Leclerc Wins British GP as Race Ends Under Safety Car

Charles Leclerc won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday, July 5, 2026, after a late-race safety car period ended with the race finishing under caution due to a software error. The Ferrari driver took victory ahead of Mercedes' George Russell and his own teammate, Lewis Hamilton, who retained third place after receiving only a reprimand for a yellow flag infringement.

The race concluded in confusing and anti-climactic fashion. With just a few laps remaining, Red Bull's Max Verstappen crashed at Stowe corner, bringing out the safety car. Race control followed procedure by allowing lapped cars to unlap themselves. On the penultimate lap, timing screens displayed a "Safety Car In This Lap" message, signaling an imminent restart for a final lap of racing. Instead, the safety car led the field to the checkered flag.

In a statement, the FIA, Formula 1's governing body, explained the restart message was erroneous. Officials stated the sporting regulations were applied correctly, citing a rule requiring one full lap to be completed after the unlapping process before the safety car can return to the pits. Because the instruction to unlap was issued late, that required lap...