Kimi Antonelli strengthened his 2026 title push with victory in an eventful Formula 1 MOËT & CHANDON BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2026 at Spa-Francorchamps, beating Charles Leclerc to the chequered flag by 1.9 seconds. The Mercedes driver resisted pressure through a Safety Car restart and then recovered after losing track position during Virtual Safety Car phases, ultimately retaking the lead with 10 laps to go and holding on to secure his sixth win of the season and first since the Monaco Grand Prix.
Behind him, Leclerc settled for second after missing out on back-to-back victories, while Max Verstappen completed the podium in third. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth for Ferrari despite serving a five-second time penalty for the collision that eliminated George Russell, and Oscar Piastri took fifth for McLaren. Russell’s early retirement carried “far-reaching implications in the title battle,” according to the race report, after contact with Hamilton sent the Mercedes into the gravel.
How the Belgian Grand Prix unfolded at Spa
Plenty had already happened before the start of the 44-lap race, including a crash involving Hamilton and Pierre Gasly at the Fagnes Chicane earlier in the weekend that forced Ferrari and Alpine to rebuild their cars. Grid penalties also shaped the field, with five drivers taking power unit-related penalties, and Lando Norris notably dropping to P13 despite qualifying P3.
At lights out, polesitter Antonelli initially held the lead, but Verstappen launched superbly and swept past into Eau Rouge. Antonelli responded immediately, using the pace of his Mercedes to reclaim first place down the Kemmel Straight. As the front two traded positions, Leclerc moved into P3 and Russell began to fall behind both Ferraris.
Russell’s race then ended abruptly. He attempted to come back at Hamilton at Turn 6, darted across the track, and after contact, spun into the gravel trap. The incident brought out the Safety Car, with Hamilton reporting he was “right behind another car so had no front end.” During the Safety Car period, several drivers pitted for fresh tyres, and racing resumed at the start of Lap 5.
Antonelli went early at the restart and kept his lead ahead of Leclerc and Verstappen, while a battle flared behind. Hamilton surged past Piastri at La Source, only for Piastri to immediately fight back for position. Verstappen then found a way past Leclerc into Les Combes to take second place and began to close on Antonelli, who held a slim advantage of around a second.
Leclerc later came under pressure from Piastri for the final podium spot and the pair made contact, leaving carbon fibre on the circuit. Piastri complained that Leclerc “didn’t leave enough space,” but the scrap allowed Hamilton to close rapidly. Hamilton passed Piastri and set the fastest lap, but his progress was checked when he received a five-second time penalty for causing the collision that ruled Russell out of the race. Leclerc’s contact with Piastri was later ruled to require no further action.
Norris, starting outside the top 10, made early progress on hard tyres and ran seventh by Lap 11, then sixth after passing Arvid Lindblad. Strategy and neutralisations then reshaped the order. Verstappen pitted on Lap 18 and dropped from P2 to P6 just before a Virtual Safety Car was deployed for debris. Antonelli covered him by pitting and rejoined in fifth, retaining the net race lead behind the Ferrari and McLaren cars ahead on track.
A later Virtual Safety Car proved pivotal. Ferrari brought both drivers in, with Hamilton serving his time penalty during the stop and also accidentally hitting a mechanic on release, who was reported to be uninjured. The sequence worked perfectly for Leclerc, who emerged ahead of Antonelli to take the on-track advantage and move into position for consecutive wins.
However, Antonelli’s response was decisive. After Norris—still on original hard tyres—lost places as the stint wore on, Antonelli closed down Leclerc and powered past with 10 laps remaining to reclaim first place. Leclerc stayed within half a second at times, but Antonelli held firm to the finish, winning by 1.9 seconds.
Behind the lead fight, Hamilton recovered to take P4 from Piastri in the closing stages. Isack Hadjar charged from the back of the grid to finish sixth, with Norris improving from P13 to seventh. Gabriel Bortoleto scored for Audi in eighth, while Lindblad and Franco Colapinto completed the top 10. Pierre Gasly narrowly missed out on the final point, followed closely by Liam Lawson and Nico Hulkenberg.
Final order, retirements, and what’s next
Antonelli’s win came ahead of Leclerc and Verstappen, with Hamilton fourth (after a five-second penalty and an investigation noted for an unsafe release), Piastri fifth, Hadjar sixth, and Norris seventh. Bortoleto took eighth for Audi, with Lindblad ninth and Colapinto tenth.
There were three retirements: Lance Stroll (suspected gearbox issue), Sergio Perez (car issues, with Perez suggesting broken suspension), and Russell, whose damaged Mercedes was out early after the contact with Hamilton.
Next, Formula 1 moves on to Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix, taking place from July 24-26 at the Hungaroring.
