Antonelli conquers Spa to extend championship lead

Kimi Antonelli returned to the top step of the podium with a brilliant victory at a closely contested FORMULA 1 MOËT & CHANDON BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2026. The Mercedes-AMG star narrowly beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, while Max Verstappen secured his third podium finish of the season in third place.

Verstappen got off to a sublime start from the line, storming past Antonelli on the opening lap at Eau Rouge to briefly snatch the lead. However, the Red Bull driver could not sustain the pace and quickly surrendered the position back to the Italian down the Kemmel Straight.

While Antonelli maintained his composure at the front, there was early heartbreak on the other side of the Mercedes-AMG garage. George Russell dropped behind both Ferraris and suffered a race-ending spin into the gravel trap following a Turn 6 collision with Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton received a five-second time penalty for causing the collision and faced a post-race investigation for an unsafe release that involved contact with a mechanic. Despite the setbacks, the veteran Briton crossed the line in fourth place, just ahead of a resurgent Oscar Piastri.

The fifth-place finish marks a welcome turnaround for the local hero after a string of difficult weekends. Piastri managed to extract strong pace from his McLaren-Mercedes, surviving mid-race contact with Leclerc to finish clear of the charging midfield pack.

Isack Hadjar delivered a mighty performance for Red Bull, slicing through the field from the back of the grid to take a hard-earned sixth. He finished just ahead of Lando Norris, who executed a similar recovery drive from 13th to seventh after running an extended opening stint on the hard tire.

Gabriel Bortoleto secured more valuable points for the Audi Revolut F1 Team by finishing in eighth position. The final points-paying positions were rounded out by Arvid Lindblad for Racing Bulls and Alpine's Franco Colapinto in tenth.

Up front, a strategic gamble under a Virtual Safety Car phase briefly allowed Leclerc to leapfrog Antonelli for the net race lead. However, the championship leader bided his time and executed a decisive overtake with 10 laps remaining to secure the win.

The victory marks Antonelli's sixth win of the 2026 season and his first since the Monaco Grand Prix. With Russell scoring zero points due to his retirement, the driver has significantly extended his lead at the top of the standings.