Formula One Gradebook: British Grand Prix
- Maham Mir
- 1 hour ago
- 11 min read
For another double-header, Formula One returned to the historic Silverstone circuit for the 76th British Grand Prix. As one of the oldest circuits on the calendar, it is a track that all 22 drivers and all 11 teams are incredibly familiar with. With iconic corners such as Maggots, Becketts and Abbey and other notable characteristics such as the Hamilton Straight, it is a coveted victory.
For the first time since the 2024 United States Grand Prix, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took to the top step of the podium for his ninth career win and Ferrari’s 250th Grand Prix victory. Battling with Kimi Antonelli ahead of the latter’s mechanical issues, Leclerc has now moved into fourth in the World Drivers’ Championship Standings.
Whilst championship hopeful Antonelli struggled in his car in the latter stages of the race, headlines were dominated by a controversial safety car ending after Max Verstappen’s Red Bull found itself beached off Stowe. Elsewhere on the grid, the midfield battle for best of the rest continues to excite fans as the gap between Racing Bulls and Alpine drops to a single point. Here’s how all 22 performed on race day:
Mercedes
George Russell: A
As one of five British drivers on the grid, George Russell has struggled with achieving much at his home Grand Prix in the past but he turned things around this season. Having qualified in fourth, Russell’s performance ebbed and flowed throughout the race as he battled with Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen for track position.
With a slow puncture making itself known only laps after his planned pit-stop, Russell had it all to do to put himself back in a favourable position. Both Verstappen’s crash and the decision to stay out while the Ferraris pit in-front and behind him meant that Russell was able to cross the line for his first podium finish in Silverstone. With his teammate failing to score points on this occasion, Russell has reduced the championship gap ahead to just 25 points.
Kimi Antonelli: B+
Having taken his fifth pole position of the season, Antonelli seemed set for another Grand Prix win. However, a difficult start put him further back than he would have wanted on the opening lap. After things settled in the first few laps, the Italian driver was able to make his way past Hamilton and began hunting down Leclerc.
After his pit-stop, Antonelli was clearly gaining on Leclerc ahead and getting past the Ferrari driver seemed to be a matter of when and not if. However, having sustained damage to his front wheel-shield after going over a kerb and coming in for an unscheduled stop, Antonelli found himself dropping down the order. Although he crossed the line in 10th, a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits dropped him out of the points altogether.
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc: A
Unlike the past few weekends where the Monegasque driver has struggled to get the best out of himself and his car, Leclerc looked like he had rediscovered his form in Silverstone. Having achieved his best ever start position at the circuit in second, Leclerc’s launch put him straight into the lead of the race and allowed him to build a gap to his teammate and then Antonelli behind.
When Antonelli began to gain on fresher tyres after the pitstops, it seemed as though Leclerc’s wait for his ninth career win would have to continue. However, after Mercedes suffered from its technical issues, it soon became clear that Leclerc’s lead and eventual race win would be unchallenged from anyone behind. Both Ferrari and Leclerc will be hoping to continue this form and avoid repeating the mistakes from Monaco and Barcelona.
Lewis Hamilton: A
Although Hamilton was denied a record 10th Grand Prix win at Silverstone, the seven-time former world champion collected his 16th podium at the circuit. Qualifying in third, Hamilton’s race was thrown off-kilter after he was given a five-second penalty for moving ahead of the lights at the race start. Having served his penalty when coming in for his pit-stop, Hamilton dropped a few more places than expected but found the pace in his car to make his way back up the field including a sequence of impressive passes on his former teammate Russell.
Eventually passing Verstappen to move into the runner’s up position, Ferrari seemed set for a 1-2 finish however, a late Safety Car because of Verstappen’s crash changed the situation. Hamilton lost out on track position to Russell ahead who opted to stay out as Ferrari called the former world champion into the pit-lane. With racing not resuming and the race finishing behind the Safety Car, Hamilton was never given the opportunity to recover his position and had to settle for third instead.
McLaren
Lando Norris: B+
For his first home Grand Prix as reigning world champion and in-front of his own grandstand, it was a weekend of mixed feelings for Norris who enjoyed good results on paper but not a good feeling in his car. After an impressive showing in the sprint, it seemed that McLaren had found a solution to some of their performance issues. However later, Norris only managed sixth in qualifying.
Unable to replicate his rapid start from the sprint, Norris lost a position when the lights went out and was unable to recover it on-track. Most of his race was spent battling with Red Bull and he crossed the line in fourth, in part due to the issues that dictated the races of the other cars around him.
Oscar Piastri: B-
On the other side of the McLaren garage, Piastri struggled this weekend as he just finished inside the points in the sprint and lined up for Sunday’s Grand Prix in eighth. Opening lap contact for the Australian driver where he sustained significant damage to his front-wing meant that by the time he came out of the pit-lane, his race was over before it had a chance to really get going.
With the significant pace and performance disadvantage that the McLaren is currently carrying, there was not even an opportunity for Piastri to fight his way back up to the points. When the chequered flag was waved, after benefitting from the retirements ahead, 11th was the best that the Australia driver could do.
Red Bull
Max Verstappen: B+
Despite the success of last time out in Austria, this weekend felt like a sharp snap back to reality for the four-time former world champion as he and his team struggled in Silverstone. Having qualified in seventh, being outqualified by a teammate at Silverstone for the first time, Verstappen’s race seemed like it had taken a turn for the better on the race start.
After making an excellent getaway and gaining positions on the opening lap, the Dutch driver seemed to be in a real battle for the final spot on the podium. However, only laps away from the end of the race, a technical issue with his rear wing meant that his race ended prematurely. As a result, Verstappen suffered his first DNF at Silverstone since his infamous crash in 2021.
Isack Hadjar: A
In sharp contrast to his teammate, Hadjar enjoyed one of his more successful weekends as a Red Bull driver. On a track where he enjoyed success in both Formula 2 and Formula 3, the French driver demonstrated his pace by qualifying in fifth, and ahead of his teammate for the third time, on Saturday.
While a difficult start meant that he found himself battling with Norris for track position, a battle which he ultimately lost out on, Hadjar kept himself in the mix which allowed him to benefit from the retirements ahead. In the end, the French driver brought his car back in fifth and collected a decent haul of points for the team.
Haas
Oliver Bearman: B
As one of five British drivers on the grid, there can be no doubt that Bearman would have been hoping for a successful home Grand Prix with the aim of a top 10 start and points. However, with Haas steadily finding themselves out-developed by their midfield competitors, both of these requests were a bit too much this weekend.
Starting the Grand Prix in 14th, a difficult start meant that Bearman dropped down the order and eventually got spun-round on the opening lap after being tapped. From there onwards, it was a difficult outing from which Bearman could do very little to push himself forward because of the limits in pace. Eventually, Bearman crossed the line in 12th, ahead of his teammate.
Esteban Ocon: B-
Continuing on from his difficult weekend in Austria, Ocon also struggled across the 52 laps of the Grand Prix. Having qualified in 17th, it seemed unlikely that the French driver would have been able to make his way into the top 10 for points. An excellent start saw Ocon go from 17th to 11th in a similar situation to Austria last time out.
However, like in Austria, the lack of race pace in the car meant that he slowly found himself sliding back down the order. Having come into the pits during the Virtual Safety Car, Ocon and his team were hoping to save time but this gamble did not pay off as the VSC conditions were removed. In the end, Ocon finished behind his teammate and crossed the line in 13th.
Racing Bulls
Liam Lawson: A
Another weekend of excellent racing for the driver from New Zealand as he recorded his seventh points finish of the season and his fifth consecutive top 10 result. Starting the Grand Prix in 10th, Lawson had a small incident on the opening lap after making contact with Piastri but quickly fell into rhythm with the other midfield cars around him.
Benefitting from the upgrades that were introduced a few rounds ago in Canada, Lawson had the race pace needed to keep the cars behind at bay. Ultimately, he was able to bring his car home without any issues and crossed the line in 6th.
Arvid Lindblad: A
The only rookie of 2026 put on an excellent show for his first home Grand Prix and another Q3 appearance meant that Lindblad had set himself up for an excellent chance of points on Sunday. Although momentary deployment issues hindered the British driver from capitalising on his pace, the retirements ahead meant that Lindblad crossed the line in 7th for his sixth points-finish of 2026 so far.
With Lawson also scoring points and finishing ahead of Lindblad, the team have now recorded points with both cars for four consecutive Grands Prix. As a result, they are now within one point of Alpine in the World Constructors’ Championship standings.
Audi
Gabriel Bortoleto: B+
After scoring their first points as a team in the season opener in Australia, Bortoleto added more points to his name and his team’s tally this weekend in Silverstone. Although he started on the fringes of the points in 11th, the Brazilian driver managed to escape unscathed from the opening lap action which took place around him.
From there onwards, Bortoleto kept himself in contention and the upgrades which have finally unlocked some performance in the Audi meant that he was in the right place to capitalise on the penalties and retirements ahead. Having finished the race in eighth, the Brazilian driver confirmed “I think P8 reflects where we currently stand at the moment”.
Nico Hülkenberg: B
While one side of the Audi garage celebrated a points-finish, the other recovered from yet another DNF for the German driver. Starting in 13th, Hülkenberg’s race was difficult from the start especially after a spin cost him both time and tyre performance as well.
Ultimately, a suspected gearbox problem brought the German driver’s race to an untimely end on Lap 22. His hunt for points in 2026 will continue for at least another round.
Alpine
Pierre Gasly: B
Although the Alpine did not have the performance this round as it has done so far this season, Gasly maximised the opportunities given to him in qualifying and Sunday’s Grand Prix as well. Starting outside the top 10 for the fifth time this season in 14th, points were going to be a difficult outcome.
After a slow pit-stop, where Gasly emerged behind his teammate, things seemed to be set for a points-less finish for the French driver however a late penalty for Antonelli promoted him into the final points scoring position.
Franco Colapinto: B
Alpine’s difficulties in performance carried over onto both sides of the garage as Colapinto suffered one of his worst qualifying performances of the season so far. Starting the race in 19th, Colapinto managed to turn things around due to his good performance and cars struggling ahead.
In the end, the Argentinian driver managed to make up 10 places during the race and crossed the line in ninth. The double-points finish meant that the team were able to stay ahead of Racing Bulls in the WCC standings with a margin of one point.
Williams
Carlos Sainz: B-
Having made it into Q2, it seemed as though Sainz and Williams had found something in the car just in time for the team’s home Grand Prix. The Spanish driver made up multiple places from his starting position of 15th and even ran in the final points position at one stage.
However, the significant pace deficit that Williams had to the other teams made itself known as Sainz struggled to hold onto 10th and eventually he dropped out of the points. While Sainz crossed the line, a post-race investigation and subsequent penalty meant that the Spaniard officially finished the race one lap down on the race leader.
Alex Albon: B-
After a difficult start to the race, having picked up a time penalty for a collision with Bearman, Albon’s race was over before it really started, especially after an opening lap pit-stop to change front wings. Without the pace to fight back against the cars around him, the British-born Thai driver was effectively running his own race with little to do with the other drivers.
Having used the race as a test session to collect data ahead of the arrival of a major upgrade package, Albon stayed out on track. Eventually, in the closing stages of the race, Albon was called into the pits and retired the car for the second time this season.
Cadillac
Sergio Pérez: B-
For the American outfit, it was a considerable improvement in their fortunes as they got their first proper understanding of their new upgrades. Although both cars failed to make it out of Q1, Pérez started the Grand Prix ahead of both Aston Martin cars.
During the race, the Mexican driver was able to avoid any reliability issues and ultimately crossed the line in 14th. After the race, he confirmed that “with just a little bit more speed we will really be in the mix with the midfield teams and then we can start to challenge a bit more”.
Valtteri Bottas: B-
For Bottas, who has really felt the reliability issues at his new team so far this season, his first Grand Prix finish since the Canadian Grand Prix is no doubt a cause for celebration. Starting ahead of his teammate and many others in 18th, it was a marked improvement for the Finnish driver.
Confidently ahead of the Aston Martins with their new upgrades, Bottas did not have the opportunity to see how his car compared to the Haas pair ahead given the Safety car finish. Finishing in 16th, this was the first time both Cadillac cars have seen the chequered flag since Miami.
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso: C
Facing issues from the formation lap onwards, Alonso was forced to start from the pit-lane and things continued to become more challenging from there. Locking out the last row of the grid, the two-time former world champion struggled to make an impact in Silverstone on this occasion. In the end, as has been the case on many occasions so far in 2026, Alonso crossed the line one lap down on the race leader.
Lance Stroll: C-
As the lone Aston Martin to start the race on the grid, Stroll had little expectation of what he could hope to achieve on Sunday. With the AMR26 known for its issues with understeering, it is not entirely surprising that the Canadian driver’s issues with track limits was caused in part by the car.
Having been noted for track infringements on a number of occasions, Stroll was given three separate time penalties which meant he finished last out of all the finishers of this race.
Looking Ahead
After a small break, F1 will return at the well-loved and equally historic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Returning to the traditional weekend structure of three free practice sessions ahead of qualifying and Sunday’s Grand Prix, the drivers and teams will be collecting the maximum level of data possible ahead of the summer break where they will continue to develop their cars.
Edited by Marit Everett
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