Kimi Antonelli achieves his sixth victory of the season with a great drive at Spa-Francorchamps. The Mercedes driver beat Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen to score 50 points over his teammate and rival George Russell at the Belgian Grand Prix.
As the five red lights went out, it was actually Verstappen who made a solid getaway on the grid and he took the lead on Antonelli on the opening lap at Eau Rouge, but he was unable to stay ahead of the Mercedes driver and quickly gave up the lead on the Kemmel straight.
While Antonelli went to the front, there was heartbreak for his teammate who fell behind both Ferraris and made contact with Lewis Hamilton, spinning George Russell into the gravel and bringing his race to an end. This non-finish will be an important factor in terms of the championship.
Kimi resisted the pressure of a safety car restart as well as a late challenge from Charles after retaking the lead to take the chequered flag by 1.9 seconds, securing his sixth race win of the 2026 season and first since the Monaco Grand Prix.
Leclerc missed out on claiming consecutive victories following his Silverstone success but confidently held onto second position ahead of Verstappen, who crossed the finishing line ahead of Hamilton – who had to serve a five-second time penalty for the collision with Russell and will also be investigated after the race for an unsafe pitstop release – and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
The top five were followed by Isack Hadjar, the Red Bull driver charging from the back of the grid to P6, with Lando Norris similarly improving from P13 to P7. Gabriel Bortoleto scored for Audi in eighth, while Arvid Lindblad and Franco Colapinto rounded out the top ten.
Just two laps after Antonelli had made his switch to the hard tyre, a virtual safety car was called on lap 20 to clear debris at Blanchimont, which offered a wide enough window for Ferrari to pit both cars. Leclerc, who had been behind both Antonelli and Verstappen, used this opportunity to switch to the hard tyre and moved out ahead for the lead.
The Ferrari driver was able to build a lead gap once he had cleared the off-strategy Lando Norris, who was yet to pit after starting on the hard tyre, as Antonelli also needed a few laps to clear the McLaren.
There was about three seconds between them once Norris was cleared, but Antonelli demonstrated the strong pace and closed in on the Ferrari, helped when Leclerc stuck by Valtteri Bottas through Turn 15. Antonelli broke past at Turn 5 on the following lap after chasing the Ferrari up the hill.
Leclerc stayed with Antonelli for a few laps of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, just about holding on in overtake range, but had been unable to seek an opportunity to return to the lead. Instead, Antonelli maintained enough speed in hand to open the gap beyond the one-second bap needed to avoid a potential Leclerc fightback.
Antonelli continued to manage his lead, ultimately finishing 1.9 seconds ahead of Leclerc to extend his championship lead as Russell unable to score following his first-lap contact with Hamilton’s Ferrari.
Russell had been battling Leclerc through the first couple of corners. Misfortune struck when he ran out of battery deployment half-way along the Kemmel Straight on the opening lap, which led to the Mercedes driver being swamped by the cars around him on the entry to Les Combes. He was side-by-side with Hamilton – the Ferrari driver’s snap of oversteer led to contact between the two, pitching Russell into the gravel.
Verstappen finished third, despite a somewhat distant to the leading pair after being passed by Leclerc during the VSC pitstops. The four-time champion had put pressure on Antonelli in the opening laps, but fell back as Leclerc began to find pace ahead of the pit phase.
Hamilton took fourth, despite serving a five-second penalty for the contact with Russell. Another potential penalty could be a threat following an unsafe release. The seven-time champion had the green signal from his pit gantry post-stop, and had not seen a mechanic attempting to make a last-minute front wing adjustment.
Lewis passed Oscar to reach fourth, but the McLaren had been able to hang onto the Ferrari’s tail in the event of a penalty. Piastri had suffered contact earlier in the race with Leclerc, causing minor damage to his car which hurt his race pace.
Isack Hadjar worked his way up to sixth after using the early safety car to conduct his mandatory tyre change, later using the VSC to pick up a lightly used set of hard tyres in the middle of the race. This helped the Red Bull driver avoid a late fightback from Norris, whose alternate strategy was undone by a very slow pit stop. A slow left-rear wheel change put the defending champion behind Gabriel Bortoleto on-track, but he soon passed the Audi for seventh.
Bortoleto finished eighth ahead of Arvid Lindblad, who at one point was investigated for potential contact with teammate Liam Lawson, while Franco Colapinto pulled off a two-for-one move on Pierre Gasly and Lawson along the Kemmel Straight to take the final championship point.
So congratulations to Kimi Antonelli with victory number six in this season. With a non-finish for George Russell, there is now a fifty points gap between the Silver Arrows drivers. The Hungarian Grand Prix is next before the summer break.
Belgian Grand Prix, race results:
1 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:24:42.479
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +1.952s
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull-Ford +11.586s
4 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +17.245s
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren-Mercedes +18.988s
6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls-Ford +23.307s
7 Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes +24.014s
8 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi +49.140s
9 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls-Ford +50.406s
10 Franco Colapinto Alpine-Mercedes +76.037s
11 Pierre Gasly Alpine-Mercedes +76.991s
12 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls-Ford +77.523s
13 Nico Hulkenberg Audi +78.348s
14 Oliver Bearman Haas-Ferrari +94.465s
15 Alexander Albon Williams-Mercedes +104.684s
16 Carlos Sainz Williams-Mercedes +105.856s
17 Esteban Ocon Haas-Ferrari +110.925s
18 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac-Ferrari +1 lap
19 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin-Honda +2 laps
Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Honda DNF
Sergio Perez Cadillac-Ferrari DNF
George Russell Mercedes DNF
Kimi Antonelli returned to glory with victory at a closely contested Belgian Grand Prix, narrowly beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc as Max Verstappen settled for his third podium of the season in P3.
The Dutchman got off to a sublime start as he stormed past Antonelli on the opening lap at Eau Rouge, but couldn’t quite stay ahead of the Mercedes driver and quickly gave up the lead.
While Antonelli clung on at the front, there was heartbreak for his team mate who fell behind both Ferraris and made early contact with Lewis Hamilton, spinning George Russell into the gravel and bringing his race to an end, with far-reaching implications in the title battle.
The Italian resisted the pressure of a Safety Car restart as well as a late challenge from Leclerc after retaking the lead to take the chequered flag by 1.9s, securing his sixth race win of the 2026 season and first since the Monaco Grand Prix.
Leclerc missed out on claiming consecutive victories but confidently held onto second place ahead of Verstappen, who crossed the line ahead of the second Ferrari of Hamilton – who had to serve a five-second time penalty for the collision with Russell and will also be investigated after the race for an unsafe release – and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
The top five were followed by Isack Hadjar, the Frenchman charging from the back of the grid to a mighty points haul in P6, with Lando Norris similarly improving from P13 to P7. Gabriel Bortoleto scored for Audi in eighth, while Arvid Lindblad and Franco Colapinto rounded out the top 10.
There was an exhilarating contest for the final point that saw Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson and Nico Hulkenberg just miss out, with Haas’ Ollie Bearman finishing significantly further back in P14.
The Williams pair of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz were 15th and 16th respectively, leading Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas and Fernando Alonso. The latter two were the sole finishers for their respective teams as Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez retired with car issues, joined by the damaged Mercedes of Russell.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-beats-leclerc-to-belgian-grand-prix-win-to-extend-title-lead-as-russell-retires.MAqSJSgXvRP6dLbwiRbWI
George Russell suffered his latest gut punch in the 2026 Formula 1 season after contact with Lewis Hamilton ended his Belgian Grand Prix on lap 1. But the Briton was more “angry” due to the lack of battery charge that left him a sitting duck on the Kemmel straight than the contact with the Ferrari itself.
Russell started third at Spa-Francorchamps, but was swallowed by the chasing pack on the long uphill blast from Raidillon to Turn 5’s Les Combes.
After being easily passed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Russell also came under threat from Hamilton, who took the inside into the right-hander. But the Ferrari driver understeered into Russell’s right rear corner to tip the Briton into the gravel bed, ending Russell’s race on the spot.
A frustrated Russell explained his Mercedes battery failed to recharge as he braked into the La Source hairpin at the start, which left him vulnerable to challenges from behind in the first place.
“I made a good start. I made a great first corner and I was tucked up right behind Verstappen, but for whatever reason, the battery decided not to recharge at Turn 1,” Russell told media, including Motorsport.com.
“The battery didn’t charge and I exited the first corner 35% down. And because it didn’t charge, I also had a boost problem. The turbo didn’t sort itself out, so I had no power. I got to the top of Eau Rouge with 0% on the battery. Quite frankly, it was dangerous. I got swamped by three cars.
“I shouldn’t have been in that position in the first place. That’s why I’m the most angry.”
Hamilton received a five-second penalty for causing the collision, but Russell was less upset by the contact than by the power unit trouble that led up to it.
“Me and Lewis, honestly, I think it was a race incident,” Russell said. “He didn’t do it on purpose. He was more to blame than I was. But he didn’t do anything reckless.
“That was one of those things I was most angry about, that I was in that position in the first place. I was in a great position after Turn 1. I was ready to fight the two guys ahead of me up to Turn 5. Instead, I got swamped by three drivers.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/george-russell-furious-at-dangerous-battery-issue-before-hamilton-spa-clash/10840182/
Kimi Antonelli believes he has “got to take every opportunity” possible in the title battle, with victory in the Belgian Grand Prix extending his margin over team mate George Russell to 50 points after the Briton retired.
Antonelli claimed his sixth win of the season during Sunday’s 44-lap race at Spa-Francorchamps, and his first since the Monaco Grand Prix after two non-scores in the previous three races due to car problems.
Having briefly lost the lead from pole position on the exit of La Source to Max Verstappen, Antonelli was back in P1 before Les Combes and controlled the opening stint before making his first pit stop.
The Italian teenager had to fight back into the lead, though, after Charles Leclerc was able to pit under a short Virtual Safety car and get ahead of the Mercedes, with Antonelli only regaining the lead 10 laps from the end.
“It’s great to be back on the top step after obviously a few difficult rounds,” said Antonelli.
“Was a hard-fought race. We lost first place with a VSC but then we managed to make our way back. Was a tough win because Charles was quick and we had to hold onto that.”
The win proved even more significant as Russell was eliminated on the opening lap after a collision with Lewis Hamilton – the Ferrari driver being handed a five-second penalty for the incident.
Antonelli now sits 45 points ahead of Hamilton, who finished fourth but with an unsafe pit release investigation looming, and a further five ahead of Russell.
“I think the momentum was always there,” said Antonelli on his previous bad run of form.
“Was just about getting the result and today we were a bit lucky in terms of what happened with the championship but that’s why you’ve got to take every opportunity.
“We saw that it can swing really easily, the situation, so we [have] just got to keep performing, keep bringing the result and we’ll see what happens at the end of the year.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/got-to-take-every-opportunity-antonelli-reflects-on-title-battle-after-victory-in-belgian-gp.35LA7q5eMj9Tjp7vQwW0G0
Charles Leclerc has conceded that he “believed in the win until the end” of the Belgian Grand Prix, which saw him finish close behind Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli after surging into victory contention.
After standing on the top step last time out at Silverstone, Leclerc had faith that Ferrari could take the fight to the Silver Arrows once again, but he faced a frustrating setback as he slowed on his final lap in Qualifying due to a yellow flag.
He was nevertheless able to shake off the disappointment of starting fourth by displacing George Russell on the opening lap to take third, before chasing down Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to gain another position.
The Dutchman fought his way back through to leave Leclerc in the clutches of Oscar Piastri, with the pair getting into a nervy scrap that saw the McLaren sustain damage.
Fortunately for Leclerc, he escaped without punishment, allowing Ferrari to make the most of a Virtual Safety Car and call him into the pits before sending him back out in front of Antonelli.
“I believed in the win until the end,” he admitted after eventually losing the lead to the Italian with 10 laps remaining. “We had a little bit of luck obviously with the VSC at the right time for us but the pace was relatively strong.”
With Russell failing to score following his race-ending collision with the second Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton, Leclerc’s podium has tightened up the battle in the Drivers’ standings even further as he now sits 28 points behind Russell, and 33 off his own team mate.
Despite the positive momentum that the Scuderia are building, the Monegasque added that they still have issues to tackle in order to mount a long-term challenge against Mercedes – especially after they made the rare choice not to introduce any upgrades this weekend.
Leclerc explained: “There’s been some five, six laps on the hard where I’ve been struggling with the front axle and then it came back a little bit.
“I felt better with the car, there’s still some work to do but surely it’s a step forward.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/i-believed-until-the-end-leclerc-shares-disappointment-of-missing-out-on-belgium-win.7KwBUgBh3HeWolxfbXr2vY
Toto Wolff admits that “sometimes our best is not good enough” after a bittersweet Belgian Grand Prix for Mercedes, as Kimi Antonelli won and George Russell retired.
Antonelli claimed his sixth win of the season in Sunday’s 44-lap race at Spa-Francorchamps, overtaking Charles Leclerc with 10 laps remaining as the Ferrari made up time and positions with a pit stop under a Virtual Safety Car.
“Obviously super happy for Kimi and he managed to win,” the Mercedes Team Principal told F1 TV.
“He was strong all weekend. He probably should have won at Silverstone and DNF’d, so that is an absolutely merited win.
He added: “We thought we had the pace but the VSC again overturned it and Charles was ahead. But a super mature drive, he just eked away tenth by tenth every lap and that was really good to see.”
While Antonelli stood on the top step, it was an early finish for Russell who was eliminated after a collision with Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap at Les Combes.
The Briton had started third but was swamped on the run out of La Source and up Eau Rouge due to a lack of full power, with Wolff confirming that there was a problem.
“We had a problem with all Mercedes engines at the start, they didn’t deploy all the power that they should have had. It’s something we need to get under control,” he said.
Russell’s retirement means he sits 50 points behind Antonelli in the Drivers’ standings, having also complained about a lack of straight-line speed throughout the weekend compared with his Italian team mate.
Wolff acknowledged there was an issue and that every effort was being made to ensure parity between his drivers.
“That is something hopefully we have sorted but again we are racing, straight-line speed differences can happen,” he said.
“We’re trying to give it our best and sometimes our best is not good enough. Sometimes it is good enough, but one thing is we are all pushing extra hard.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/sometimes-our-best-is-not-good-enough-wolff-reflects-on-bittersweet-belgian-gp-for-mercedes.GX6VXs6Ov95KIaDxjnnPi