Kimi Antonelli took a commanding victory at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, his sixth win of the 2026 Formula 1 season, to open a 45-point championship lead after title rival George Russell crashed out on the opening lap at Spa-Francorchamps.
The 19-year-old Italian started from pole position but lost the lead to Charles Leclerc during a virtual safety car period, which allowed the Ferrari driver to gain track position through his pit stop. Antonelli kept his composure, reeled Leclerc back in, and swept past with 10 laps remaining to win with a comfortable margin.
"I've always believed the momentum was there, even when results didn't show it," Antonelli said after the race. "You just need to take one weekend at a time because you never know what can happen. With these new regulations, there's so much unpredictability."
Antonelli's sixth win of the campaign matches the tally of 13-time Grand Prix winner Alberto Ascari among Italian drivers, with only Ascari's total ahead of him. The Mercedes driver dedicated the victory to his father Marco, a former sportscar racer, whose birthday fell on Saturday.
Leclerc finished second after escaping a penalty for contact with Oscar Piastri's McLaren earlier in the race. Max Verstappen completed the podium for Red Bull, having briefly led on a chaotic opening lap before settling into third.
Russell's race lasted only a handful of corners. The Briton was trying to reclaim fourth position from Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari when contact sent him spinning into the gravel trap, ending his afternoon immediately. Russell vented his frustration over team radio, pointing to a sudden loss of straight-line speed that dropped him behind Hamilton before the incident.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff confirmed a software issue had affected multiple Mercedes-powered cars, including Antonelli's, and said the team would work to restore Russell's confidence in the machinery. "We have an engine that's incredibly strong, a car that is fast but simply not stable enough," Wolff told Sky Germany.
Hamilton crossed the line fourth but received a five-second penalty for the collision with Russell and remained under investigation post-race for an unsafe pit release during which he knocked over a Ferrari mechanic.
The result reshuffles the championship standings dramatically. Antonelli leads on 325 points, Hamilton moves to second on 280, and Russell drops to third on 275 — a 50-point swing in a single afternoon.
Sources
- https://apnews.com/article/f1-belgian-grand-prix-spa-antonelli-5aca7d6298b9e2ec265d0d9b662ccb8b
- https://apnews.com/article/george-russell-belgium-f1-5a833c18ebec8b3202f9cc5fa3767700
