Coming into the British Grand Prix weekend, the pressure was firmly on Charles Leclerc.
After a couple of third place finishes in Australia and Japan early on in the season, the Ferrari driver’s form had nosedived drastically in the last three races.
The slump began with a crash and a DNF in his home Grand Prix in Monaco, followed by a power unit-related retirement in Spain and an underwhelming eighth place finish in Austria.
“We’ve got to work and try to understand what’s going on there. I’ve been struggling a lot.” Leclerc said after the Austrian Grand Prix, cutting a sorry figure.
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Desperate for a quick turnaround of fortunes, Leclerc overcame his struggles at the iconic Silverstone circuit to conjure a confidence-boosting victory, his ninth career win and Ferrari’s 250th overall.
The win was significant for the 28-year-old in more ways than one. It brought an end to a nearly two-year winless streak- Leclerc last stood on the top step of the podium at the United States Grand Prix in October 2024.
It also came at a time when his teammate on the other side of the Ferrari garage, Lewis Hamilton, had been riding on a wave of resurgence since his famous first win in the scarlet red at the Barcelona de Catalunya Grand Prix.
Hamilton, after a string of strong results, started the weekend on a strong note, clinching pole for the sprint race and looking good for a record extending 10th win at Silverstone. However, his main race unravelled with a five second penalty for a false start and a late pit stop meant the 41-year-old had to settle for third. | Photo Credit: AFP
In fact, Hamilton’s growing comfort with the Ferrari prompted Leclerc to tweak the car’s set-up ahead of Silverstone to unlock more potential- the torque and differential settings were adjusted to improve front-end grip in slow corners.
“I had two options. One was to change my driving style and basically copy Lewis, because that seemed to be working very well. The second was to keep my driving style and find a way around the car, and that’s the option I chose. The feeling was back where it needs to be. I’m so incredibly happy.”
Hamilton, after a string of strong results, started the weekend on a strong note, clinching pole for the sprint race and looking good for a record extending 10th win at Silverstone.
However, his main race unravelled with a five second penalty for a false start and a late pit stop meant the 41-year-old had to settle for third.
Ferrari’s title rival Mercedes experienced a much more challenging weekend.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was unlucky to not come away with the win after finishing first in the sprint race and qualifying on pole for the main Grand Prix.
The Italian was overtaken off the line by the fast starting Ferraris but went for the overcut to recover lost ground and gain track position.
The 19-year-old was on course to retake the lead from Leclerc with fresher tyres but on Lap 41, Antonelli suffered a front-left wheel shield damage which severely compromised his ability to turn the car at corners and dropped him out of the points.
While Antonelli was left rueing his misfortune, his teammate George Russell capitalised on a slice of good luck to finish second on the road.
Starting fifth on the grid, Russell lacked the pace of his teammate and to make matters worse, suffered a puncture during a thrilling battle for the final podium spot with Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the early parts of the race.
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But Antonelli’s issues and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen’s race-ending crash on Lap 48 paved the way to the podium for the Briton.
The safety car finish and Hamilton’s late pit stop anticipating a final dash to the line further helped Russell climb a place and close the gap to Antonelli at the top of the driver’s standings to 25 points.
Amidst all the chaos Leclerc kept his composure out in the front to register a crucial win and get his campaign back on track.
“Tough times never last, only tough people last,” Leclerc exclaimed on the radio after taking the chequered flag.
It was a statement that conveyed his self-belief was back and that his dream of one day becoming Ferrari’s next World Champion—a mantle Leclerc has carried ever since arriving in Maranello in 2019, was well and truly alive.
"Finally!"
Charles' first British Grand Prix win 🏆#F1#BritishGPpic.twitter.com/fiMkW5yDhX
Formula 2
ART Grand Prix driver Kush Maini finished third in the F2 feature race at Silverstone, after his sprint race win at Barcelona de Catalunya a month ago. Starting third on the grid, the Indian got a dream getaway of the line, overtaking the frontrunners into Turn 1 to take the lead of the race.
Maini displayed strong pace in the initial phase of the race, building a substantial gap to Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov in second. The 25-year-old’s resistance however came to an end on Lap 20 when he was overtaken by Tsolov.
Maini dropped one place further on the penultimate lap to VAR’s Rafael Villagómez. Maini is currently sixth in the standings with 63 points.
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Published on Jul 09, 2026