had been a tactical race for much of the contest, Antonelli had been chasing down Leclerc in the final third, with Leclerc believing the game was up only for Antonelli to suffer a sudden mechanical problem with the wheel shield on his front left which broke when he went over the kerbs at Copse, leaving him struggling to turn the car.
Constructors’ standings after Silverstone
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1. Mercedes - 333 points
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2. Ferrari - 255 points
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3. McLaren - 179 points
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4. Red Bull - 128 points
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5. Alpine - 60 points
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6. Racing Bulls - 59 points
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7. Haas - 21 points
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8. Williams - 11 points
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9. Audi - 6 points
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10. Aston Martin - 1 point
Drivers' championship standings after Silverstone
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1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 179 points
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2. George Russell (Mercedes) - 154 points
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3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 147 points
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4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 108 points
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5. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 97 points
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6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 82 points
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7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 76 points
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8. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 52 points
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9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 42 points
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10. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 39 points
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11. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) -20 points
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12. Ollie Bearman (Haas) - 18 points
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13. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) - 18 points
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14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) - 6 points
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15. Carlos Sainz (Williams) - 6 points
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16. Alex Albon (Williams) - 5 points
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17. Esteban Ocon (Haas) - 3 points
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18. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) - 1 point
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19. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) - 0 points
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20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) - 0 points
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21. Sergio Perez (Cadillac) - 0 points
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22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) - 0 points
British Grand Prix top 10
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1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
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2. George Russell (Mercedes)
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3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
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4. Lando Norris (McLaren)
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5. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
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6. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
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7. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
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9. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
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10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
Antonelli came in 16th.
Lewis Hamilton, on the podium for now: “Big, big congratulations to Charles, winning at this Grand Prix is such a special experience, and this is a great result for our team. So congratulations to our team. Yeah, I just didn’t have it today. I, uh, I, I jumped the start, already got in the 50-second penalty, but Charles had the pace for me today. I struggled with the balance of the car, but I give it everything and I’m grateful to be up here.”
George Russell also speaks: “It’s great to be here always, and Silverstone is my first podium, so I really pleased to be sat in there. It would have been great for the fans for it to have restarted. From my side, my tyres were stone cold, so I was kind of glad to just bring them home a second but overall, good to be standing here. Anyway, I’m gonna keep pushing my team. going to keep pushing. These Ferrari guys look really quick. So, yeah, game on.”
Charles Leclerc, the British grand prix winner, speaks to Jenson Button: “It feels incredible. Unfortunately, the end was maybe not the one I will have dreamt of, but I mean, to win after the last few weekends that have been particularly difficul. I felt like I had found something yesterday between the sprint race and qualifying, but I had to confirm that today, and today, the feeling was back where it needs to be.
“After Monaco, the feeling wasn’t there. I crashed in Q3, then in the race, we had an issue, and that ended our race. Then Saturday in Barcelona, the feeling was good, but then I crashed again. So that was very difficult mentally, and then on Sunday, we had an issue with the car, and Austria wasn’t so great, but here we managed to put everything together, and I really hope I can keep that momentum going forward.”
Kimi Antonelli is visibly disappointed. The cards didn’t fall his way today.
Ian Sargeant gets in touch: “Watching on a beinsports channel with local commentary i can’t follow. What’s with the stand full of yellow caps? Is there a homage to the medium tyre underway?”
Lewis Hamilton awaits a ruling on a yellow-flag infringement. Five seconds would take him down the field and out of the points. That was all rather unsatisfactory.
“Well done for sticking in there,” says Russell, who isn’t happy with his car. Toto Wolff bats back. “There was no problem with the straight line.”
“Let’s go..finally,” says Leclerc. “This one feels particularly good.” His delight is shown by him making a noise that resembles an excited Scooby Doo.
Charles Leclerc wins the British Grand Prix under safety car
52/52 There will be a final lap. The race is back on – for one lap only. Here we go….BUT oh no, the safety car has been redeployed. And there will be grand finale, as the cars amble round. Russell is in second, Hamilton in third, his 16th Silverstone penalty, after that Ferrari gamble. There’s boos from the Buckinghamshire tifosi; this has been a damp ending to a great weekend. Antonelli’s five-second penalty will mean he finishes out of the points.
Updated
51/52 The lapped cars have to get back in position. The stewards want a final lap and the safety car is dragging the pack slowly. Max Verstappen slopes off. He’s not at all happy. As has been the pattern all season.
50/52 Have Ferrari made a mistake by pitting Hamilton, and thus losing second place? To add to the pain, Hamilton flagged for a yellow-flag infringement. Antonelli is in ninth, meaning he will get more than the point he wants. But he gets a five-second penalty. He wails how unfair it is that he couldn’t stay on the track with his car un-steerable. The safety car is out there, and there’s a chance the race doesn’t properly restart.
49/52 Here comes the pits – Hamilton comes in, as does Leclerc – for soft tyres. Russell did not pit. And he has climbed to second. The Verstappen crash suggests his back end came away from his Red Bull. “This ***ing car,” he grumps.
Verstappen comes off the track - safety car
48/52 Oof, a cloud of dust as Verstappen comes off. And here’s the safety car. Max is at least off the track. His mood might have lifted with his fine driving performance but not now.
48/52 Leclerc, usually a driver full of drama, has kept it steady while everyone else has gone through all sorts of pain. Antonelli says: “I’m just going to go for it.” He is refusing to pit, and wants to stay ahead of Colapinto to claim his point.
47/52 This would be the second time in three races that Antonelli has had to abandon. Rotten luck for the championship leader.
46/52 “We’ll box the car,” say the Mercedes team. That’s that for him. He’s being chased down for Colapinto for the single point he is clinging on to.
45/52 More pain for Antonelli, who will get a penalty for coming off the track limits five times. “It’s something deeper, the wheel is in the air,” he tells his team.
Updated
44/52 Antonelli, the wheel part being ripped off in the pits, comes out in 10th. Ferrari are in the lead, with Leclerc first and Hamilton second.
43/52 Now Hadjar overtakes Antonelli. “It’s something fundamental,” he says. “We’ll box the car,” say his team. “I can try and take a point.” The problem is the front-left wheel shield. He damaged it on the road edge of Copse.
42/52 The front wing was replaced, and the steering wheel isn’t working. The repair job hasn’t worked. Out on the track, Norris overtakes Antonelli for fifth. “The car is not turning,” Antonelli wails.
Antonelli pits and loses 20 seconds and drops to fifth
41/52 The gap ebbs further down between Antonelli and Leclerc. The moment of truth will come soon. Some defensive driving will be required from the Ferrari. But what’s this? Antonelli is pitting. The car is failing him. So does the pit lane, it’s a slow repair job.
Updated
40/52 Hulkenberg’s Audi is safely sequestered. The battle can resume. Antonelli has the fastest lap as he gives chase to Leclerc. There will be NO MORE investigation of Verstappen’s skirmish with Russell.
39/52 There’s a yellow flag, a virtual safety car, as Hulkenberg comes to halt. Verstappen goes in for new, medium tyres. So does Lando Norris. “We are not in a very good place,” moans Leclerc. “What’s the plan?”
Hamilton passes Verstappen for third place
38/52 Russell has climbed back to sixth, overtaking Hadjar in the Red Bull. Hamilton and Verstappen go up against each other, and to roars, Hamilton tries to go past his old rival but can’t get there. Antonelli is flying in his chase of Leclerc.
37/52 The incident between Russell and Verstappen will be investigated, as the track boundaries were gone beyond.
36/52 Antonelli pits, and comes out in second behind Leclerc. That pit was delayed by Russell’s emergency. With the better tyres, Antonelli goes after rhe Ferrari driver. Hamilton chases down Verstappen.
Updated
35/52 Russell and Verstappen go right at it, just as Russell veers off into the pits. That sets up a battle of Hamilton and Verstappen. Russell has to put on a set of used tyres.
34/52 Russell is coming in for a slow puncture. He still tries to take on Verstappen for third place, and stays out an extra lap. He will box at the end of this lap on team orders and safety grounds.
33/52 Antonelli has 13.8 seconds on Leclerc and is still to pit. His team are telling him to stay out.
32/52 Hamilton is told by his team to “be patient, you are doing well”.
31/52 Hamilton and Russell do battle again, and at Brooklands and Copse, they again swap places. Verstappen sitting pretty as they take lumps out of each other.
30/52 Norris, flying on his hard tyres, goes past Hadjar. Antonelli wants to come in but is told by his Merc team that he must do another lap.
Hamilton overtakes Russell. Russell overtakes Hamilton
29/52 Norris pits, and comes out in seventh. The British duo go at it, Hamilton blazing through but as his boost uses up power, Russell comes back at him. All good and clean, and that’s good news for Verstappen who can plough on.
28/52 Russell’s and Hamilton’s private battle is to become a threesome as both are closing in on the Red Bull of Verstappen. Lando Norris is in third but is yet to pit, and wants to go on the hard tyres.
27/52 Hamilton is right up behind Russell, all over the rear like a rash. “Don’t let people undercut me,” demands Antonelli to the Mercedes team.
26/52 Hamilton has now set the fastest lap, and is closing in on George Russell. “Let’s go” is the command to Antonelli. The hard tyres seem to be the way to go. Hamilton is told to fight for the podium.
25/52 That 10th win looks yet more difficult after that. Hamilton was not aware he had a penalty until he landed in the pit lane. Leclerc pits, just when Antonelli was beginning to close on him. Antonelli leads, but is still to pit.
24/52 Hadjar boosts up and goes past Linblad. Hamilton comes into the pits, serves his time penalty, despite telling his team “the tyres are fine”. He comes out in sixth, a place behind Russell.
Updated
23/52 “Jeez, mate, I’ve got so much understeer it’s crazy,” says Hamilton. He’s not had a happy day, and a 10th Silverstone win seems to be slipping away.
22/52 Here comes a virtual safety car. An umbrella flew on to the track, and so it’s exceedingly brief. Ocon pits but Leclerc can’t benefit.
21/52 Leclerc and Antonelli – the gap is closing, down to under 3.5 seconds. Hamilton is dropping back from the leading duo.
20/52 Hadjar’s stop is very slow while Red Bull oppo Verstappen has just set a fastest lap on his new tyres. Hadjar drops down to 10th, and has Bortoletto in the Audi ahead of him, which takes a while in the chase of Norris.
19/52 Both Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton are complaining about their tyres. The mediums are struggling, it seems.
18/52 We shall have to wait to see if Verstappen resumes his battle with Russell. He drops down to seventh after that early pit.
17/52 Verstappen is closing on Russell, and goes past so easily at Copse. Russell tries to come back, and then Verstappen withdraws from the battle by going into the pit lane.
16/52 Red Bull are readying for a pit stop, and Williams seem likely to retire Alex Albon after he serves out his 10-second penalty.
15/52 The top five – Leclerc, Antonelli, Hamilton, Russell and Verstappen – seem baked in, if very capable of switching places. Hadjar and Norris are the two behind the top five.
14/52 Leclerc gained 0.2 of a second on Antonelli. It’s going well for the man from Monaco. Antonelli may consider he has his title rivals sat behind him in the race. So all good.
13/52 Leclerc is still full of pace, while Antonelli used up a lot of energy in going past Hamilton. Verstappen, despite all his complaints, is closing in on Russell.
12/52 Verstappen grumps again: “my downshifts are s***”. The gap between Antonelli and Leclerc is four seconds.
Antonelli takes second from Hamilton
11/52 Antonelli and Hamilton’s gap has dropped to under 0.5 seconds, and with those tyres and battery being tested, he can’t hang on, as Antonelli takes the inside. That was so neat from Antonelli, lovely bit of opportunism. Now for Leclerc?
Updated
10/52 Leclerc’s lead already looking commanding. Verstappen is closing in on Russell, who has been complaining of a downshift problem. The two don’t get on, so let’s see if they can throw up a duel for the ages.
9/52 Albon, who has been lapped, and is 22nd, has a penalty for his prang with Bearman. Hamilton is having a mare, complaining of “front-left graining” on his tyres. Oh dear.
8/52 Confirmation of a five-second penalty for Hamilton. That’s set the cat among the pigeons. He did miss the start, dropping the clutch in anticipation. A bit unlucky for him as the car was not moving.
Updated
7/52 Ferrari are operating a one-stop strategy. Hamilton is now 2.3 seconds down on Leclerc, with Antonelli gathering speed behind him.
6/52 Norris also had a wheel spin at the start, and was overtaken by Verstappen and Piastri, who then had to go in and replace his wing. Hamilton has been tagged for a potential false start. Five-second penalty?
5/52 Leclerc is enjoying the open space in front of him. Is he getting used to the new Ferrari?
4/52 Leclerc leads Hamilton by just under a second. There’s some imminent investigations over the start, Bearman involved with Albon. Leclerc has set a fastest lap. Antonelli’s problem at the start was a wheel spin.
Updated
3/52 Verstappen and has overtaken Hadjar, and is driving well. Will his car hold up for him? That battle for fifth and sixth buys time for Russell.
2/52 Hadjar is chasing down Russell, who is having to fight a rearguard effort to protect fourth.
Away we go at Silverstone
1/52 Did Alonso even get away? Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both overtake Antonelli and the Ferraris are in the lead. Russell is behind Antonelli in fourth. Three cars go off – Ocon, Lawson, Albon – who will keep in the race? Piastri reports damage. Hadjar and Verstappen complete the top six. Alonso did start, and he’s ahead of Albon in 21st.
Updated
Here goes the formation lap, amid a heat haze. By the way, it was Fernando Alonso who won the Lego kart race. Mo Farah and Brian May are in the Ferrari camp. The attendance over the weekend has been 564,000, a world record. We are a nation of petrol heads. Alonso seems to stall on the formation lap but gets going again.
Right, round nine of the 2026 championship is upon us. The weather: sunny intervals and a gentle breeze. Ideal driving conditions?
Max Verstappen continues to grump. He is very off-hand with the interviewer. “Don’t ask me that question,” when asked if he would rather start in the grid or from the pit lane.
He said this on Saturday of his Red Bull: “It’s just not pulling the same as it was. On a track like this, of course, you need as much power as you can so it’s extra painful.
“Driver input can make a difference. I’ve tried a lot of things in qualifying, but it was just always the same. So, there is a clear problem with the engine that we can’t find and that worries me for tomorrow because there is actually no point to race like this.”
Martin Brundle’s grid walk is in session, walking past Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari. Liam Lawson says there might be Lego on the track after the karting. “Hopefully we don’t get any punctures.” Justin Rose is here, supporting the McLaren team. Next, a hug with Lewis Capaldi. “I’m having a lovely time,” says the Scottish songster. He signs off with another man hug. Nice lad, Lewis. Jackie Stewart is spotted, stylish as ever. Ellie Kildunne, the rugby World Cup winner, is there too. She’s with the Alpine team.
Here’s Sir Chris Hoy and his good lady wife. “We raised £1m,” says Sir Chris, of a clay-pigon shooting event for his cancer charity. He’s here as a guest of Carlos Sainz.
Phil Foden is here. “I think we’ll be alright, I think we’ll get the job done,” he says of his England teammates in the Azteca. “Enjoying downtime.” Brunds gets a big hug from Hannah Waddingham, who wants “one of our boys to bring it home.”
Nigel Mansell, from the Isle of Man. “So happy to be here, the memories come flooding back. Lewis is doing a cracking job with Ferrari. Ir’s marvellous.”
Here’s Mo Farah with Adam Norris, father of Lando. “Silverstone’s special, you gotta be here,” says Mo. Now here’s Christian Horner. Back in F1 soon? “Here as a fan,” he says. “Just here to have a look. It’s good to have a bit of extra time. Never say never.”
Nick Hamilton is here, talking of brother Lewis: “Really proud of him, we’re doing good.”
Hugh Grant: “I’m a big Ferrari fan.” Brundo gets the series and the film of Guy Ritchie’s The Gentleman mixed up, and we join the national anthem.
Pierre Gasly has dropped three places after a grid penalty for impeding the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll in qualifying.
Gasly will now start 15 on the grid, Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg at 12, Ollie Bearman to 13 and Carlos Sainz’s Williams to P14.
Hugh Grant and Sir Chris Hoy also pictured, the latter having been at Wimbledon yesterday. Hugh, who is a local lad, has surely been to SW19, too, at some point.
Updated
Another member of the Thomas Tuchel outcasts squad, Phil Foden, has also been spotted, with his partner, Rebecca Cooke.
Lewis Hamilton, in his 20th British GP, seeking his 10th win, talks of the privilege of driving in front of the home crowd. He says: “It really is the best race of the whole year because the fans show up and the energy they bring. I’m still building, so still got a long way to go. I love Silverstone. I love the fans here. Thank you so much for always bringing this great energy and it means the world to me and to all of us.”
Today’s proceedings had a twist, with drivers out in Lego karts. All a bit of fun, though one driver wasn’t so keen. In a Viaplay interview, Max Verstappen said this: “I prefer to play with Lego at home, you know, with the kids. Not on a go-kart here, to be honest. I prefer to stand on a truck, just with everyone together. I think that’s more fun and I think it also looks more professional.
“At the end of the day we are Formula One drivers, I think we should not look like kids and clowns trying to ram into each other. I don’t think that is what Formula One needs, but it is what it is.”
Here’s Giles Richards’ qualifying report.
The competition was tight and intense so Antonelli was pushed hard, but on the final runs he found a level that could not be matched. The 19-year-old, who leads the world championship and won the sprint race on Saturday morning, had almost two-tenths on Charles Leclerc in second and three-tenths on Hamilton in third, no small margins. His Mercedes teammate, George Russell, in the same machinery, was fourth, nearly four-tenths back.
First celeb spot of the live blog: Jack Grealish. Can he play right-back?
The remaining starting grid positions:
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11. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
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12. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
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13. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
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14. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
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15. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
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16. Alex Albon (Williams)
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17. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
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18. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
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19. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
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20. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
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21. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
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22. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Here’s the drivers’ standings after that sprint race.
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1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 179 points
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2. George Russell (Mercedes) - 136 points
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3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 132 points
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4. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 85 points
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5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 83 points
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6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 82 points
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7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 76 points
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8. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 42 points
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9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 41 points
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10. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 31 points
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11. Ollie Bearman (Haas) - 18 points
Preamble
It’s the biggest weekend in British motorsport, and this year the car park will not be flooded. Instead, in warm conditions, the drivers’ championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, starts on pole, with two Ferraris behind him, the Mercedes driver having already claimed the sprint race. British hopes lie in Lewis Hamilton, and perhaps George Russell in fourth.
Here’s the qualifying times from Saturday for the top ten.
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:28.111
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.175
3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.347
4 George Russell Mercedes +0.635
5 Isack Hadjar Red Bull +0.635
6 Lando Norris McLaren +0.766
7 Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.872
8 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.921
9 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls +1.194
10 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +1.605
Lights out at 3pm BST. Join me.
