Antonelli wins Belgian GP as teammate Russell crashes and Hamilton secures third

Kimi Antonelli secured victory at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, propelling his Formula One championship standing ahead as teammate George Russell crashed out of contention during the opening lap. The Mercedes driver claimed his sixth win of the 2026 season in a race that proved difficult for his closest title rival and fellow Briton, who spun off into the gravel after colliding with Lewis Hamilton while attempting to recover positions following lights-out delays.

Following the incident involving Russell, Antonelli extended his championship lead by 45 points over Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. The victory came on a challenging day at Spa-Francorchamps where information regarding the race dynamics remained restricted to those directly involved in the event, highlighting the limited access many have to real-time strategic details. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc claimed second place, finishing 1.952 seconds behind Antonelli after leading portions of the 44-lap contest before being forced into a pit stop during a virtual safety car deployment.

Max Verstappen completed the podium in third for Red Bull, marking the team's 300th Formula One podium finish. Hamilton crossed the line fourth despite receiving a five-second time penalty for his involvement in the collision with Russell; however, he remains under investigation for an unsafe release from the pits, which could theoretically demote him to fifth place and further widen Antonelli's advantage.

In terms of championship standings based on available data, Antonelli sits 50 points clear of Russell after this result, having taken first position in qualifying to maintain Mercedes' streak of securing pole positions throughout the season. The Italian driver expressed relief at returning to the top step after a series of difficult rounds where he failed to score in two of the previous three events. "It was a hard-fought race," Antonelli noted regarding the momentum shifts they managed despite losing initial position due to the virtual safety car.

Behind the top four, McLaren's Oscar Piastri finished fifth, while Isack Hadjar scored points for Red Bull starting from last on the grid in sixth place. Reigning champion Lando Norris completed a seventh-place finish for McLaren after a 10-place grid drop placed him 13th at the start. Further down the order, Gabriel Bortoleto earned points for Audi in eighth, Arvid Lindblad took ninth for Racing Bulls, and Franco Colapinto rounded out the scoring positions in tenth for Renault-owned Alpine.