Kimi Antonelli delivered a masterclass at Spa-Francorchamps to claim his sixth win of the season and re-establish his championship authority — while team-mate George Russell’s title hopes took another brutal hit on the opening lap.
Antonelli Wins the Belgian Grand Prix
Kimi Antonelli won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps to re-establish a comfortable lead in the Formula 1 world championship. The Mercedes driver’s sixth victory in 10 races this season came after he fought back from losing position during a virtual safety-car period to catch and pass Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
The result moves Antonelli firmly back into control of the title race after three races in which his advantage had been eroded — a retirement in Spain, a third place in Austria, and a finish outside the points at the British Grand Prix. Belgium was his first win since Monaco in early June.
First-Lap Disaster for Russell
The race was effectively decided within seconds of the start. George Russell was taken out in a collision with Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari at Les Combes on the opening lap, spinning out of the race and watching his title challenge take another severe blow.
Russell had been closing on Antonelli in the standings after strong recent races, but the Belgian disaster leaves him 50 points behind his team-mate in third place. Hamilton’s fourth-place finish promoted him to second in the championship, five points ahead of Russell.
“I came out of Turn One, for whatever reason I was 30-40% down on my battery. I just totally got swamped up by three cars. Incident with Lewis, I have not really seen it. But I thought probably a racing incident. I am not going to blame Lewis… It is one thing after another, after another, after another. Not good enough on all regards so try and reset again.”
George Russell, after crashing out on lap one
How Antonelli Controlled the Race
Starting from pole position, Antonelli handled the opening lap superbly. He allowed Max Verstappen past into Eau Rouge before slipstreaming back into the lead up the Kemmel straight — a move that solved any concern about being passed on the run to Les Combes.
He then measured his pace carefully in the opening stint, looking after his tyres, before the race was turned on its head by a virtual safety car triggered by debris on track. The VSC gave Leclerc a cheap pit stop — stopping under safety-car conditions costs nearly half as much race time as under green-flag conditions — and the Ferrari jumped ahead.
Antonelli’s response was clinical. He closed the gap over eight laps and passed Leclerc on the Kemmel straight on lap 34 of 44. From there, he managed the risk of a potential five-second penalty for track-limits violations and controlled his pace to cross the line just under two seconds ahead.
Hamilton’s Afternoon of Penalties
Hamilton’s race was far from smooth. The collision with Russell earned him a five-second penalty, and matters got worse at his pit stop when he was released before all the mechanics had moved out of the way — hitting a mechanic working on the front right tyre as he accelerated away.
Hamilton immediately radioed to check the mechanic was OK, which was confirmed by the team. The problem was traced to his request for a front-wing setting change not being fed into the Ferrari system, so the car was released as the mechanic moved forward to adjust the wing.
Ferrari were fined 30,000 euros, with 10,000 euros suspended for 12 months pending any similar offence. Hamilton recovered well from the delay, catching and passing Oscar Piastri to take fourth.
Leclerc’s Impressive Second
Charles Leclerc’s second place was arguably the performance of the race for Ferrari. On the back of his win at Silverstone — which was aided by a component failure on Antonelli’s Mercedes — Leclerc showed the Ferrari’s improved race pace and rode his luck, escaping a penalty for squeezing Piastri during the first stint before an accomplished drive confirmed his revival after a sticky period earlier in the summer.
Norris’s Fightback Falls Just Short
Lando Norris started 13th on the grid after a 10-place penalty for a new battery, but drove expertly through the midfield to take the lead as the front-runners pitted. His alternate strategy — starting on hard tyres rather than mediums — looked set to challenge the Ferraris until the virtual safety car wrecked his timing.
Forced to stay out because the mediums would have been too marginal to the end, Norris lost a stack of time as the leaders caught him after their stops. A slow pit stop with a difficult left-rear wheel change compounded the damage, and he could only manage seventh, passing Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto but running out of time to catch Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar in sixth — crossing the line 0.7 seconds adrift.
Belgian Grand Prix — Top 10
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
- Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
What It Means for the Championship
The Belgian result reshapes the title picture: Antonelli leads comfortably with a 50-point buffer over Russell, while Hamilton’s fourth place moves him above his former team-mate into second. Verstappen’s podium keeps Red Bull in the hunt, and Leclerc’s resurgence makes Ferrari a genuine force in every race.
For Antonelli, Spa was a statement: pole position, a controlled victory, and a championship lead rebuilt after a mid-season wobble. The Italian is now firmly in the driving seat of the 2026 title race.
