07/05/26 10:53:00
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07/05 10:52 CDT Leclerc ends wait for a win at British Grand Prix as F1 leader
Antonelli hits more trouble
Leclerc ends wait for a win at British Grand Prix as F1 leader Antonelli hits
more trouble
SILVERSTONE, England (AP) --- Charles Leclerc took his first Formula 1 win in
nearly two years as a chaotic British Grand Prix ended behind the safety car on
Sunday and standings leader Kimi Antonelli missed the points again with a
damaged car.
Leclerc surged past Antonelli at the start as the Mercedes driver dropped to
third but the Italian was chasing Leclerc down in the final laps when he
reported a steering problem. Leclerc took the win under the safety car after a
spectacular spin into the gravel from third by Max Verstappen.
"Finally!" Leclerc said over the radio after taking the win. "This one felt
particularly good, even if I wished it was a more normal ending."
Leclerc leaped out of his car and ran to a crowd of Ferrari staff who surged
forward to embrace him, toppling a crowd barrier onto their driver. Leclerc's
last F1 victory was at the United States Grand Prix in October 2024.
After Antonelli reported issues with his car, he came into the pits but that
didn't help and he started dropping back through the field. Later, Verstappen's
spin shook up the race again.
Antonelli's Mercedes teammate and title rival George Russell went on to second
to deny Ferrari a one-two finish, staying out on old tires when Lewis Hamilton
came into the pits under the safety car.
Hamilton had fresh tires but couldn't use them because the race finished behind
the safety car. He crossed the line third.
Hamilton was also facing an investigation after the race for allegedly
infringing yellow-flag conditions around the time he lost the place to Russell.
Antonelli was ninth across the line after ignoring the team's pleas to retire
the car so he could fight for the final points places. He ended up outside the
points anyway. The Italian dropped to 16th with a time penalty for going
off-track as he wrangled his damaged car around the corners.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
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