Kimi Antonelli strengthened his grip on the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship with a hard-earned victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, passing Charles Leclerc in the closing stages to claim his sixth win of the season.
The Mercedes driver crossed the line 1.952 seconds ahead of Leclerc after 44 laps of the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, with Max Verstappen completing the podium for Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth for Ferrari despite serving a five-second penalty, while Oscar Piastri took fifth for McLaren.
When the lights went out at the start polesitter Antonelli held the lead, but the Italian immediately came under pressure from Verstappen. The Dutchman got alongside on the exit of Turn 1, La Source, and on the way through Eau Rouge he powered through to take the lead. The Red Bull driver has used too much energy, however, and Antonelli was able to reclaim the lead on the run towards Les Combes.
Behind them, Leclerc moved into third as George Russell lost momentum and then stole second as Verstappen was forced to hold his line into Turn 5 after being overtaken by Antonelli. Russell’s race ended moments later following contact with Hamilton at Les Combes, sending the Mercedes into the gravel and prompting an early Safety Car.
Several drivers took the opportunity to pit, and racing resumed at the start of Lap 5. Antonelli controlled the restart ahead of Leclerc and Verstappen, while Hamilton and Piastri exchanged positions in an energetic fight for fourth.
Verstappen soon passed Leclerc and began closing on Antonelli, but the complexion of the race changed during the pit-stop phase. The Red Bull driver stopped on Lap 18, with Antonelli following soon afterwards to protect his strategic position.
A subsequent Virtual Safety Car gave Ferrari a valuable opportunity. Both Leclerc and Hamilton pitted at reduced time loss, allowing Leclerc to emerge ahead of Antonelli and take the effective race lead.
Lando Norris, running an alternative strategy after starting on the Hard compound, remained at the front temporarily. Leclerc and Antonelli both cleared the McLaren, leaving the Ferrari driver with an advantage of approximately three seconds.
Antonelli then began to close rapidly. The Italian reduced the gap through the middle sector and positioned himself within striking distance as the race entered its final stages. With 10 laps remaining, he completed the decisive move on the approach to Les Combes and returned to the lead.
Leclerc remained close and kept the pressure on, reducing the margin to less than a second at certain points, but Antonelli managed his tyres and energy deployment effectively to secure victory.
Verstappen finished 11.586 seconds behind the winner in third, while Hamilton recovered from his penalty to pass Piastri and claim fourth. Isack Hadjar delivered a strong drive from 21st to sixth, aided by clever strategic work from his Red Bull team, and the Frenchman held off Norris at the end.
Gabriel Bortoleto secured eighth for Audi, with Arvid Lindblad taking ninth for Racing Bulls. Franco Colapinto completed the points-paying positions after winning a close battle involving Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson.
“It’s great to be back on the top step after a few difficult rounds,” Antonelli said afterwards. “We lost first place with the Virtual Safety Car, but we managed to fight our way back. Charles was quick, so it was a tough win.”
2026 FIA Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix – Race
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 44 1:24'42.479
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 44 1:24'44.431 1.952
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 44 1:24'54.065 11.586
4 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 44 1:24'59.724 17.245
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 44 1:25'01.467 18.988
6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 44 1:25'05.786 23.307
7 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 44 1:25'06.493 24.014
8 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 44 1:25'31.619 49.140
9 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 44 1:25'32.885 50.406
10 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 44 1:25'58.516 1'16.037
11 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 44 1:25'59.470 1'16.991
12 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 44 1:26'00.002 1'17.523
13 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 44 1:26'00.827 1'18.348
14 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 44 1:26'16.944 1'34.465
15 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 44 1:26'27.163 1'44.684
16 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 44 1:26'28.335 1'45.856
17 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 44 1:26'33.404 1'50.925
18 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 43 1:25'43.458 1 lap /1'00.979
19 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 42 1:25'03.327 2 laps /20.848
Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 25 52'00.581 Retirement
Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 13 28'34.226 Retirement
George Russell Mercedes 0 - Accident
