Leclerc Wins Dramatic British Grand Prix Under Safety Car

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc has won a drama-filled British Grand Prix, which was ended under the safety car after drivers were initially told there would be one final lap of racing.

Oscar Piastri made contact with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson on the opening lap, damaging his front wing and sending him down the order.

Piastri pitted at the end of lap two, having already dropped from eighth to 21st.

The Australian came home 11th at Silverstone, aided by retirements, penalties and a late safety car.

Leclerc's first grand prix win since 2024 came as Formula 1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli failed to score for the second time in three races, with a wheel shield failure sending him down the order when he looked set to catch Leclerc for the win.

Antonelli looked on course to chase down Leclerc at the end of the race and win his sixth grands prix of the season, with the Italian teenager the last to make a pit stop and having 10-lap fresher tyres.

But as the Mercedes driver drove onto kerbs on the exit of Copse corner (turn 9) on lap 41 of 52, the wheel shield on his left-front tyre snapped inward and ruined the aerodynamics of his car.

Antonelli was unable to keep the car steady down the straight and came into the pits. Mercedes did not see the issue was the wheel shield during that pit stop, meaning the Italian had to come in again.

"With Kimi, it would have been close, he was very fast when he was coming towards me," Leclerc said after the race.

"It would have been very difficult to keep that first place."

With Antonelli out of contention, Leclerc looked set for a comfortable win until Max Verstappen spun off with five laps to go, triggering a safety car.

Leclerc came in for soft tyres, as did teammate Lewis Hamilton who was running second.

Mercedes elected not to pit George Russell, allowing him to move up to second but on old tyres.

That move appeared to have backfired when the safety car was initially called in at the end of the penultimate lap.

But that message was rescinded and the safety car led the field for the final lap, allowing Russell to snatch an unlikely second place.

Russell had earlier suffered a tyre puncture and was running fifth before Antonelli's misfortune, Verstappen's crash and Ferrari pitting Hamilton.

"My first podium [at Silverstone] so really pleased to be standing here,' Russell said.

"A very unlucky race; got the puncture. Then very lucky at the end with the safety car."

Antonelli crossed the finish line ninth, but was handed a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits too many times while he was struggling to drive the car. That penalty dropped him out of the points.

Antonelli's lead in the drivers' championship is now 25 points, a lead that was 66 points after the Monaco Grand Prix.