Also known as: The Monegasque driver
Ferrari driver who won the 2026 British Grand Prix and finished second at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Key points drawn from coverage. Tap a point to see the original sentence.
The Namibian
Charles Leclerc finished second, 7.335 seconds behind Verstappen
“Red Bull's Verstappen finished 7.335sec ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc with championship leader Kimi Antonelli third for Mercedes after 62 laps under the lights of the Marina Bay Street Circuit.”
Resurgent Verstappen wins Singapore Grand Prix for first timeThe Namibian
Charles Leclerc finished fourth, falling to last place early
“His Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc was fourth, having fallen to last place in the early laps, ahead of Isack Hadjar in the second Red Bull, McLaren's Oscar Piastri and the Racing Bull of Liam Lawson.”
Verstappen claims first win of year in chaotic Bahrain GP in MalaysiaThe Namibian
Charles Leclerc finished fourth
“Antonelli finished fifth behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc after slicing through the field from 16th on the grid.”
Russell holds off Verstappen to claim imperious victory in BakuThe Namibian
Charles Leclerc crashed out on lap two
“For the impassioned Italian crowd, his win was some consolation for their disappointment in seeing Ferrari endure a disappointing flop with Charles Leclerc crashing out on lap two, and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton finishing sixth behind the McLaren pair of world champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.”
Sensational Antonelli wins Italian GP from back of gridThe Namibian
Charles Leclerc finished sixth in the second Ferrari in final Italian GP practice
“World champion Lando Norris was fifth for McLaren, four-tenths off the pace, ahead of Charles Leclerc in the second Ferrari, Racing Bulls' rookie Arvid Lindblad and Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren.”
Russell on top ahead of Hamilton in final Italian GP practiceThe Namibian
Charles Leclerc finished fifth
“The second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc came in fifth while the other McLaren driven by Oscar Piastri took sixth place.”
McLaren’s Norris wins Dutch GP after Verstappen crashThe Namibian
Charles Leclerc finished second for Ferrari
“The 19-year-old Mercedes driver came home 1.9 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc with four-time champion Max Verstappen finishing third for Red Bull.”
Calm Antonelli takes sixth win of the season with victory in at Belgian GPThe Namibian
Charles Leclerc won the British Grand Prix
“The decision to keep the safety car out at Silverstone on Sunday left many in a sellout 175 000 crowd feeling short-changed as they anticipated a last-gasp race to the flag with home hero Lewis Hamilton fighting for second behind Ferrari team-mate and eventual victor Charles Leclerc”
Three things we learned from the British Grand PrixThe Namibian
Charles Leclerc claimed his first British Grand Prix victory for Ferrari
“Charles Leclerc claimed his first British Grand Prix victory on Sunday with a consummate drive for Ferrari to win a dramatic and at times controversial race that ended behind a safety car after series leader Kimi Antonelli was hit by mechanical problems.”
Leclerc delivers Ferrari’s 250th win with victory in British GPThe Namibian
Charles Leclerc qualified second 0.175 seconds behind Antonelli
“The 19-year-old Italian clocked a best lap in one minute and 28.591 seconds to outpace second-placed Charles Leclerc by 0.175sec.”
Antonelli outpaces Ferraris to claim pole for British Grand PrixMax Verstappen won the Singapore Grand Prix for the first time in his career, finishing 7.335 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, in what he described as a perfect weekend that included winning the sprint and achieving pole position for both races.
17 hours ago · The Namibian →
Max Verstappen won the Singapore Grand Prix for the first time in his career, finishing 7.335 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, in what he described as a perfect weekend that included winning the sprint and achieving pole position for both races.
17 hours ago · The Namibian →
Max Verstappen secured his first win of the year in a storm-delayed Bahrain Grand Prix held in Malaysia, finishing ahead of championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton in third place.
4 October 2026 · The Namibian →
George Russell claimed his first lights-to-flag victory and eighth career win at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, holding off Max Verstappen by 0.196 seconds in a Mercedes drive that was punctuated by two safety cars.
26 September 2026 · The Namibian →
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli claimed his eighth win of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix, finishing 4.351 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, after Lando Norris lost his lead when a Virtual Safety Car intervention coincided with Norris passing the pits, allowing Antonelli to gain track position.
13 September 2026 · The Namibian →
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli won the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday after starting from 19th on the grid, becoming the first home winner in 60 years. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver claimed his seventh win of the season, extending his lead in the drivers' title race.
6 September 2026 · The Namibian →
George Russell set the fastest lap for Mercedes in Saturday's third and final free practice at the Italian Grand Prix, ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. Russell clocked one minute and 22.219 seconds, outpacing Hamilton by 0.226 seconds, while Max Verstappen of Red Bull finished fourth.
5 September 2026 · The Namibian →
Lando Norris won the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday, securing back-to-back victories after also winning in Hungary. Max Verstappen crashed into the wall on the first lap, while George Russell took third place and completed the podium.
23 August 2026 · The Namibian →
World champion Lando Norris claimed his first win of the season with a 15-second victory over Max Verstappen's Red Bull at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday. Kimi Antonelli finished third for Mercedes, extending his championship lead to 50 points over Lewis Hamilton.
26 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli claimed his sixth victory of the season at the Belgian Grand Prix for Mercedes, finishing 1.9 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to extend his lead in the Formula One drivers' championship to 45 points over Lewis Hamilton.
19 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli topped times again for Mercedes at the Belgian Grand Prix's third free practice, clocking 1:45.990 to beat McLaren's Lando Norris by 0.139 seconds, with Max Verstappen third for Red Bull.
18 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Lewis Hamilton returns to Spa for the 20th consecutive year, aiming to equal Michael Schumacher's record of six Belgian Grand Prix wins while racing for Ferrari. Kimi Antonelli leads the drivers' title race on 179 points for Mercedes after nine races, but has failed to score in two of his last three races as Ferrari have found resurgent form.
16 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Formula One race control ended the British Grand Prix under safety car conditions rather than allowing a final-lap showdown, following regulations strictly after the 2021 Abu Dhabi controversy when the previous race director was fired for misinterpreting safety car rules.
6 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Charles Leclerc claimed his first British Grand Prix victory for Ferrari, finishing 0.427 seconds ahead of Mercedes' George Russell after a dramatic race that ended behind a safety car. The win marked Ferrari's 250th grand prix victory and Leclerc's ninth career win.
5 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, the world championship leader, claimed pole position for Sunday's British Grand Prix in Saturday qualifying, beating Charles Leclerc's Ferrari by 0.175 seconds, with Lewis Hamilton third in the second Ferrari.
4 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Lewis Hamilton secured pole position for Saturday's sprint at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, topping every session and beating Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli by 0.011 seconds. The 41-year-old seven-time world champion will aim to add to his record nine wins in the main race on Sunday.
3 July 2026 · The Namibian →
George Russell claimed his second win of the season and seventh career victory at the Austrian Grand Prix, finishing 1.611 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen in a close race. The result trimmed championship leader Kimi Antonelli's advantage to 40 points.
28 June 2026 · The Namibian →
George Russell secured pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen crashed at Turn Nine. Russell correctly interpreted single yellow flags while others, including teammate Kimi Antonelli, mistakenly aborted their laps believing they were double yellows.
27 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Lewis Hamilton claimed his first victory for Ferrari at the Barcelona-Catalunya Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday, ending championship leader Kimi Antonelli's five-race winning streak and cutting his title lead to 41 points. Hamilton finished ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris, while Antonelli abandoned the race in the final stages due to a technical problem.
14 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton are widely expected to end Ferrari's winless streak and finish Kimi Antonelli's winning run at Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix. Hamilton leads the championship by 43 points after his fourth consecutive victory in Canada, though Ferrari's car is considered better suited to the street circuit where Mercedes last won in 2019.
4 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli claimed his fourth consecutive victory for Mercedes at the Canadian Grand Prix, extending his championship lead to 43 points and becoming the first driver in F1 history to secure his first four wins in succession. Lewis Hamilton finished second for Ferrari and Max Verstappen third for Red Bull.
25 May 2026 · The Namibian →
George Russell won Saturday's sprint race at the Canadian Grand Prix, finishing 1.272 seconds ahead of world champion Lando Norris of McLaren after resisting an attack from teenage Italian team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who finished third. The race featured a controversial incident on lap six when Antonelli attempted a move at Turn One but was forced off by Russell's defensive drive.
23 May 2026 · The Namibian →
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli won the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, extending his lead in the drivers' world championship with his third consecutive victory from his first three pole positions. Antonelli finished 3.264 seconds ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris, with Oscar Piastri third.
3 May 2026 · The Namibian →
World champion Lando Norris won Saturday's sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix, leading team-mate Oscar Piastri in a 1-2 triumph that confirmed McLaren were back in top form, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finishing third.
2 May 2026 · The Namibian →
Charles Leclerc topped the sole Friday practice session at the Miami Grand Prix in his Ferrari, outpacing Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, while Mercedes were pushed aside despite winning the previous three races.
1 May 2026 · The Namibian →
Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli, the youngest F1 championship leader in history, will pursue a hat-trick of victories at the Miami Grand Prix this weekend after a month's racing absence due to the Middle East war. The 19-year-old Mercedes driver leads team-mate George Russell by nine points.
30 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli won the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, his second consecutive victory, becoming the youngest driver to lead the F1 world championship standings at 19 years old with 72 points. The Italian benefited from a mid-race safety car to move ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who finished second, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in third.
30 March 2026 · The Namibian →
Kimi Antonelli, the youngest pole-sitter in Formula One history, won his first grand prix in Shanghai, leading Mercedes to a one-two finish ahead of teammate George Russell. Both McLarens failed to start the race after separate technical issues.
15 March 2026 · The Namibian →
Mercedes driver George Russell won the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix on Saturday, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc second and Lewis Hamilton third. The 19-lap dash featured a late safety car, multiple lead changes, and pit stops as drivers switched to fresh tyres.
14 March 2026 · The Namibian →
George Russell secured pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race on Friday, leading a Mercedes one-two ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli, with world champion Lando Norris third. Russell said the Mercedes car has been "amazing" to drive, building on his championship lead after winning the season-opening race in Australia.
14 March 2026 · The Namibian →
Formula One's 2026 season starts in Melbourne on March 8 with sweeping changes to chassis and power units designed to increase overtaking and improve eco-sustainability, though McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari remain expected to compete for the championship. Key storylines include questions about whether Mercedes exploited a loophole for performance advantage, the rivalry between George Russell and Max Verstappen potentially reigniting if Mercedes proves competitive, and Lewis Hamilton's determination to chase an eighth world championship after a difficult 2025.
3 March 2026 · The Namibian →