Despite leaving Silverstone with improved positions in the Drivers’ Championship, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton had little reason to celebrate. Both stood on the British Grand Prix podium, yet neither looked particularly satisfied. The reason? In Formula 1, a driver’s first benchmark is always the teammate in the other side of the garage.
They came to strike back…
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton arrived at their home race at Silverstone trailing championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli by 40 and 46 points respectively. Both had every reason to feel optimistic. Russell was fresh from victory in Austria, while Hamilton had just completed five consecutive races ahead of his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.
By the end of the weekend, both had reduced the gap in the standings. Russell recovered 15 points to move within 25 of Antonelli, while Hamilton gained 14 points and now trails the Mercedes driver by 32. On paper, it looked like an excellent weekend.
Yet, despite finishing second and third in front of their home crowd, neither driver appeared genuinely happy.
Russell is still one step behind Kimi
Antonelli may have retired because of a technical problem, but he had been faster than Russell in every on-track session, from Sprint Qualifying all the way to the Grand Prix. It is a trend that has become increasingly familiar throughout the 2026 season, and Russell is fully aware of it.
“If I want to fight for the championship, my performances have to improve. And I have to be the first one to improve. I’m still struggling to understand this car,” Russell admitted.
He continued: “The things that depended on me didn’t go well, and the things that didn’t depend on me also didn’t go well. All of that resulted in poor pace.”
Toto Wolff appeared less convinced by his driver’s assessment. During the race, the Mercedes team principal had already dismissed Russell’s complaints over the radio with a firm response: “George, I think the straight-line speed was good.”
Antonelli’s presence is becoming an increasingly uncomfortable reality for Russell. The young Italian continues to win over the fans, impress the team and occupy more and more space in the mind of his experienced teammate. One remains relaxed and smiling; the other is increasingly frustrated and critical.
Hamilton watching Leclerc win
Then there is Lewis Hamilton. Over the previous few weeks, he had established himself as Ferrari’s reference point through a series of impressive performances. Confident both on track and in front of the media, the seven-time world champion looked every bit the team leader, while Charles Leclerc struggled with mistakes and misfortune.
That trend even seemed to continue at the start of the Silverstone weekend. Hamilton looked strong in Sprint Qualifying and the Sprint itself, while Leclerc appeared to be searching for answers.
Then everything changed. The Monegasque driver spectacularly turned the weekend around, rediscovered the speed that had made him so competitive earlier in the season and claimed a remarkable and unexpected victory at his teammate’s home Grand Prix.
Hamilton had to settle for third place. It was his fifth podium of the season, yet he accepted it with only a forced smile—something that would have been almost unimaginable just six months ago after Ferrari’s difficult 2025 campaign. It was an unusual weekend, with Leclerc steadily improving while Hamilton faded as the event progressed.
“I’ve learned a lot of lessons here, and we move on. All the magic I had on Friday disappeared. It was a bad day,” the seven-time world champion summed up.
Silverstone also brought back another familiar concern: Charles Leclerc. Perhaps it was no coincidence that, during the post-race press conference with Leclerc sitting right beside him, Hamilton subtly reminded everyone of his own contribution: “My direction was the right one, and Charles adapted to it as well.” It was almost as if he were saying: “You won—and congratulations—but don’t forget that I also helped point the team in the right direction.”
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