Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix after starting from pole. He finished 1.952 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen completed the podium, 11.586 seconds behind the winner.
Antonelli lost the lead twice during the 44-lap race at Spa. Verstappen passed him briefly on the opening lap. Leclerc later moved ahead during a virtual Safety Car pit sequence.
Verstappen led briefly on the opening lap
Antonelli began from pole after setting a 1:44.361 qualifying lap. Verstappen started second, with George Russell and Leclerc on row two. Lewis Hamilton lined up fifth beside Oscar Piastri.
Verstappen moved ahead of Antonelli during the first lap. The Mercedes driver recovered the position before the early interruption settled the order. Leclerc remained close behind the leading pair.
The opening lap also ended Russell’s race. Contact with Hamilton sent Russell into a spin and left him in gravel. Hamilton later received a five-second penalty for the collision.
The virtual Safety Car changed the order during the planned stops. Leclerc completed his stop with less time lost at reduced speed. The Ferrari returned ahead of Antonelli and became the race leader.
Antonelli stayed within reach instead of forcing an immediate pass. The decisive move came with ten laps remaining. He passed Leclerc and returned to first place before the final stint.
Leclerc kept the gap below two seconds at the chequered flag. He completed all 44 laps and earned 18 points. Verstappen finished another 9.634 seconds behind the Ferrari.
Antonelli completed his sixth victory of the season
The race lasted 1 hour, 24 minutes and 42.479 seconds. Antonelli completed every lap and scored 25 points. The victory was his sixth of the 2026 season.
His previous victory came at Monaco in June. Reliability problems then reduced his championship advantage before Belgium. Winning at Spa restored a much larger margin over his closest rivals.
Antonelli now leads the drivers’ standings with 204 points. Hamilton moves into second on 159. Russell remains third with 154 after scoring no points in Belgium.
The new championship gap between Antonelli and Hamilton is 45 points. Russell sits another five points behind Hamilton. One race victory carries 25 points before any sprint results.
Antonelli converted pole into victory despite losing the lead twice. His final pass came during normal racing conditions. Leclerc stayed close but finished almost two seconds behind.
Hamilton and both McLarens finished in the points
Hamilton finished fourth after serving the penalty for the Russell collision. He crossed the line 17.245 seconds behind Antonelli. That result gave Ferrari 30 points from its two cars.
Piastri finished fifth for McLaren, 18.988 seconds behind the winner. Isack Hadjar rose from the back row to sixth. He finished less than one second ahead of Norris.
Norris started thirteenth because of a power-unit grid penalty. He briefly led while other drivers stopped. A delayed pit stop cost time, but he recovered to seventh.
McLaren entered Belgium after gaining access to Mercedes power-unit simulation tools during the season. Both cars later finished in the points.
Hamilton served his five-second sanction and kept fourth place. Piastri finished 1.743 seconds behind the Ferrari. Hadjar then separated the two McLaren drivers.
| Winner | Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes |
|---|---|
| Podium | Charles Leclerc second, Max Verstappen third |
| Winning time | 1:24:42.479 over 44 laps |
| Championship lead | Antonelli 204, Hamilton 159 |
Ferrari scored 30 points through Leclerc and Hamilton. McLaren collected 16 through Piastri and Norris. Mercedes received all 25 points from Antonelli after Russell retired.
Verstappen contributed 15 points for third place. His final gap to Leclerc was 9.634 seconds. The leading three cars represented three different teams.
Four more drivers completed the top ten
Gabriel Bortoleto finished eighth and scored four points for Audi. Arvid Lindblad placed ninth for Racing Bulls. Franco Colapinto took the final point in tenth for Alpine.
Pierre Gasly followed Colapinto by 0.954 seconds in eleventh. Liam Lawson and Nico Hulkenberg completed the next two positions. Fourteen drivers remained on the lead lap.
Sergio Perez retired after 13 laps and Lance Stroll stopped after 25. Fernando Alonso completed 42 laps and was classified nineteenth. Russell recorded no completed racing lap.
The points positions covered seven different constructors. Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull filled the podium. McLaren placed both cars between fifth and seventh.
Bortoleto earned four points from eighth place. Lindblad added two points in ninth. Colapinto received one point after holding Gasly behind at the finish.
Russell, Perez and Stroll were the three recorded retirements. Alonso was classified two laps behind after continuing longer. Every other classified driver completed at least 43 laps.
Antonelli leaves Spa with a larger championship lead
The classification places Antonelli, Leclerc and Verstappen on the podium. Antonelli scored 25 points, Leclerc earned 18 and Verstappen added 15.
Antonelli won after losing the lead during two separate phases. Leclerc used the neutralised pit sequence to lead. Antonelli answered on track with ten laps remaining.
Formula 1 continues in Hungary from July 24 to 26. Antonelli arrives with a 45-point lead over Hamilton. Mercedes also leave Belgium without points from Russell’s car.
Leclerc collected his third second place of the season. Verstappen added another podium without leading at the finish. Hamilton’s fourth place limited the points lost to Antonelli.
The winning margin was smaller than the gap across the podium. Antonelli beat Leclerc by 1.952 seconds. Verstappen followed 11.586 seconds behind the Mercedes.
Spa produced 44 completed laps for the leading fourteen drivers. The final order remained unchanged across the podium after Antonelli’s decisive pass. Leclerc never regained first place.
No Comments