Ferrari arrived at Silverstone dreaming of victory, and that dream ultimately became reality. Charles Leclerc controlled the British Grand Prix from start to finish to secure one of the most important victories of Ferrari’s 2026 Formula 1 campaign. Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line in third place after serving a five-second penalty, although the seven-time world champion could realistically have finished second had Ferrari chosen not to pit him under the Safety Car and instead allowed Charles Leclerc to continue building his advantage at the front.
Even so, it was an outstanding afternoon for the Scuderia. Charles Leclerc’s pace throughout the race suggested that he had everything under control, and there is every reason to believe that he could have claimed victory even without the problems that later affected Kimi Antonelli. The final result therefore leaves Ferrari with plenty of positives, although the feeling remains that an even bigger reward was within reach.
Ferrari makes the perfect start
Both Ferraris launched brilliantly off the starting grid and immediately swept into the lead as they reached Turn 1, giving the Italian team exactly the kind of opening it had hoped for at the British Grand Prix. It was an almost perfect getaway, allowing Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to establish themselves ahead of the competition from the very first corner.
Mercedes still appeared to be the benchmark over a race distance, but in the opening stages the battle between their own drivers worked in Ferrari’s favour by slightly compromising their pace. That allowed Charles Leclerc to begin settling into a comfortable rhythm while Lewis Hamilton focused on defending his position. By Lap 3, Lewis Hamilton informed the Ferrari pit wall over team radio that he was already experiencing mild understeer aboard his Ferrari SF-26. Although the issue was not yet severe, it was enough for the British driver to report that the front end was not rotating as he wanted through the medium and high-speed corners.
Race engineer Carlo Santi immediately acknowledged the feedback and suggested a pre-programmed configuration change designed to improve the overall balance of the car. The adjustment centred on modifying the differential settings during corner entry, helping the Ferrari rotate more naturally into the apex while maintaining stability under braking. At the same time, Lewis Hamilton also received advice on how to optimize the braking zones by using the brake shape settings more effectively, allowing the braking performance to remain as consistent as possible throughout the stint.
Shortly afterwards, Ferrari received some unwelcome news. The FIA placed Lewis Hamilton under investigation for a possible jump start after detecting a very slight movement before the lights had gone out. According to the stewards, the Ferrari had moved by only a few millimetres while the starting lights were still illuminated. Only moments later, the verdict arrived. Lewis Hamilton was handed a five-second time penalty. That setback immediately complicated Ferrari’s hopes of securing a one-two finish.
Alongside the penalty, Lewis Hamilton still wasn’t completely comfortable with the handling characteristics of the SF-26. In addition to the lack of front-end rotation, he reported that the tyres were already beginning to show signs of light graining, preventing him from extracting the maximum performance from the car. Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli had successfully cleared George Russell and was now closing rapidly on the Ferrari carrying the number 44, while Charles Leclerc had already opened a gap of just over three seconds to his teammate.
Penalty drops Lewis Hamilton behind Kimi Antonelli
By Lap 12, Kimi Antonelli’s pressure had become relentless. The young Italian was visibly quicker and eventually completed his overtake during the second sector of the lap. Interestingly, the move generated very little discussion over the Ferrari radio, as the team immediately shifted its attention toward another technical concern. Lewis Hamilton informed the engineers that he was experiencing an issue with energy deployment. Ferrari acknowledged the message without immediately proposing a solution, continuing instead to monitor the available data.
A short time later, Carlo Santi advised Lewis Hamilton to use second gear through Turn 4, a driving technique clearly intended to maximize hybrid energy recovery while also improving battery management for the remainder of the lap. At the front of the field, Charles Leclerc continued to deliver an extremely impressive performance.
By Lap 15, the Ferrari driver had extended his lead over Kimi Antonelli to approximately four and a half seconds. Part of that advantage came from the unfolding race circumstances, but Charles Leclerc was also consistently producing competitive lap times. The important question remained whether Ferrari genuinely possessed the race pace required to match Mercedes over the course of a full Grand Prix distance.
Around the same time, Ferrari completed its first tyre phase update, allowing the engineers to gather valuable information regarding tyre wear, degradation levels and the overall condition of the compound after the opening laps. Only a few corners later, strategy discussions officially began. Carlo Santi reminded Lewis Hamilton that Ferrari remained committed to Plan A while simultaneously providing detailed driving advice covering several different sections of the circuit. The objective was to optimize the handling of the SF-26 while preserving tyre performance for the later stages of the race.
With George Russell gradually beginning to lose ground behind him, Lewis Hamilton requested continuous updates regarding the lap times of the drivers ahead so that he could better judge the overall race situation.
Lewis Hamilton serves his penalty and closes on George Russell
By Lap 18, the race entered a relatively stable phase. Most of the leading drivers had settled into tyre management mode, carefully balancing pace against degradation. Kimi Antonelli slowly continued reducing Charles Leclerc’s advantage, gaining only a few hundredths of a second per lap but maintaining steady pressure. Lewis Hamilton was also producing respectable lap times, although he remained roughly half a second slower than the leading pair.
As the laps continued to pass, Lewis Hamilton informed Ferrari that the understeer was becoming progressively worse. The British driver described the problem as almost unbelievable, explaining that every additional lap seemed to increase the lack of front-end grip. High cockpit temperatures only made matters more difficult. The combination of increasing tyre wear, worsening understeer and rising temperatures convinced Ferrari to bring Lewis Hamilton into the pits on Lap 24.
The Ferrari mechanics completed a clean stop, fitting the hard-compound Pirelli tyres before sending the British driver back onto the circuit. However, the timing of the stop, combined with the mandatory five-second penalty, meant that Lewis Hamilton emerged behind George Russell, who had pitted during the same sequence. As soon as Lewis Hamilton rejoined the track, Carlo Santi immediately urged him to push as hard as possible, emphasizing that the out-lap would be absolutely critical if Ferrari hoped to recover valuable track position later in the race.
With the penalty now fully served, Ferrari hoped that the harder tyre compound would improve the front-end rotation issues that had affected Lewis Hamilton throughout the opening stint. One lap later, Charles Leclerc also entered the pit lane. Ferrari executed another smooth and efficient stop, successfully fitting the hard tyres before sending the Monegasque back onto the circuit. At that stage, Charles Leclerc temporarily occupied second position behind Kimi Antonelli, who had not yet completed his first pit stop.
Charles Leclerc senses victory as Lewis Hamilton fights back
Kimi Antonelli still had not made his opening stop and therefore held an apparent advantage of around seventeen seconds over Charles Leclerc. Mercedes had clearly committed to extending the opening stint for as long as possible, hoping to benefit from significantly fresher tyres during the closing stages of the Grand Prix. Ferrari fully understood the potential threat. For that reason, race engineer Bryan Bozzi repeatedly reminded Charles Leclerc to take exceptional care of his tyres.
The message was consistent throughout the stint. The priority was to maximize tyre life, carefully control degradation and avoid placing unnecessary stress on the hard compound. Charles Leclerc was therefore instructed to reduce his minimum cornering speed slightly through several corners around Silverstone, sacrificing a small amount of lap time in exchange for better tyre preservation over the final laps of the race.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton found himself involved in an increasingly intense battle with George Russell. The two British drivers exchanged positions several times as the slipstream effect repeatedly altered the balance of their duel. Lewis Hamilton expressed clear frustration over the team radio, explaining that he believed he had stronger overall pace but was unable to fully exploit it because of limitations in energy deployment.
According to Lewis Hamilton, the available battery energy allowed him either to attack or defend—but not both during the same sequence. To make matters even more complicated, both drivers remained trapped behind Max Verstappen, preventing either of them from fully utilizing their pace. The battle finally changed when George Russell made his second pit stop after suffering a puncture following contact with Max Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton was now directly behind the Red Bull driver and immediately began preparing his attack. On Lap 36, Kimi Antonelli finally completed his long-awaited first pit stop. Mercedes fitted another set of hard tyres before releasing the young Italian back onto the circuit in second place. Although he rejoined approximately 7.4 seconds behind Charles Leclerc, the fresher tyres meant the race for victory was far from over.
Antonelli hits trouble as Ferrari takes control
Mercedes’ strategy was now becoming increasingly clear. With just ten laps remaining, Kimi Antonelli’s hard tyres were around ten laps fresher than those fitted to Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. On paper, that tyre advantage gave the Italian a realistic opportunity to mount a late challenge for victory, and the lap times immediately began to reflect that potential. Little by little, Kimi Antonelli started reducing the gap, consistently taking a few tenths out of Charles Leclerc with every passing lap.
Ferrari, however, remained calm. Bryan Bozzi continued reminding Charles Leclerc to remain disciplined with tyre management, asking him not to overwork the hard compound despite the pressure building behind. The Monegasque carefully balanced outright speed with tyre preservation, ensuring there would still be enough grip available if a defensive battle developed during the closing laps.
At the same time, Lewis Hamilton finally managed to clear Max Verstappen after several laps spent studying the Red Bull driver’s weaknesses. Shortly afterwards, Max Verstappen headed into the pits for his scheduled tyre stop, allowing Lewis Hamilton to move further up the order and continue chasing the cars ahead. Only two laps later, the race entered another unpredictable phase.
A Virtual Safety Car was deployed following double yellow flags at Turn 9, briefly neutralizing the race and reducing the pace of the leading drivers. Then, on Lap 41, the Grand Prix took another dramatic twist. Kimi Antonelli suddenly returned to the Mercedes garage after running wide, immediately reporting over team radio that he believed there was a suspension issue affecting the car. From the Mercedes pit wall, however, the initial diagnosis suggested that the problem was related to the left-hand side of the car rather than a complete suspension failure.
The mechanics immediately replaced the front wing in an attempt to solve the issue. Just three laps later, Kimi Antonelli was forced to return to the pits once again as the team attempted a second repair. Despite another intensive effort from the mechanics, the underlying problem remained unresolved, effectively ending any realistic chance of challenging Charles Leclerc for victory. Those unexpected problems dramatically changed the complexion of the race.
For the first time all afternoon, Ferrari found itself occupying both first and second positions. With approximately ten laps remaining, Charles Leclerc comfortably led Lewis Hamilton, giving Ferrari a dream one-two formation as they approached the closing stages of the British Grand Prix. Considering that Max Verstappen, now running in third place, no longer appeared to have the pace to challenge either Ferrari, the race seemed to be under complete control.
At that stage, Ferrari’s objective appeared straightforward. The team simply needed both cars to reach the chequered flag without unnecessary risks. Then, however, another unexpected twist completely transformed the final moments of the race. On Lap 48, Max Verstappen lost control of his Red Bull RB22, spinning off and becoming stranded in the gravel. The incident immediately brought out the full Safety Car. Ferrari reacted instantly.
Recognizing what appeared to be a valuable opportunity, the Scuderia called both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton into the pits for fresh tyres in a coordinated double-stack pit stop. The mechanics once again performed their work efficiently, successfully servicing both Ferraris without major delay.
Ferrari wins at Silverstone
Following the double pit stop, Charles Leclerc successfully retained the race lead. However, the same could not be said for Lewis Hamilton. Because George Russell elected to remain out on track rather than making another pit stop, the Mercedes driver inherited second place while Lewis Hamilton dropped back to third. At that point, Ferrari still hoped the race would restart. Had green-flag racing resumed for even a handful of laps, Lewis Hamilton would almost certainly have had the opportunity to attack George Russell using significantly fresher tyres.
Instead, those opportunities never arrived. The Safety Car remained on the circuit until the chequered flag, meaning the field never returned to full racing speed. As a consequence, Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line in third position, unable to recover the place that Ferrari had effectively surrendered by bringing him into the pits. Looking back after the race, the strategic decision naturally became the biggest talking point.
Had Ferrari chosen to leave Lewis Hamilton on track instead of fitting another set of tyres, the British driver would almost certainly have maintained second position behind Charles Leclerc. That scenario would have secured a memorable Ferrari one-two finish at Silverstone. Of course, strategy decisions must always be made in real time, without knowing exactly how events will unfold over the following laps.
At the moment Ferrari made the call, it was perfectly reasonable to expect that the race would restart, making fresh tyres a significant competitive advantage. Unfortunately for the Italian team, that restart never came. With hindsight, it became clear that the decision ultimately benefited Mercedes, allowing George Russell to inherit second place without having to defend it under racing conditions. Even so, the overall picture remained overwhelmingly positive for Ferrari.
Charles Leclerc delivered an outstanding performance from lights out to the chequered flag, controlling the race with remarkable consistency despite the various strategic twists, tyre management challenges and late-race interruptions. His pace throughout the afternoon demonstrated that Ferrari possessed a genuinely competitive package capable of fighting for victory at one of Formula 1’s most demanding circuits. When Charles Leclerc finally crossed the finish line, the emotion over the team radio was unmistakable.
After such a long wait, his celebration reflected both relief and pure happiness. It was a victory that rewarded not only his flawless driving performance but also Ferrari’s continued progress throughout the 2026 Formula 1 season. Although missing out on a one-two finish will inevitably leave the team wondering what might have been, there is little doubt that leaving Silverstone with victory and third place represents an excellent overall outcome.
Beyond the trophies and podium celebrations, Ferrari also collected valuable points in the Constructors’ Championship, reducing the gap to Mercedes while further strengthening confidence inside the team. Perhaps even more importantly, the weekend provided further evidence that the Ferrari SF-26 now has the pace to fight consistently at the front on a wide variety of circuits.
For Charles Leclerc, the victory represents an important confidence boost after several difficult races, while Lewis Hamilton once again demonstrated strong race pace despite the unfortunate penalty and the strategic circumstances that ultimately denied him second place. As Ferrari leaves Silverstone, the feeling is naturally mixed. There is satisfaction for an outstanding victory, pride in the competitiveness shown throughout the weekend, and optimism for the races still to come.
At the same time, there remains the awareness that an even bigger result—a dominant Ferrari one-two at the British Grand Prix—slipped away because of circumstances that only became clear once the Safety Car remained on track until the very end of the race.
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