Today's Edition
(DPA)
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc won his first Formula One race of the season at the British Grand Prix on Sunday after championship leader Kimi Antonelli suffered a wheel shield problem.
Mercedes teenager Antonelli started on pole but was passed almost immediately off the line by Leclerc and his fellow Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton.
He soon got back past Hamilton but went over a kerb when chasing Leclerc, knocking the wheel shield up and affecting his driving. The Italian pitted to try to fix the problem but eventually finished 16th.
Leclerc last won in the US in 2024 and has nine F1 career victories in total. "It feels incredible," Leclerc said: "I am so, so happy. I really hope I can keep this momentum going forwards. With Kimi it would have been close, he was very fast when he was coming towards me and it would have been hard to keep him behind."
Mercedes driver George Russell finished second for his first podium on his home tarmac despite suffering a minor puncture and closed in on championship leader Antonelli.
Seven-time champion Hamilton, who had won his home race nine times but not since 2024 with Mercedes, was adjudged by the stewards to have started before the lights went out and faced a five-second penalty.
But after being passed by Antonelli and serving his penalty, Hamilton rallied - only for Ferrari to make a late pit blunder and he placed third. Stewards were also checking a possible yellow flag infringement.
Red Bull's four-time world champion Max Verstappen spun into gravel to force a safety car for the last four laps, allowing Leclerc to glide home.
The decision to pit Hamilton for quick new tyres left him behind Russell instead of closing in on Leclerc as the safety car stayed out for the rest of the race against Ferrari expectations.
"I just didn't have it today, I jumped the start, already got a penalty and Charles had the edge on me today," veteran Hamilton said.
Around 564,000 fans turned up at the track north-west of London for the highest weekend attendance ever seen at an F1 race. Supporters cheering on McLaren world champion Lando Norris, all wearing the neon green of his helmet, packed his own "Landostand" but the Briton could only finish fourth.
Red Bull's Isack Hadjar was fifth ahead of the Racing Bulls duo of Liam Lawson and Arvind Lindblad. Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto and Alpine pair Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly also made the points, with under-pressure McLaren driver Oscar Piastri down in 11th.
Fernando Alonso was second-last for struggling Aston Martin but the Spanish double world champion, 44, at least enjoyed a rare recent success when he prevailed in a promotional LEGO car race before the main event.
The 19-year-old Antonelli has five wins this season and Russell two, with Hamilton and Leclerc sharing one. Antonelli's lead over Russell was cut from 43 to 25 points, and Hamilton is another seven points back in third.
The British Grand Prix was the ninth round of the season. The next race is in Belgium on July 19.
