Kimi Antonelli delivered a masterful drive at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday to win the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix, holding off Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by 1.952 seconds to claim his sixth victory of the season and extend his championship lead.
The Mercedes driver started from pole position but briefly lost the lead when Max Verstappen swept past at Eau Rouge on the opening lap. Antonelli quickly regrouped, reclaiming the position and settling into a commanding rhythm that would define the 44-lap contest.
There was early heartbreak for Mercedes, as George Russell became the race's first retirement. The Briton made contact with Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari at the first corner, spinning into the gravel trap and bringing his afternoon to an immediate end. Hamilton was later handed a five-second time penalty for the collision and faces a post-race investigation for an unsafe release.
The incident brought out the Safety Car, compressing the field and threatening to undo Antonelli's hard work. But the 19-year-old Italian held his nerve through the restart and managed his tyres expertly through the middle stint, keeping Leclerc at arm's length.
Leclerc, seeking back-to-back victories after his win at the British Grand Prix, pushed hard in the closing stages but could not find a way past. The Ferrari driver had to settle for second, ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen in third — the Dutchman's third podium finish of 2026.
Verstappen crossed the line ahead of Hamilton, whose five-second penalty dropped him behind his team-mate in the final order. Oscar Piastri completed the top five for McLaren, crossing 18.988 seconds behind the winner.
The midfield produced several standout performances. Isack Hadjar charged from the back of the grid to an impressive sixth place, while Lando Norris recovered from 13th on the grid to seventh. Gabriel Bortoleto scored valuable points for Audi in eighth, with Arvid Lindblad and Franco Colapinto rounding out the top 10.
Further back, Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson and Nico Hulkenberg narrowly missed out on points, while both Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll retired with mechanical issues.
Antonelli's win — his first since the Monaco Grand Prix — further strengthens his grip on the Drivers' Championship, extending the gap over his closest rivals as Formula 1 heads to Hungary next weekend.
Sources
- https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-beats-leclerc-to-belgian-grand-prix-win-to-extend-title-lead-as-russell-retires.MAqSJSgXvRP6dLbwiRbWI
