Kimi Antonelli held off Charles Leclerc to win the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.<\/p>\n
This is Antonelli’s sixth victory of the season as he widened his lead atop the drivers’ standings.<\/p>\n
Max Verstappen rounded out the podium, rebounding nicely from a 20th-place finish in the British Grand Prix. The result doesn’t provide a lot of help in his quest for a fifth Formula One title, though.<\/p>\n
Antonelli displayed the poise that has helped establish him as the best driver on the circuit to this point.<\/p>\n
Midway through, Leclerc jumped ahead of the 19-year-old with a quicker pit stop. Antonelli didn’t panic and waited for the right opening. It arrived on the 34th lap as he passed Leclerc to lead the field again.<\/p>\n
The Italian wasn’t going to be denied from there, and his championship hopes received an added boost thanks to the struggles of those around him.<\/p>\n
In a stunning turn, George Russell’s race ended almost immediately after it began.<\/p>\n
Russell made contact with Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap and wound up in the gravel.<\/p>\n
Hamilton received a five-second penalty and was later flagged for an unsafe release from the pits. Oscar Piastri could overtake him for fourth place depending on the final ruling. <\/p>\n
The day for Russell was far more consequential.<\/p>\n
The 28-year-old entered the Belgian Grand Prix in second place, trailing Antonelli by 25 points. That’s certainly not an insurmountable deficit at the halfway mark of the 2026 season, but Sunday’s setback is costly.<\/p>\n
The Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring is the next stop on the F1 calendar. Three different drivers have won in each of the last three races there, with Max Verstappen earning the checkered flag in 2023 and being followed by Piastri and Lando Norris.<\/p>\n