Lewis Hamilton missed out on a podium finish at the British Grand Prix on Sunday after a late strategic pit stop by Ferrari cost him second place.
The seven-time world champion was running second behind teammate Charles Leclerc when the team called him in under a safety car.
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Mercedes driver George Russell stayed out, secured track position, and finished ahead of Hamilton as the race ended under caution.
“The team asked me to stop,” Hamilton said.
He added that he would have declined the call if he had known it would cost him a place on the podium.
Hamilton also received a five-second penalty for a jump start and a post-race reprimand for a yellow flag infringement.
He struggled with severe understeer early in the race.
“Charles did a mega job today, fully deserves the win. From my side, pretty bad from the get-go,” Hamilton said.
Despite the setbacks, Hamilton praised Ferrari's unexpected pace at Silverstone.
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“It’s amazing to see the pace that we’ve had this weekend at this sort of circuit,” he said.
Ferrari had anticipated falling behind Mercedes but instead secured strong points. “We definitely didn’t anticipate it.
So just phenomenal to be a strong weekend as a team,” Hamilton added.
Horner Returns to Paddock
Former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner attended the race for the first time since his termination in 2025.
He has been linked to potential ownership roles with Alpine, Aston Martin, and BYD.
Horner said he would only return to the sport if given the authority to build a winning program.
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“I have no interest in just being a number in a machine,” he said.
