Kimi Antonelli extended his lead in the 2026 Formula One drivers’ championship with a hard-fought victory for Mercedes in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, crossing the line 1.9 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), with four-time champion Max Verstappen third for Red Bull.
It was Antonelli’s sixth win of the season and came from his sixth pole position of the year — the first driver to win from pole at Spa since 2021. The 19-year-old Italian now leads the championship with 204 points, 45 clear of Lewis Hamilton, with teammate George Russell third on 154 after crashing out on the opening lap.
“It’s great to be back on the top step after obviously a few difficult rounds. 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.”
— Kimi Antonelli, Belgian Grand Prix winner
Race result — top 10
| Pos | Driver | Team | Note |
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | Winner — 6th win of season |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +1.9 seconds |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 5-sec penalty applied; pit stop incident under investigation |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | Lost front wing endplate in Leclerc incident |
| 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | Started from back of grid |
| 7 | Lando Norris | McLaren | Started 13th (10-place grid penalty); slow pit stop |
| 8 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | |
| 9 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | |
| 10 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | |
| DNF | George Russell | Mercedes | Crashed out on opening lap — contact with Hamilton |
Drivers’ championship standings (after Belgium)
| Pos | Driver | Team | Points |
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 204 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 159 |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes | 154 |
Race story
The race began in cool, overcast conditions at Spa with rain threatening. Antonelli made a clean start from pole to lead into La Source, but Verstappen deployed his power unit to sweep past through Eau Rouge before both Antonelli and Leclerc drafted past him into Les Combes. In the chaos behind them, Hamilton and Russell made contact, sending Russell into retirement as a Safety Car was deployed.
Hamilton reported losing front-end grip when a car moved across him; the stewards issued a five-second penalty. Racing resumed on lap five with Verstappen sweeping past Leclerc for second before Piastri and Leclerc touched at Les Combes, costing the Australian part of his front wing end plate. The stewards took no further action on that incident.
By lap nine, with Antonelli two seconds clear at the front, the race had settled. Further Virtual Safety Car periods intervened, and on lap 20 Ferrari attempted a double-stack pit stop. Leclerc cleared cleanly but Hamilton, serving his five-second penalty simultaneously, made a messy exit that touched a mechanic. The mechanic was reported to be unhurt, but the stewards opened a further investigation for an unsafe release.
The VSC left Norris — who had started 13th after taking a 10-place grid penalty for a new battery — briefly leading, before Leclerc cruised back past on lap 23 and Antonelli followed three laps later. The Mercedes then chased down Leclerc, exploiting superior power at Les Combes on lap 34 to retake the lead.
Leclerc clung on within a second to the flag but could not find a way back, while Hamilton repassed Piastri for fourth with five laps remaining. Hadjar, starting from the back after a penalty, drove an exceptional race to sixth, holding off Norris who suffered a slow stop due to a sticky left rear tyre when switching from old hards to mediums on lap 31.
A disconsolate Russell, whose title challenge was dented by his opening-lap retirement, reflected:
“It was a racing incident, but it shouldn’t have happened if I’d had the speed down the straight.”
— George Russell
