British Grand Prix: Harry Benjamin’s Driver Rating Charles Leclerc wins and Brit rookie Arvid Lindblad scores points

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc returned to the top step of the podium after almost two years with his win at the British Grand Prix.

The race finished behind Silverstone’s safety car, with Mercedes’ George Russell second and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton third.

It was a difficult day for championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who won Saturday’s sprint race but failed to score points on Sunday, with his title advantage now narrowed to 25 points.

Here are my ratings for how the drivers performed throughout the weekend at Silverstone.

Charles Leclerc – 9/10

A brilliantly composed victory on a day when chaos followed. He took the opportunity from the start and although Antonelli took the victory bar as a car failure, it does not take anything away from the Ferrari driver’s achievements.

George Russell – 7.5/10

Not exactly the fastest Mercedes, and luck certainly wasn’t on its side in the slow poke. But it bounced back with a late safety car that earned him crucial points to close in on teammate Antonelli at the top of the drivers’ championship.

Lewis Hamilton – 7/10

A false start penalty hurt his dream of winning that 10th Silverstone. He fought hard and had pace but couldn’t quite match Ferrari team-mate Leclerc.

Lando Norris – 8/10

Fourth was probably better than McLaren. Stayed alive during the drama and secured capital when Antonelli and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen fell away.

Issac Hazor – 7.5/10

Another mature race but could not match Verstappen in the Grand Prix after his team-mate qualified out on Saturday.

Liam Lawson – 8/10

One of the drives in the race. His Racing Bulls team-mate Arvid Lindblad was pipped in the early gates and capitalized on the late chaos to take a big haul of points.

Arvid Lindblad – 8/10

A very strong all-round weekend for the 18-year-old British rookie. Calm, controlled and another reminder that he well and truly belongs in Formula 1.

Gabriel Bortoletto – 8/10

An overdue point is over for the Audi driver. Keep your head and turn the midfield pace into a much-needed result.

Franco Colapinto – 7/10

Excellent recovery drive. Alpine didn’t have the points scoring pace but Colapinto stayed clear and moved forward to capitalize on his teammate Pierre Gasly.

Pierre Gasly – 6.5/10

Colapinto was overtaken in the race but was there in the end to score points as was his Alpine teammate.