Fans furious as British Grand Prix finishes behind safety car in bizarre scenes

Fans furious as British Grand Prix finishes behind safety car in bizarre scenes Last updated 05 July 2026 5:23pm BST Save Share article Log in or Subscribe Copy link X Icon twitter Facebook Icon facebook WhatsApp Icon whatsapp email Add us as preferred source Add us as preferred source Copy link X Icon twitter Facebook Icon facebook WhatsApp Icon whatsapp email Key moments Leclerc tops the podium Final placings: Leclerc (25pts), Russell (18), Hamilton (15) Verstappen is out! Dutchman in the gravel in front of Lando Stand Antonelli in deep trouble Championship leader tells team “the car is not working” Expand all The safety car leads Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to the finish line Credit: Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images Tom Cary Senior Sports Correspondent, at Silverstone. Luke Slater live updates Last updated 05 July 2026 5:23pm BST Save Share article Log in or Subscribe Copy link X Icon twitter Facebook Icon facebook WhatsApp Icon whatsapp email Add us as preferred source Add us as preferred source Copy link X Icon twitter Facebook Icon facebook WhatsApp Icon whatsapp email Key moments Leclerc tops the podium Final placings: Leclerc (25pts), Russell (18), Hamilton (15) Verstappen is out! Dutchman in the gravel in front of Lando Stand Antonelli in deep trouble Championship leader tells team “the car is not working” Expand all A record crowd at Silverstone were furious as 175,000 fans were denied a last lap shoot-out with the British Grand Prix finishing behind a safety car in bizarre scenes. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc ended up winning from Mercedes’s George Russell following Max Verstappen’s crash with four laps of the race remaining. But the packed grandstands – part of a record-breaking 564,000 across the race weekend – booed after the ensuing safety car stayed out for the final lap of the race, despite race control signalling that it would be called in. There was no explanation for why it did so but fans were clearly furious, booing vociferously. An FIA statement later, explained: “The safety car period regulation, Article B5. 13.5, states that one lap must be completed following the unlapping procedure. This process was followed by race operations. The “Safety Car In This Lap” message was displayed erroneously due to a software error.” The decision to leave it out denied Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, in third place, the opportunity to attack Russell on fresh soft tyres. Hamilton had stopped when the safety car initially came out, losing track position to Russell. Russell admitted afterwards that his tyres were “stone cold” meaning he would have been unlikely to have held on to his place. Russell was the big winner of the day with his team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli suffering a mechanical failure on lap 41, just as he was closing on Leclerc for the race lead. Antonelli tried to finish the race, but got a five-second penalty for track limits, dropping him to 16th. That allowed Russell to close to within 25pts of the Italian, and Hamilton – who got a five-second penalty himself for a false-start at the beginning of the race – to within 32 points. However, Hamilton faces a possible penalty for an alleged yellow-flag infringement and has been called to see the stewards at 5pm. “I got very lucky at the end with the safety car,” Russell admitted. “It would have been great for the fans for it to have restarted. My tyres were stone cold so I was quite happy.” More to follow… Latest updates Tom Cary Senior Sports Correspondent, at Silverstone. Luke Slater live updates 4:58PM Updated driver standings Link copied to clipboard Antonelli, 179Russell, 154Hamilton, 147Leclerc, 108Norris, 97Piastri, 82Verstappen, 76Hadjar, 52Gasly, 42Lawson, 39It has certainly closed up... 4:42PM Hamilton on a decent, but frustrating third Link copied to clipboard “Big congratulations to Charles, winning at this grand prix is such a special experience. I just didn’t have it today. I jumped the start but Charles had the pace today. I struggled with the balance of the car but I gave it everything. It looks like it. I am not really sure what happened to Kimi. The team is doing a phenomenal job, we have some work to do to close the gap on pure performance.” 4:42PM Russell reacts to a fortunate second places Link copied to clipboard “Firstly congrats to Charles. My first podium [at Silverstone]. It was a very unlucky race, got the puncture and then got lucky at the end. It would have been great for the fans to get the race restarted by from my side my tyres were stone cold. In qualifying we had some straight-line speed issues... I don’t know if it was there in the race. These Ferrari guys are quick, so game on.” 4:42PM Leclerc reacts Link copied to clipboard “I felt like I had found something yesterday between sprint race and qualifying and I had to confirm that today and the feeling was there today. After Monaco the feeling wasn’t there, I crashed in Q3 and in the race we had an issue. Here we managed to put everything together and I really hope I can keep that momentum going forward.” 4:35PM Fans not happy Link copied to clipboard Rightly so and understandably. Some booing, not sure how many. I am not surprised. We will wait to discover the reason why the Safety Car did not come in. Any news and we will let you know.  4:34PM Antonelli finished 16th... Link copied to clipboard ...after his penalty was applied. Hamilton is under investigation, after the race, for a yellow-flag infringement. A five-second penalty would drop him down to 15th and out of the points... it would promote Norris to a podium. But we won’t get to see Norris on the podium.  4:33PM ⏱️British GP classification Link copied to clipboard Here is the top 10:  LEC 25ptsRUS 18ptsHAM 15ptsNOR 12ptsHAD 10ptsLAW 8ptsLIN 6ptsBOR 4ptsCOL 2ptsGAS 1pt 4:31PM 🏁CHARLES LECLERC WINS THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX Link copied to clipboard A strange end to a brilliant and fascinating race. Well done to Leclerc and Ferrari... commiserations to Kimi Antonelli, who drops out of the points.  4:30PM FINAL LAP Link copied to clipboard The Safety Car carries on. What? The information screen showed the message “Safety Car in this lap” at 4.27pm and then “Safety Car deployed” at 4.27pm. This is not a satisfactory ending to what has been a fantastic race. This works out well for Russell. And Leclerc. Not so much for Antonelli, who is likely to drop out of the points. The @MercedesAMG Safety Car is still on track Looks like we're gonna have a one-lap shootout 😮#F1 #BritishGP | LAP 51/52 pic.twitter.com/crIorzrbBa — Formula 1 (@F1) July 5, 2026 4:28PM Here we go... Link copied to clipboard Plenty of questions to be answered. Who wins? Does Russell fall back? Where does Antonelli end up? Will he get a penalty? 4:27PM Lap 51 of 52 - Looks like a single-lap shootout Link copied to clipboard The lapped cars overtake the Safety Car and then the Safety Car should come in at the end of this lap, leading one final racing lap after a rolling start.  A decent chance of a Norris podium here, because Russell is on much older mediums. But it is only one lap.  This could be chaotic... 4:25PM Lap 50 of 52 - Actually it is bad news for Antonelli Link copied to clipboard He is likely to get a five-second time penalty which, with the track bunched up, will almost certainly drop him out of the points. I think we might get just a single racing lap. But let’s see. Why did they stop Hamilton? He has lost a place to Russell. Were they worried about being on older tyres to cars behind? 4:24PM Lap 49 of 52 - The order now... Link copied to clipboard LECRUSHAMNORHADLAWLINBORANTGASVerstappen lost the rear end and slid into the gravel but it was a strange one. I would not be surprised if something broke or at least did not work properly.  ⁉️Hamilton has also been noted for a yellow-flag infringement.  Everyone in the top six is on fresh softs except Russell. 4:21PM Lap 48 of 52 - Leclerc and Hamilton pit... Link copied to clipboard Russell stays out... 4:20PM Lap 47 of 52 - VERSTAPPEN IS OUT! Link copied to clipboard He is in the gravel trap in front of the Lando Stand! We have a full Safety Car! More drama at Silverstone!! 🤯 Verstappen into the gravel at Stowe and out of the race ❌#F1 #BritishGP | LAP 48/52 pic.twitter.com/J9mGarvnHL — Formula 1 (@F1) July 5, 2026 In comes Hadjar... Will we be able to get a handful... or even one or two racing laps? This might work out well for Antonelli. He might be able to pick up a few more points. He will have already gained a position because of Verstappen’s retirement. Not sure what happened to Verstappen yet. 4:18PM Lap 46 of 52 - No, Antonelli stays out... Link copied to clipboard They are going to try to get a point if they can, but he is racking up the track limits infringements. It will almost certainly be a five-second penalty.  At the front, Verstappen, on fresher tyres, is not making any inroads into Hamilton in second. He was slower the last time around and both post a 1:32.9... 6.5sec is the gap.  ❗Antonelli gets a five-second penalty for his track limits infringements. Surely time to retire now? He says he’s going to go for it and his lap times are decent now. A little slower than Hamilton.  4:16PM Lap 46 of 52 - Updated top 10 and gaps Link copied to clipboard LECHAM +20.9VER +27.6RUS +32.9NOR +41.7HAD +52.5LAW +63.6LIN +67.6BOR +73.7ANT +87.7 4:15PM Lap 45 of 52 - It doesn’t look like the problem is fixed Link copied to clipboard Antonelli runs wide...  He will be retiring the car this time. “There’s something deeper... I have no front, the wheel is in the air,” Antonelli says.  4:14PM Lap 44 of 52 - Leclerc leads Hamilton by 21sec Link copied to clipboard Victory surely assured him now. Antonelli pits again and he comes out in 10th place. Can he bring this home for a few points, presuming the problem is fixed.  4:13PM Lap 42 of 52 - Nope, the problem is not fixed Link copied to clipboard Antonelli thinks it’s a broken suspension... he will surely have to retire now.  You don’t want to have an accident on a track like this. He is then told that it is a problem with the wheel shield on the left-hand side.  “But the car is not working,” he responds. What can they do here? He is just nursing the car around. His loses sixth to Hadjar. What is this lap time going to be?  He is told to retire the car... something “fundamental” is wrong, Antonelli says.  But then he is told to pit and that they will try to remove the wheel shield and go again... 4:10PM Lap 41 of 52 - Antonelli has a problem! Link copied to clipboard “Something is broken in the car!” He slows down on the Hangar Straight and then comes into the pits. Will it be a retirement? He does not know what it is but they come in and change the front wing. That is the victory gone, you would think. But is that the problem solved? That means Russell gets ahead of Antonelli! And it’s a Ferrari 1-2. Not the way round the Silverstone crowd want, but still.  4:08PM Lap 40 of 52 - Leclerc leads Antonelli by 4.7sec Link copied to clipboard That VSC period bought Leclerc a little bit of time. Russell is now back into fifth and is within five seconds of Russell ahead, though Verstappen - courtesy of that VSC pit stop - has tyres four laps fresher.  No further investigation for the RUS/VER incident at T15.  4:05PM Lap 39 of 52 - Leclerc leads Antonelli by 3.9sec Link copied to clipboard Hulkenberg’s car is removed from the theatre of conflict and we go racing again.  4:05PM Lap 38 of 52 - Action everywhere here... Link copied to clipboard Hamilton follows Verstappen closely in the early part of the lap. Is the move on at Brooklands? Yes! He goes aroudn the outside and brakes later. He is up to third! Is that the battle over? Let’s see... 🟨We have yellow flags, Hulkenberg has pulled up at the old pit exit at Copse. Will we see a Safety Car? We have a VSC for now... Verstappen comes into the pits... so does Norris and so does Hadjar. This could make it fun in the final few laps.  Leclerc has been told to stay out. “OK. We are not in a very good place, huh?” 4:02PM Lap 37 of 52 - ⁉️Russell and Verstappen have been noted Link copied to clipboard For an incident at turn 15. Not sure which incident that was, exactly.  Hamilton back onto the rear wing of Verstappen for the final podium spot. Antonelli is taken chunks of time out of Leclerc... 0.3sec faster in sector one alone. And then 0.9sec in sector two... I am not sure Leclerc is hanging on here... 4:00PM Lap 36 of 52 - Antonelli loses time Link copied to clipboard It was a slow-moving car in the pit lane. It was Hulkenberg in the Audi, I think. Antonelli comes out 7.6sec behind Leclerc with tyres that are 10 laps fresher with 16 laps to go... 3:59PM Lap 35 of 52 - Verstappen vs Hamilton now Link copied to clipboard We’ve had that here before... Verstappen has little to lose, Hamilton is in championship in contention.  Russell has come out in seventh with Hadjar and Norris ahead.  Antonelli told to come in at the end of this lap. He does.  3:58PM Lap 34 of 52 - Antonelli leads Leclerc by 13.1sec Link copied to clipboard Russell is told to come in. Where will this drop him back to? More bad luck for Russell, then. A podium is not on the cards any more... He still tries to overtake Verstappen, though, on his way through Stowe and into the pits. Interesting... Problems for Russell... He's been told he has a slow puncture and has to pit for new tyres 😖 Meanwhile, Hamilton and Verstappen continue battling for third#F1 #BritishGP | LAP 34/52 pic.twitter.com/xyPs2okS1K — Formula 1 (@F1) July 5, 2026 3:56PM Lap 33 of 52 - Bad news for Russell Link copied to clipboard He is informed that he has a slow puncture on his right rear tyre.  He tries to go up the inside of Verstappen at Stowe and nearly makes it work but Verstappen hangs it out around the outside... How slow is this puncture, then? 3:55PM Lap 32 of 52 - Top 10 and gaps Link copied to clipboard ANTLEC +13.7VER +28.2RUS +28.8HAM +29.7NOR +42.6HAD +46.2LAW +68.2LIN +69.1BOR +70.5Antonelli yet to stop but would come out in second, comfortably ahead of Verstappen.  3:54PM Lap 31 of 52 - Hamilton gets the move done at Brooklands! Link copied to clipboard It was close again... and, no surprise, Russell comes back at him at Copse and goes through the inside. Great battle, this! Advantage Russell. Nothing that has come close to crossing the line from what I have seen, from either driver.  Can Russell have a go at Verstappen now he has shaken off Hamilton? 3:51PM Lap 30 of 52 - Antonelli leads Leclerc by 14.6sec Link copied to clipboard Despite his fresher tyres, Leclerc’s pace is not enormously faster than Antonelli. But Antonelli is almost certainly going to have to get the job done by overtaking Leclerc on track.  We are approaching the time for Mercedes to bring him in, but they are going round again... 3:50PM Lap 29 of 52 - All the stoppers have gone onto hard tyres Link copied to clipboard Not hard to work out, really. But it happened. Norris pits from third and the Verstappen/Russell/Hamilton battle for third commences. They are close together... Hamilton goes around the outside at Copse... Russell comes back but Hamilton hangs it around the outside at Maggots but then Russell gets a better exit onto the Hangar Straight and Russell presumably uses more energy to get the place back.  Good fun. But it has allowed Verstappen a bit of a buffer.  3:47PM Lap 28 of 52 - Antonelli leads Leclerc by 15.4sec Link copied to clipboard Hamilton is within one second of Russell, who is within 1.4sec of Verstappen, who is 4.2sec behind the lead McLaren of Lando Norris, who is yet to stop.  3:47PM Lap 27 of 52 - Antonelli leads Link copied to clipboard He has told his team that he does not want other drivers to undercut him, but I think it may be too late for that. Well, Leclerc will be ahead but that is it, I believe.  3:45PM Lap 26 of 52 - Antonelli leads Leclerc by 17.0sec Link copied to clipboard Leclerc has pitted, Antonelli has not. Will the undercut mean Leclerc regains track position? It should do.  Hamilton, meanwhile, has Russell in his sights for fifth. He is the fastest man on the track and is told he is fighting for the podium.  3:42PM Lap 25 of 52 - Top 10 and gaps Link copied to clipboard LECANT +3.0NOR +22.6VER +28.9RUS +34.4HAM +35.8LAW +41.1HAD +43.0LIN +44.9BOR +47.4Leader Leclerc is called into the pit lane. Does he obey? Yes.  3:41PM Lap 24 of 52 - Hamilton comes in at the end of lap 23 Link copied to clipboard He barks “my tyres are still good!” on the radio, twice, but comes in anyway. Hamilton then serves his penalty but is jumped by Russell because of his penalty. Verstappen is ahead of them both on track when they rejoin.  3.2sec is Leclerc’s lead over Antonelli.  3:39PM Lap 23 of 52 - Hamilton not happy Link copied to clipboard Complains of understeer and says the car “just won’t turn”. Obviously it does turn, but not as much rotation as he wants.  3:38PM Lap 22 of 52 - Leclerc leads Antonelli by 3.3sec Link copied to clipboard We have a Virtual Safety Car for a small umbrella on the grass run-off. Ocon comes in to try to take advantage but I am not sure how much of one he will get as the Virtual Safety Car ends fairly swiftly.  3:36PM Lap 21 of 52 - Antonelli with a bit more pace Link copied to clipboard Leclerc’s lead is down to 3.7sec now. The one and only pit stop is likely to be crucial.  3:35PM Lap 20 of 52 - Slow stop for Hadjar Link copied to clipboard Loses around two seconds. Verstappen the fastest man on the track, around a second faster than leader Leclerc.  3:34PM Lap 19 of 52 - Lapped cars... Link copied to clipboard So far it’s Albon in 22nd and Alonso in 21st who have been lapped at just over a third racer-distance.  3:32PM Lap 18 of 52 - Leclerc’s pace looks decent Link copied to clipboard The gap has come down, but only to 4.2sec. Hamilton a further 5.2sec behind and Russell a further four seconds behind the second Ferrari.  Norris is now within a second of the Red Bull of Isack Hadjar.  3:30PM Lap 17 of 52 - Verstappen gets Russell for fourth Link copied to clipboard He gets a better launch out of Luffield and Russell looks defenceless to stop him overtaking at Copse. Russell then comes back though... but Verstappen dives into the pits. Verstappen gets past Russell at Copse But no sooner has he passed Verstappen takes his first pit stop and bolts on hard tyres #F1 #BritishGP | LAP 17 & 18/52 pic.twitter.com/DSK4Ko2YQh — Formula 1 (@F1) July 5, 2026 3:29PM Lap 16 of 52 - Verstappen edges closer and closer Link copied to clipboard He is not quite close enough to have a look into Stowe corner. We are likely to be looking at a one-stop strategy here.  3:28PM Lap 15 of 52 - Russell has a Verstappen-shaped problem Link copied to clipboard He is in his mirrors. Leclerc holding his lead at around 4.5sec. Hamilton has dropped back to 2.2sec behind Antonelli.  3:25PM Lap 14 of 52 - Leclerc stretching his lead Link copied to clipboard Or at least maintaining it. Where would Hamilton be after his five-second penalty? Fifth, behind Verstappen.  3:24PM Lap 13 of 52 - Top 10 and gaps Link copied to clipboard LECANT +4.5HAM +5.7RUS +8.9VER +9.9HAD +14.3NOR +15.1LAW +25.9LIN +27.4BOR +30.7 3:23PM Lap 12 of 52 - Some things never change Link copied to clipboard He is complaining about the downshifts. He is in fifth place and around 1.1sec behind George Russell. Antonelli was 0.4sec faster than Leclerc on the last lap, but the gap stays at around four seconds. For now. Antonelli has not exactly dropped Hamilton yet.  Verstappen within a second of Russell now.  3:21PM Lap 11 of 52 - Antonelli gets Hamilton for second Link copied to clipboard Antonelli all over the back of Hamilton now. He almost has a look heading into Brooklands but thinks better of it. He bides his time and goes through the inside of Copse! Antonelli into second with Leclerc four seconds ahead... A decent job from Hamilton but the Mercedes just looks that little bit faster.  3:19PM Lap 10 of 52 - Russell in fourth Link copied to clipboard He is 2.9sec away from Antonelli, so could do with Hamilton holding up Antonelli too.    3:18PM Lap 9 of 52 - Antonelli looks faster than Hamilton Link copied to clipboard He isn’t really under severe pressure, is the Ferrari driver. That may change. Leclerc is now 3.2sec ahead of Hamilton and this is helping Ferrari, if not Hamilton, in this race.  3:16PM Lap 8 of 72 - ❗Five-second penalty for Hamilton Link copied to clipboard Not ideal, but you would think that probably takes him out of contention for this race. We have yet to see a replay of it. Ah, here we go... yes, he went momentarily before the lights and then stopped and started again. Wonder if Ferrari might appeal...? I doubt it. The car just juddered forward slightly. 3:14PM Lap 7 of 52 - ⁉️ Bad news for Hamilton fans Link copied to clipboard He has neen noted for a false start, moving before the signal... Worse? He now trails Leclerc by 2.3sec, having lost 0.6sec on the last tour. Antonelli is now within half a second... 3:13PM Lap 6 of 62 - Top 10 and gaps Link copied to clipboard LECHAM +1.8ANT +2.7RUS +5.2VER +6.9HAD +7.9NOR +9.0LAW +14.0LIN +15.6BOR +20.0 3:12PM Lap 5 of 62 - Going well for Leclerc Link copied to clipboard 1.3sec ahead of Hamilton now, but Antonelli has dropped back a little, too. Replays show it was the second phase of the getaway that cost Antonelli and he was overtaken by one Ferrari on the right of his car and the other on the other side of his car. Albon locked up and ploughed into the rear and the side of the Haas of Oliver Bearman. A poor season for Bearman. Albon gets a 10-second time penalty for that, fairly. ⏮️ Rewind the the start... Albon sends Bearman's Haas car spinning 👀 There was also contact between Piastri and Lawson#F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/Wbdd7g9PgZ — Formula 1 (@F1) July 5, 2026 3:10PM Lap 4 of 52 - ⁉️Albon/Bearman incident has been noted Link copied to clipboard In fact, it is under investigation. Not sure what happened to Piastri, but he has had his front wing changed.  Leclerc stretches his lead a little to 1.2sec over Hamilton on this lap.  3:09PM Lap 3 of 52 - Hamilton within a second of Leclerc Link copied to clipboard Verstappen up into fifth after getting past team-mate Hadjar, who is now fighting back. He is close as they enter the Hangar Straight, can Hadjar make a move in Stowe? No. He is too far back it seems.  Leclerc breaks the one-second mark but then loses a bit of time. Hamilton sticking with him, Antonelli not too far behind, either. Russell has dropped back a bit, 1.7sec behind Antonelli.  3:07PM Lap 2 of 52 - Leclerc leads Hamilton Link copied to clipboard More yellow flags, not sure why.  Here is the top 10: LECHAMANTRUSHADVERNORLAWLINSAI 3:06PM THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX IS GO! Link copied to clipboard It’s a great start for the Ferraris but a poor one for Antonelli, who is passed by two Ferraris and does not put up much of a fight. Antonelli now has Russell all over his rear wing. Yellow flags somewhere as Albon has dropped to the back. ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️ LIGHTS OUT AT SILVERSTONE!!! Leclerc and Hamilton BOTH get past Antonelli at the start!#F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/B34CAA8Qfb — Formula 1 (@F1) July 5, 2026 Piastri also says he has damage somewhere. It’s a Ferrari 1-2 at the moment, then a Mercedes 3-4. It just looked like a poor start for Antonelli, down to third, but he is finding a bit of time now towards the end of the lap. Leclerc leads Hamilton. 3:03PM Starting tyre types Link copied to clipboard No variation on the compound, everyone is on the mediums, according to my timing screen. I’d be surprised if that was correct, though. A record attendance.  🟨We have yellow flags because Alonso has stopped on track... but manages to get going. Will this lead to a change in start procedure? He comes into the pit-lane so I think we should be fine to start as normal.  3:01PM 🟢The clock ticks over to 3pm Link copied to clipboard And the formation lap begins... air temperature up to 24.4 and track temp has risen to 39.3. The sun has come out.  2:54PM British GP: Starting grid Link copied to clipboard 1. ANT 2. LEC 3. HAM 4. RUS 5. HAD 6. NOR 7. VER 8. PIA 9. LIN 10. LAW 11. BOR 12. HUL  13. BEA 14. SAI 15. GAS 16. ALB 17. OCO 18. BOT 19. COL 20. PER  21. ALO 22. STR 2:53PM Horner and Newey have a catch-up... Link copied to clipboard Credit: Tom Cary for the Telegraph Wonder what they could be talking about...? 2:46PM How fast is each team in qualifying in 2026? Link copied to clipboard They have been beaten to two sprint poles (Miami: McLaren and Ferrari: Silverstone) but Mercedes have taken every grand prix pole in 2026 so far. The gap to the second-fastest team yesterday (Ferrari) was, at 0.199 per cent was down on the season average of 0.412 per cent, though, which is encouraging.  The 0.869 per cent that McLaren were adrift by yesterday was their worst performance since the opening round in Melbourne, when everyone was still getting to grips with these new complicated power units.  The 3.536 per cent Cadillac trailed by was their best showing of the season, while the 5.393 per cent Aston Martin were behind is their second-worst of the year and leaves their yearly average at 4.443. In other words, 4.4sec adrift on a theoretical 1min40sec lap.  2:45PM McLaren chat Link copied to clipboard Sidled up to Zak Brown for an off the record chat and he signalled that he had the Netflix mic on. It’s a hazard! Spoke to Justin Rose about golf instead. He’s very happy with his new McLaren clubs, in case you were wondering. Nigel Mansell also here. With his surgeon and his surgeon’s daughter. He’s brought them here as a thank you for saving his life “a couple of times”. It’s great to see him here laughing and smiling. 2:44PM Horner speaks to Brundle Link copied to clipboard “I am just here is a fan today and it’s the British Grand Prix, so good to come and have a look. I’ve had some nice time out, time with family, it’s good to have a bit of extra time. Never say never, at the moment I am taking it easy.” Credit: Jacob King/PA 2:41PM Nigel Mansell speaks to Martin Brundle Link copied to clipboard “I am so happy to be here. The memories this brings back for both of us is just amazing. The crowd is just as wonderful as ever, I just want the drivers to have more power and have fun. Lewis is doing a cracking job at Ferrari.” 2:39PM Foden’s England prediction Link copied to clipboard “I think we’ll be alright, you know. I think we’ll get the job done,” he tells Martin Brundle.  2:36PM A word for Isack Hadjar Link copied to clipboard Credit: Sam Bagnall/Sutton Images For too long Red Bull have been trying to find a team-mate that can provide decent support to Max Verstappen. Push him, beat him from time to time too. Isack Hadjar, in only his second season in F1, is doing a fine job so far.  He trails Verstappen 46 points to 72, which is respectable. His average finishing position across the grands prix (not sprints) is 4.7 to 6.8 and the average qualifying position is just 1.25 places behind Verstappen’s 5.75. After a disappointing sprint race, he out-qualified Verstappen for only the third time this year.  Of course, Red Bull would prefer it if they were fighting at the front rather than for sixth and seventh, but he looks at home in this team.  2:34PM Phil Foden is here... Link copied to clipboard He is, obviously, not at the World Cup but was at Wimbledon yesterday. Will he stay up to watch Mexico vs England or will he be sensible like the rest of us? 2:19PM Conditions at Silverstone Link copied to clipboard I would describe it as “pleasant”. 23C or so, a bit of a breeze. Not the scorcher that is lined up next week. Track temperature at around 38.2C. The pit lane is open and the cars are on the way to the grid... 2:11PM Qualifying head-to-heads so far this year Link copied to clipboard A couple of “wins” for the stragglers in 2026 yesterday. Bottas found some pace to out-qualify Perez for only the third time this year and Lance Stroll out-qualified Alonso in the Aston Martin for the second time in 2026. Most of the other contests are fairly closely-contested and even the Albon/Sainz battle is closer than it looks.  Albon has generally been a place or two behind his team-mate and, broadly, there is not an enormous gap when it comes to average lap time.  2:06PM Russell downbeat after qualifying Link copied to clipboard He did not exactly have the strongest sprint race, though was at least in contention for the top three before finishing fifth. He locked up, went into the gravel and then hit the wall. He was slightly fortunate to be able to continue and did well, I guess, to drag his car into the top four.  Here is what he said:  “I don’t know. I’ve raced here for 12 years and I have never locked up once in that corner before. We made some changes to the set-up, it was probably more extreme than I thought. I don’t know.  “This whole weekend we’ve been struggling with straight line speed, we don’t know why. There’s a couple of tenths over the lap compared to the other Mercedes cars. The team are working super hard to try to understand. [It’s] not making things easier.” 1:55PM And the winner of the Lego race is... Link copied to clipboard Credit: Jacob King/PA Aston Martin claimed a (very) rare victory in Sunday’s pre-British Grand Prix Lego race, with Fernando Alonso pipping Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas and Haas’s Esteban Ocon to the line in miniature Lego cars made up of 28,000 bricks. The chaotic race was mean to a bit of fun before the main event, and the drivers all drove accordingly, even if Lewis Hamilton had stirred things up in the build-up by threatening a boycott unless drivers were paid. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem plonked himself front and centre by taking the No 1 kart. But he may have to investigate himself after joining a charge across the gravel trap at Village, leading multiple karts to become stuck. Credit: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images As the 180,000-odd fans cheered from the grandstands, McLaren’s Lando Norris gave Williams’ Carlos Sainz a lift on the sidepod of his car, re-enacting Nigel Mansell’s famous scene with Ayrton Senna in 1991. Perhaps it was no surprise that the least competitive teams this season cheated the most in an attempt to cross the line first, with Alonso taking the inside line across the grass at Club and reaching the line first.  It is almost certain to be Aston Martin’s only win this year, with the Silverstone-based team overweight and underpowered. Alonso and team-mate Lance Stroll qualified last and second last for this afternoon’s grand prix, which will start at 3pm. 1:49PM Driver standings Link copied to clipboard Antonelli produced a calm, measured performance in qualifying yesterday. He has done that quite well so far this season. Silverstone is rarely without peril or danger, especially in the opening laps, but the Italian has taken everything in his stride in 2026 after a bruising but instructive debut year.  1:43PM There is a football game in about 12 hours... Link copied to clipboard Sergio Perez has shown his support for the Mexico team.  In enemy territory, @SChecoPerez 🤣🇲🇽#F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/N97R52A379 — Formula 1 (@F1) July 5, 2026 1:33PM Qualifying times: British GP Link copied to clipboard A fairly competitive qualifying session (as most have been recently) but with a Mercedes just having the edge in the final reckoning. Atrocious reading for anyone who might be an Aston Martin fan. They are in such a mess. Upgrades coming in Hungary (chassis) and Zandvoort (engine), but they have so much ground to make up. They are starting to lap behind even the next-slowest team.  1:31PM Good afternoon Link copied to clipboard Welcome to our live coverage for the 2026 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Over the last few years we have had a variety of fascinating races and some wet ones, too. Last year it was the turn of Lando Norris to take a maiden British Grand Prix victory and Lewis Hamilton broke his long winless streak here a couple of years ago, too.  What chance of a British win today? Well, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are in contention for the championship at this stage but it would be a small surprise if either of them managed to win today. That is, if Kimi Antonelli can avoid any major dramas.  Although Hamilton qualified on pole for yesterday’s sprint race, Antonelli was the man to beat on Saturday. He overtook Hamilton in the sprint and then took pole relatively comfortably in the afternoon. This weekend it just looks like he has that little bit more in the tank.  Credit: Rasid Necati Aslim/Getty Images That is not to say that he will necessarily be in a league of his own, but the important thing will be for either Ferrari to get ahead or disrupt him strategically on track. Should we discount Russell? Well, it seems like he has discounted himself, at least if Mercedes fail to remedy the straight-line deficit he believes he has to the other Mercedes as well as the other Mercedes-powered cars. After a win last week in Austria Russell desperately needs to continue that momentum in chipping away to Antonelli’s lead. It may, however, be more a case of damage limitation… The race starts at 3pm BST and we will be here for all of the build-up over the next hour or so, live updates and then reaction from Silverstone.