Antonelli Wins Belgian GP as Russell Crashes Out on Lap One

Kimi Antonelli made it six wins from ten races at Spa-Francorchamps, outlasting a brief but genuine threat from Charles Leclerc to claim the Belgian Grand Prix. The real drama? George Russell was in the gravel before most fans had found their seat, his title challenge taking a brutal blow before the first lap was even done.

Lap One Chaos: Russell Out, Hamilton Penalised

The race began with the customary Spa uncertainty, dark clouds looming and several drivers reporting light rain on their visors during the formation lap. Nothing materialised, but the chaos arrived anyway. Max Verstappen made a sharp start from second, passed Antonelli on the run to Eau Rouge, then promptly lost the position again on the Kemmel Straight as the Red Bull simply ran out of battery. The power deficit at Spa was as merciless as advertised.

Behind that fight, Lewis Hamilton clipped Russell at Les Combes. Russell spun into the gravel and was out. Hamilton drove on, collected a five-second penalty, and continued his race. Both drivers called it a racing incident. The stewards disagreed, at least partially. Russell was livid, and not just about the collision: he revealed a battery charging failure entering Turn 1 had left him a sitting duck on the straight before contact was even made. He called the situation dangerous. Hard to argue with that.

Further back, Esteban Ocon tagged teammate Oliver Bearman, resulting in a puncture for Ocon and a safety car that reshuffled the entire field. Isack Hadjar, already starting from the back after a power unit penalty, used the safety car to make two tyre stops and began his recovery drive.

Verstappen Maximises a Poor Hand

After the restart, Red Bull and Verstappen did what they could. He retook second from Leclerc on lap six using the slipstream through Kemmel, but closing on Antonelli proved impossible. The gap hovered between two and three seconds, the Red Bull’s straight-line deficit making any DRS attack an exercise in frustration. The 2026 regulations have been widely criticised for producing exactly this kind of neutered performance on power circuits, and Verstappen did not hold back after the race, comparing the experience to “Formula E on steroids.” The FIA president acknowledged the problems. Progress, of a sort.

The VSC That Changed Everything

On lap 17, Verstappen pitted for hard tyres. Antonelli followed a lap later, and a Virtual Safety Car briefly threatened to hand neither driver an advantage. It ended just before Antonelli reached the pit lane, meaning he pitted under green conditions and returned just ahead of Verstappen. Fine, manageable.

Then, two laps later, a second VSC was called to clear gravel from the circuit. This one lasted long enough to matter. Ferrari reacted instantly, pitting both Leclerc and Hamilton for a cheap stop. Leclerc emerged in the net lead. Hamilton took on his five-second penalty simultaneously, but dropped behind Verstappen, Antonelli, and even Piastri. Meanwhile, Lando Norris, who had started on hard tyres and not yet pitted, was briefly the virtual race leader. Life comes at you fast.

Antonelli Hunts Down Leclerc

Leclerc moved past Norris quickly. Antonelli could not, losing three seconds in the process. By lap 26, Antonelli was finally through but faced a three-second deficit to the Ferrari. The same Antonelli who had dominated qualifying all weekend then did what championship leaders do: he simply drove faster. By lap 34, he was past Leclerc on the Kemmel Straight, and that was that. Leclerc stayed within striking distance but could never genuinely threaten. Antonelli held firm and took the chequered flag.

Verstappen held on for third despite Hamilton closing rapidly in the final stint. Hamilton passed Piastri with five laps remaining but could not bridge the four-second gap to the Red Bull. A podium for Verstappen from that machinery, against those circumstances, was about as good as it gets. Hadjar made it a double points finish for Red Bull in sixth, recovering brilliantly from the back of the grid and holding off Norris late on.

Hamilton’s afternoon was further complicated when he struck a Ferrari mechanic during his pit stop, the mechanic fortunately unhurt. The FIA launched a post-race investigation into the unsafe release. A further penalty for Hamilton remains possible.

Championship Standings

Antonelli now leads the drivers’ championship by 45 points over Hamilton, with Russell dropping to 50 points adrift. Russell’s weekend was already difficult before the race, and now his title challenge requires a significant Antonelli stumble. Hungary is next, and the summer break follows. Antonelli heads into it with the title very firmly in his own hands.

Full Race Result: 2026 Belgian Grand Prix