Ferrari’s biggest upgrade at Silverstone may not have been a technical one. While the Scuderia capitalized on Mercedes’ misfortune to claim one of its most unexpected victories in recent years, Charles Leclerc’s return to top form played a crucial role in making that success possible.
Ferrari’s remarkable Silverstone triumph
Ferrari’s victory at Silverstone will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most surprising Formula 1 wins of recent seasons. Although the Maranello team cannot deny that Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes had the fastest package throughout the weekend, Ferrari deserves credit for putting itself in a position to seize the opportunity when it arose. Achieving victory at one of the circuits expected to expose the SF-26’s greatest weaknesses was no small feat.
Charles Leclerc’s resurgence was a key factor behind Ferrari’s second victory of the season. By taking a different approach to the car’s setup and adapting his philosophy, the Monegasque driver finally rediscovered the confidence and connection with the Ferrari that had gradually disappeared over the opening phase of the championship.
The breakthrough Charles Leclerc had been searching for
No one can say with certainty how the race would have unfolded, but without the suspension failure that forced Kimi Antonelli out of contention, it is difficult to imagine any result other than a Mercedes victory. Even so, fortune should not overshadow Ferrari’s achievement. The Scuderia was prepared to capitalize on the opportunity, despite arriving at a circuit where its power deficit was expected to be particularly costly.
Instead, Ferrari surprised everyone with its straight-line performance. Efficient energy deployment combined with the latest power unit upgrade delivered impressive speed, perhaps masking gains that had gone unnoticed at Austria’s high-altitude Red Bull Ring. At the same time, the SF-26 once again proved highly competitive on circuits that place heavy demands on the front axle, such as Silverstone, while still showing greater vulnerability when rear tyre degradation becomes the decisive factor.
Ferrari also introduced a small aerodynamic refinement on the car that won in Britain, but arguably the most significant upgrade was the return of the Charles Leclerc seen at his very best.
Adapting to Formula 1’s latest generation of cars and tyres has become one of the defining challenges of the season. Early in the year, however, energy management limitations prevented drivers from consistently exploring the true limits of their machinery, making it difficult to understand exactly what each car required.
As the season progressed, Charles Leclerc gradually realized he had lost the natural connection he had developed with previous Ferrari cars. The driving style that had served him so well in earlier years was no longer producing the same results.
He experimented with virtually every solution available, even adopting a setup philosophy that had proven effective for Lewis Hamilton while attempting to modify his own driving style accordingly. Yet once inside the cockpit, overthinking is rarely the answer. The only way to extract every last tenth is to drive instinctively, naturally, and without hesitation.
That is exactly what Charles Leclerc managed to do at Silverstone. Following the Sprint, he completely transformed his setup approach, embracing a philosophy that he now hopes will allow him to maintain this renewed harmony with the SF-26 throughout the remainder of the season.
Mercedes and Kimi Antonelli remain the benchmark
While Charles Leclerc celebrated a long-awaited breakthrough, Kimi Antonelli was left frustrated after a suspension failure robbed him of what appeared to be a well-deserved victory. It marked the championship leader’s second retirement in just three races, but there is little reason for discouragement.
Throughout the Silverstone weekend, the young Italian once again demonstrated that outright speed is certainly not an issue. The Mercedes-Kimi Antonelli combination continues to set the benchmark on the current Formula 1 grid.
Unfortunately, Antonelli’s determination to continue despite the damaged car did not earn him even a single championship point. Nevertheless, the impressive pace he was rediscovering before the Safety Car period further strengthened the admiration of those supporting his remarkable rookie campaign.
The only minor blemish on his performance came at the race start. However, both Mercedes drivers struggled away from the grid, possibly affected by the unusually long wait of more than 30 seconds before the starting lights finally went out.
Lady Luck smiled instead on George Russell, who secured an extremely valuable second-place finish despite a weekend that never looked particularly convincing. The impression was that Russell’s Mercedes lacked the race pace not only of Antonelli’s car but also of both Ferraris.
The contrast with the Austrian Grand Prix highlighted Russell’s ongoing challenge of consistently finding the operating window of the W17. He will hope that Mercedes’ upcoming upgrade package can both improve his confidence and restore a comfortable technical advantage over Ferrari.
Racing Bulls enjoy a memorable weekend
Ferrari also had reason to breathe a sigh of relief after Lewis Hamilton escaped another potential penalty. Having already received one sanction for an incorrect race start procedure, the seven-time world champion risked further trouble during a Sunday in which his Ferrari was arguably the third-fastest car on track.
As a result, Lando Norris remained fourth, with McLaren continuing to wait for its next major upgrade package in the hope of fighting more consistently for victories.
Red Bull, meanwhile, faces growing reliability concerns after Max Verstappen suffered another technical issue that resulted in an accident, only eight days after the rear wing malfunction seen in Austria. Even so, Silverstone confirmed the substantial step forward achieved with the upgrade package introduced in Styria, although at the British circuit the RB22 appeared to be only the third-fastest package overall.
The setbacks suffered by Kimi Antonelli, Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen opened the door for Racing Bulls to enjoy one of its finest weekends of the season. Sixth and seventh places for Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson moved the Faenza-based team to within a single point of Alpine in the Constructors’ standings, reinforcing the belief that fifth place remains an achievable objective.
Racing Bulls deserves considerable praise for consistently leading the midfield throughout the Silverstone weekend, helped by upgrades to both the floor and diffuser. Audi also had reason to celebrate, returning to the points thanks to Gabriel Bortoleto after substantial investment in developing both its aerodynamic package and power unit.
Formula 1 is finally heading in the right direction
Beyond what is shaping up to be one of the closest championship battles in recent years, perhaps the best news for Formula 1 after Silverstone was the continued improvement of the technical issues that affected the opening races of the season.
Silverstone represented the most demanding test yet for the new energy management systems, and many feared another race dominated by the strange strategic patterns seen earlier in the year. The work is far from complete, but the teams’ continuous learning process, combined with adjustments to the regulations, has significantly reduced those problems and delivered an entertaining British Grand Prix.
The next challenge, however, will be even greater. Spa-Francorchamps is expected to present the most difficult scenario yet for this generation of Formula 1 cars. On paper, Ferrari should once again suffer from its power deficit in Belgium. Then again, the same predictions were made before Silverstone, where thanks to Charles Leclerc’s resurgence, Ferrari’s improvements and a little bit of good fortune, the outcome proved very different.
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