Kimi Antonelli had every reason to lose the Belgian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen blasted past him before Eau Rouge. Charles Leclerc later took the effective lead through Ferrari’s perfectly timed Virtual Safety Car stop. George Russell, Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate and closest title rival entering Spa, was already out after an opening-lap collision with Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton.
Antonelli answered every problem. He repassed Verstappen on the Kemmel Straight, controlled the restart, then clawed back a three-second deficit to Leclerc on hard tyres. With 10 laps remaining, he swept past the Ferrari approaching Les Combes and held on by 1.952 seconds.
The victory was his sixth of 2026 and his first since Monaco. It lifted him to 204 points, 45 clear of Hamilton and 50 ahead of Russell. Spa did not decide the championship, but it changed the pressure surrounding it.
Opening-Lap Drama Splits The Mercedes Garage
Verstappen made the first strike. He drew alongside Antonelli after La Source and powered ahead on the descent toward Eau Rouge. The Red Bull had used too much electrical energy, though, and Antonelli came straight back on the Kemmel Straight before braking for Les Combes.
Behind them, Russell’s race collapsed within seconds. Mercedes later confirmed that both of its cars suffered reduced boost on the run out of Turn 1. Antonelli managed the smaller loss. Russell was hit much harder and reported that his battery level was 30 to 40 per cent lower than expected.
Both Ferraris swept past the slowing Mercedes. Russell then tried to fight Hamilton around the outside at Les Combes, where contact sent him into the gravel and ended his afternoon. Hamilton continued in the Ferrari and later received a five-second penalty.
Russell did not blame his former teammate. The deeper problem was the loss of power that dropped him into traffic and forced him into a fight he should never have faced. The damage to his championship position was immediate.
For Red Bull, the opening lap proved that Verstappen still had the aggression and speed to disrupt Mercedes. The momentum did not last. Once Antonelli repassed him, Verstappen could not regain control or force himself into the decisive strategic fight. Red Bull left Spa with evidence of competitive pace, but not the victory required to change the direction of its season.
Ferrari Turns The Virtual Safety Car Into The Lead
Most of the field started on medium tyres. Mercedes planned a conventional one-stop race for Antonelli, moving him from mediums to hards when Verstappen stopped on lap 18.
A brief Virtual Safety Car was called to clear debris from the circuit. Antonelli covered the Red Bull without surrendering his net position, but the first neutralisation ended too quickly for Ferrari to gain.
A second Virtual Safety Car followed shortly afterwards, giving Ferrari the opening it needed. Leclerc and Hamilton came in together, with Leclerc returning on fresh hard tyres ahead of Antonelli.
Once both men cleared Lando Norris, who had extended his opening stint, Leclerc held an advantage of about three seconds. Ferrari had won the strategic exchange. Antonelli now had to take the race back on the track.
Antonelli Hunts Down Leclerc
Antonelli proved his championship mettle when he was forced to chase. He did not destroy his tyres with one desperate push. Instead, he cut the gap in stages, using Mercedes’ straight-line speed while limiting the time lost to Ferrari through the middle sector.
Leclerc was especially strong through Turns 12 and 13. Antonelli held the advantage in the slower corners and continued edging closer until the Mercedes reached overtaking range.
That patience matched the message Antonelli delivered in the official post-race press conference, when he said, “You’ve got to try to take every opportunity.” Mechanical trouble had cost him points in two of the previous three races and reduced what had once been a much larger championship lead. Spa offered a chance to stop that slide, but only if he remained calm enough to choose the right moment.
With 10 laps left, Antonelli attacked on the approach to Les Combes and completed the decisive move. Leclerc stayed close after losing the lead and briefly cut the margin below one second.
The Ferrari never found a clean opportunity to respond. Antonelli managed his hard tyres and energy deployment well enough to break clear before the finish.
At the flag, Leclerc was 1.952 seconds behind. Second place confirmed his improving form after victory at Silverstone, even though Ferrari had not introduced an upgrade package at Spa. Strategy had given him track position. Antonelli’s pace took it away.
Russell Falls Behind Hamilton In The Title Race
Russell arrived in Belgium 25 points behind Antonelli and desperately needed a flawless weekend. Instead, his battery power disappeared exiting Turn 1, several rivals swarmed his struggling car, and his race ended in the gravel.
He left Spa 50 points behind his teammate and dropped below Hamilton in the standings. The contrast between the Mercedes drivers was severe.
Antonelli turned a boost problem, an early loss of the lead, and an unfavourable strategic sequence into 25 points. Russell completed only a few corners.
Mercedes must now separate two issues. The first concerns reliability because both cars lost boost on the opening lap, with Russell suffering the greater problem. The second concerns execution because Antonelli still found a way to control the race once his car returned to normal working order.
Hamilton moved into second with 159 points after finishing fourth for Ferrari. Russell has 154, while Leclerc sits fourth on 126. The championship remains open, but Antonelli now has enough breathing room to survive a difficult weekend without surrendering first place.
Red Bull remains part of the competitive picture, but Spa did not provide the wider breakthrough it needed. Verstappen attacked early and briefly led, yet Mercedes still dictated the outcome. Until Red Bull can sustain that pressure across an entire Grand Prix, its flashes of speed will not carry the same weight as Antonelli’s steady accumulation of victories.
Hungary Offers One Final Test Before The Break
The 2026 calendar sends Formula 1 directly from Spa to Budapest. Hungary takes place one week after Belgium and serves as the final race before the summer shutdown, reversing the more familiar recent order in which Spa closed the first half of the season.
That back-to-back schedule gives Mercedes only a few days to investigate why both cars lost boost and why Russell’s problem was so much worse. Budapest also removes some of Spa’s extreme energy demands, which could reduce the deployment differences that shaped the opening lap in Belgium.
Antonelli will arrive with the strongest position in the field. More importantly, he will arrive after winning a race that slipped away twice.
He beat Verstappen in the opening exchange, Ferrari in the strategic battle, and Leclerc during the closing chase. That is why Spa carried far more weight than any other entry in the win column.
READ MORE: A Straight Line Mystery Is Derailing George Russell’s Title Fight Against Kimi Antonelli
FAQs
Who won the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix?
Kimi Antonelli won for Mercedes. He passed Charles Leclerc with 10 laps remaining and finished 1.952 seconds ahead.
How many races has Kimi Antonelli won in 2026?
Antonelli has won 6 races in 2026. His Spa victory was his first since Monaco.
How large is Antonelli’s championship lead after Spa?
Antonelli leads Lewis Hamilton by 45 points. George Russell sits 50 points behind his Mercedes teammate.
Why did George Russell retire from the Belgian Grand Prix?
Russell lost boost and fell into traffic on lap 1. Contact with Hamilton then sent his Mercedes into the gravel.
What is the next Formula 1 race after Belgium?
The Hungarian Grand Prix follows one week later. It is the final race before Formula 1’s summer break.
