Lewis Hamilton told why Charles Leclerc’s British Grand Prix win was ‘particularly great’ for him

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Jolyon Palmer believes Charles Leclerc winning the 2026 British Grand Prix on Sunday was actually “great” for Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton, as it could help his title bid.

Leclerc produced a faultless performance at Silverstone to earn his first Grand Prix win since his victory in the United States back in October 2024. The Monegasque stormed off the grid to lead Mercedes rival Andrea Kimi Antonelli into Abbey, and never looked back afterwards.

Antonelli might have had the pace to challenge Leclerc for the lead of the British GP later in the race. But the drivers’ championship leader saw his hopes evaporate when the front left wheel shield on his Mercedes W17 became dislodged and wrecked his hopes last weekend.

Charles Leclerc wins the British Grand Prix! Was he lucky, or was it fully deserved?

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Jolyon Palmer thinks Lewis Hamilton should feel Charles Leclerc’s British GP win can help his title bid

Hamilton had also jumped Antonelli at the start of the British GP, but he became a spectator amid the Italian’s attempt to catch Leclerc after losing P2 on Lap 11 of 52. Ferrari deciding to pit Hamilton under the late safety car at Silverstone also ultimately gifted George Russell P2.

READ MORE: Leclerc wins the 2026 British GP under the safety car after Verstappen’s crash

Palmer believes Antonelli should have won the British GP had he not suffered a car problem, which even led to the 19-year-old getting a penalty for exceeding track limits due to him not being able to turn at speed. The penalty dropped Antonelli to P15 with the safety car finish.

Antonelli’s misfortune does not discredit Leclerc’s British GP victory, however, and Hamilton can also take the positives from his Ferrari teammate winning. Palmer says Leclerc returning to form can actually help Hamilton, as the Briton remains the Scuderia’s only true title hope.

Palmer told F1‘s website: “Of course, Antonelli should have won the British Grand Prix were it not for his damage. So, it’s not like Charles has just blown the competition away.

“It doesn’t take away, though, that this was the best we’ve seen from Leclerc all season, and there was a key initiator with this new set-up direction that seems to have brought him back to life. Whether or not he can carry that into Spa remains to be seen, but it certainly looks encouraging.

“Mercedes still have the fastest car in the hands of Antonelli. Yet his points gap at the top of the championship continues to reduce after another reliability issue in a car that has proven to be more fragile than the Ferrari.

“I still maintain that Charles is too far back in the championship to mount a title challenge, but you never know. And having him back on his best form can only be a great asset to his team, and particularly Lewis Hamilton in his own fight.

“And Ferrari showing form at a circuit like Silverstone, is certainly the most promising sign that they could be here to stay in the championship conversation.”

What do you make of Ferrari’s call to pit Lewis Hamilton under the late safety car?

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Antonelli continues to lead the F1 drivers’ standings through nine of this season’s current 22 scheduled events, with the Mercedes star sitting on 179 points. Mercedes teammate Russell is Antonelli’s closest rival with 154 points, ahead of Hamilton with 147 and Leclerc with 108.

Ferrari will now believe that Hamilton and Leclerc can continue to pose a threat to Antonelli and Russell in the upcoming rounds, too, after taking the fight to Mercedes at Silverstone on a weekend when the SF-26 was not tipped to rival the W17 due to the track’s characteristics.

Instead, the cooler temperatures at Silverstone compared to those seen at the Red Bull Ring the week before allowed the Scuderia to turn their power unit up. Ferrari had not been able to run their upgraded engine to its full capacity in Austria owing to the boiling temperatures.

Plus, Silverstone’s track surface is far less abrasive than the Red Bull Ring, which also meant Ferrari did not suffer the same levels of wear and overheating that hurt them in Austria. Still, however, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur refuses to discuss a possible title bid this year.