British Grand Prix: Harry Benjamin’s driver ratings as Charles Leclerc wins and Brit rookie Arvid Lindblad scores points

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was back on the top step of the podium after nearly two years with his victory at the British Grand Prix.

The race ended behind the safety car at Silverstone, with Mercedes’ George Russell second and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in third.

It was a difficult day for championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who won the sprint race on Saturday 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 across the whole weekend at Silverstone.

Charles Leclerc – 9/10

A superbly composed win on a day when chaos unfolded behind him. He grabbed the opportunity off the start and although Antonelli may well have taken victory bar a car failure, it doesn’t take anything away from the Ferrari driver’s achievement.

George Russell – 7.5/10

Not the outright quickest Mercedes, and luck certainly wasn’t on his side with the slow puncture. But it swung back his way with the late safety car that gained him crucial points to close in on team-mate Antonelli at the top of the drivers’ championship.

Lewis Hamilton – 7/10

The false-start penalty hurt his dream of that 10th Silverstone victory. 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 looked capable of. Stayed alive during the drama and made sure to capitalise when Antonelli and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen fell away.

Isack Hadjar – 7.5/10

Another mature race but couldn’t match Verstappen in the grand prix after out-qualifying his team-mate on Saturday.

Liam Lawson – 8/10

One of the drives of the race. Pipped his Racing Bulls team-mate Arvid Lindblad early doors and used the late chaos perfectly to deliver 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 Bortoleto – 8/10

An overdue points finish for the Audi driver. Kept his head and converted 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 clean and got ahead of his team-mate Pierre Gasly to capitalise.

Pierre Gasly – 6.5/10

Outshone by Colapinto in the race but was there, like his Alpine team-mate, to score points at the end.