16:06
"What's the plan?" asked Leclerc.
Told that he will stay out, he responds by saying, "We are not in a good place."
The Safety Car led the cars to the finish at Silverstone
© XPB Images
LIVE
F1 Silverstone LIVE: Leclerc wins as Russell jumps Hamilton in safety car chaos at the British GP
Live coverage of Sunday at the F1 British Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Gravel and chaos strike Lego parade lap
- Antonelli starts from pole after winning the sprint race
- Leclerc and Hamilton in position to challenge for victory
The ninth round of the 2026 Formula 1 season takes place at the British Grand Prix.
Silverstone hosted the first official F1 Grand Prix in 1950 and continues to be a firm favourite of both drivers and fans in the modern era.
On Thursday, drivers were vocal in their concerns about how energy-starved the layout could be, with few heavy braking zones to recover energy into the batteries. However, when the action got underway on Friday, the issue was far less intrusive than had been feared.
A bizarre dispute is also taking place in regard to Sunday's parade lap, which will take place in Lego go-karts, with each driver having their own vehicle. Whilst some are all for it and are eager to get going, such as Lando Norris and Valtteri Bottas, there are others who are less excited about the prospect, with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen both voicing concern, and the former suggesting he does not intend to take part.
However, when the lap took place, the drivers all appeared to be enjoying the chaos, with Fernando Alonso, Bottas, and Esteban Ocon battling it out for the unofficial victory.
Fresh off the back of his victory at the Red Bull Ring, George Russell is keen to add to his points haul with a first win on home soil, but starts from fourth place after a disappointing qualifying.
Charles Leclerc and Hamilton follow Antonelli on the grid in second and third, and are hoping to use strategy to overcome Mercedes for a second time this year.
2026 British Grand Prix Sunday schedule
Grand Prix: 15:00pm BST - 17:00pm BST
05 Jul 2026
16:05
Hulkenberg OUT
Virtual Safety Car is deployed as Hulkenberg pulls off the track.
Verstappen pits for a cheap stop to fit new medium tyres, and he is well clear of Russell.
Norris also pits.
16:04
A lot of boost used by Hamilton into Brooklands, and he is clear of Verstappen.
16:04
Russell is already back clear of Hadjar in P6 as he recovers from his puncture, as Verstappen and Hamilton go wheel-to-wheel over third place.
And Antonelli is storming back on Leclerc on the hard tyres. In about three laps, he will be right there.
16:02
The moment between Verstappen and Russell has been noted. The Red Bull driver was forced off the track, but it may be dismissed as no further action.
16:01
Game on then. A 10-lap delta on tyres in Antonelli's favour.
16:00
After stopping for a second time, Russell drops to seventh place, and has to put a used set of mediums on.
Antonelli will pit in a moment. He will come out 7-8 seconds behind Leclerc.
15:59
Top 10 on Lap 35
The top 10 on lap 35 are
- Antonelli
- Leclerc
- Russell
- Verstappen
- Hamilton
- Norris
- Hadjar
- Lawson
- Lindblad
- Bortoleto
15:58
Nope. Nope, it was not a ruse. Russell is told to box at the end of this lap.
15:57
Oh no! Dreadful luck for Russell. He's informed of a slow puncture to his right rear tyre. He doesn't pit, but continues to try and pass Verstappen for third place.
Was that a very clever dummy to try and confuse Red Bull into letting him past?
15:54
Hamilton passes Russell again into Brooklands, but the Mercedes driver regains the place into Copse. This is all about the battery deployment here, and it's allowing Verstappen to pull clear of the pair of them.
15:52
"Guys, let's box. I;'m losing too much time to Leclerc!"
He's told to go around one more time.
15:51
Leclerc is closing in on Antonelli, who has now done well over half of the race on his medium tyres. The life of the hards will be of no concern to the Italian.
15:50
Norris pits and comes back out in seventh place, just behind Hadjar.
And Hamilton then goes around the outside of Russell at Copse before completing the move at Maggots. Russell retakes the position on the Hanger Straight, but that is the second time Russell has been caught napping into Copse.
15:47
"Don't let other people undercut me," says Antonelli. He is clearly worried about the threat from behind.
15:45
Leclerc pits for the hard tyre and Antonelli takes over in the lead.
15:41
"Box, box," say Ferrari. Hamilton responds saying, "No, my tyres are still good!"
Given all of his complaining, you can understand the confusion.
Russell pits from behind and gains a position.
15:39
Ocon gambled on a quick stop. He will have gained a bit there, but not much.
15:38
But it quickly ends. Double yellows were also displayed, but the track is now clear. It was for an umbrella on the track.
15:38
VSC deployed
THe VSC is out!
15:37
Kinder on the tyres this year, Antonelli is now closing on Leclerc in his Mercedes. Norris and McLaren failed to react to Hadjar's slow stop.
15:35
Hadjar stops but it's a very slow one. He comes back out in ninth place. Verstappen is putting in fastest laps now, and is steaming back up to Norris. We could now be looking at a two-stop race.
15:35
Hamilton and Norris are both complaining about their cars, with the former saying that his car won't turn, and the latter describing it as 'impossible' to keep his car on the track.
15:31
What a move that was! Verstappen goes around the outside of Russell at Copse. He then slams the door shut on Russell into Stowe, before slicing across the Mercedes again to head into the pits to take fresh hard rubber.
15:29
Albon comes into the pits, serves his penalty, and it looks like he will retire after completing one more lap.