F1, IndyCar, and NASCAR Wrap-ups

Pato O'Ward Wins at Mid-Ohio, Charles Leclerc 1st at Silverstone, and Chase Briscoe Conquers Chicagoland.

IndyCar

Christian Lundgaard looked poised to dominate the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio after starting from pole and controlling much of the opening half of the 90-lap race, but a mistake entering Turn 3 on Lap 42 changed everything. Running slightly wide allowed Arrow McLaren teammate Pato O'Ward to seize the lead and drive flawlessly to victory, giving the team its first-ever 1-2 finish. And FYI, McLaren started racing at Indy in 1970.

The result was especially satisfying for Chevrolet, which claimed the top two positions at Honda's home event. O'Ward earned his first victory of the season and his second Mid-Ohio triumph since 2024, while Lundgaard settled for second after narrowly missing back-to-back wins.

Kyle Kirkwood delivered one of the race's strongest drives, climbing from 10th on the grid to finish third for Andretti Global. Juncos Hollinger Racing celebrated its best IndyCar finish since joining the series in 2017 as Rinus VeeKay came home fourth. Championship leader Alex Palou advanced from eighth to fifth but lacked his usual pace, limiting the damage to his 2026 NTT IndyCar Series points lead.

Will Power continued his recent resurgence with a sixth-place finish, followed by Christian Rasmussen, David Malukas, Josef Newgarden and Nolan Siegel.

Note: Arrow McLaren announced after the race that second-place finisher Christian Lundgaard and 10th-place finisher Nolan Siegel will not return next season. They will be replaced by Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist.

Results

Next: Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix, Nashville Superspeedway, July 18-19

Formula 1 Sprint

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli strengthened his Formula 1 championship lead by claiming the first Sprint victory of his career after overtaking Lewis Hamilton in a thrilling duel at Silverstone on Saturday.

Hamilton converted pole position into the early lead by fending off Antonelli through the opening corners, but the Ferrari driver was forced to use his battery deployment aggressively to keep the charging Italian behind. As the pair pulled away from the field, Antonelli patiently waited for his opportunity.

That chance came on Lap 8. After pressuring Hamilton for several laps, Antonelli carried more battery power onto the Hangar Straight and swept past before Stowe Corner. Hamilton tried to stay within DRS range to mount a counterattack, but Antonelli quickly built a comfortable advantage and crossed the finish line 2.745 seconds ahead, extending his championship lead to 43 points.

Behind the leaders, the battle for third featured constant position changes as drivers managed their battery deployment. Lando Norris briefly ran second before settling into a fight with George Russell, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri. Russell eventually finished fourth after passing Verstappen on Lap 10, trailing Norris while finishing ahead of Leclerc, Verstappen and Piastri.

Liam Lawson scored the final Sprint point in eighth, while Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10.

Sprint Results

Formula 1

Charles Leclerc captured his first British Grand Prix victory after a bizarre finish behind the safety car denied fans a final-lap showdown. The race ended under caution when officials elected not to restart after Max Verstappen crashed with four laps remaining.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli appeared on course to challenge for the victory despite slipping from pole to third at the start. Following his lone scheduled pit stop, the Mercedes driver quickly erased Leclerc's advantage before a mysterious handling problem struck. The issue was traced to a failed front-left wheel fairing that damaged the car's aerodynamics. Two unscheduled pit stops failed to solve the problem, dropping Antonelli down the order.

Verstappen's late crash triggered the decisive safety car period. Several frontrunners, including Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, pitted for fresh soft tires, setting up what appeared to be a dramatic one-lap sprint to the finish. Instead, race control kept the safety car on the circuit until the checkered flag.

Antonelli's difficult day worsened after the finish when he received a five-second penalty for repeated track-limit violations. Despite arguing the excursions were caused by his damaged car, he dropped from ninth to 16th and out of the points.

George Russell inherited second place, with Hamilton finishing third. Lando Norris came home fourth ahead of Isack Hadjar, while Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad, Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly completed the top 10.

Results

Next: Moët & Chandon Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps, July 18-19

NASCAR Cup Series

Chase Briscoe used smart pit strategy and a flawless closing stint to win Sunday's eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, leading Joe Gibbs Racing to a dominant 1-2-3 finish.

Briscoe made his final pit stop one lap before race leader William Byron, allowing the No. 19 Toyota to assume the lead during the green-flag pit cycle. He remained out front over the final 46 laps, holding off teammate Christopher Bell, whose late charge stalled when dirty air caused his No. 20 Toyota to tighten up on the final lap. Briscoe crossed the finish line 0.276 seconds ahead of Bell to earn his first victory of the season, his first at Chicagoland and the sixth of his NASCAR Cup Series career.

Pole winner Denny Hamlin completed the Toyota sweep in third, while seven Toyotas finished inside the top 10.

The race began with immediate drama as a chain-reaction crash eliminated rookie Connor Zilisch before the opening lap was completed. Kyle Larson also saw his hopes end after spinning into the infield on Lap 93, while Tyler Reddick lost 29 laps after debris punctured his radiator.

William Byron led a race-high 94 laps before fading to fourth, followed by Alex Bowman, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney (the highest-finishing Ford), Ty Gibbs, Corey Heim and Riley Herbst. The race featured 28 lead changes among 13 drivers and seven caution periods totaling 43 laps.

Results

Next: Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart, Atlanta Motor Speedway, July 11-12