Thanks to a perfectly controlled race, Kimi Antonelli won the Belgian Grand Prix ahead of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. The race was also marked by George Russell’s retirement on the first lap and Isack Hadjar’s spectacular comeback.
Starting from pole position at Spa-Francorchamps, Kimi Antonelli perfectly resisted the pressure from Max Verstappen at the start. The Red Bull driver tried to take advantage of the long climb to the Raidillon using all his available energy, but the championship leader definitively regained the advantage at the Combes braking zone.
Behind them, Charles Leclerc made an excellent start from the second row to immediately join the fight at the front.
However, the race turned a few corners later. At the Combes braking zone, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton made contact. The Mercedes spun before ending its race in the gravel trap, causing the immediate intervention of the safety car. The Briton, already behind in the championship, thus conceded another particularly costly retirement.
This neutralization also offered a first strategic opportunity to several teams, notably Red Bull. Isack Hadjar, penalized on the grid and only 21st at the start, stopped twice to adopt a strategy allowing him to reach the finish with a minimum of stops.
Verstappen applies pressure, Leclerc resists
At the restart, Antonelli kept the lead ahead of Leclerc, while Verstappen quickly found his rhythm and took second place a few laps later.
The Grand Prix remained particularly lively. Oscar Piastri attempted an attack on Charles Leclerc at the end of the Kemmel straight, but the two cars made slight contact. Some debris was thrown onto the track, leading to an investigation by the race direction. After examination, the stewards finally decided not to penalize either driver.
Lewis Hamilton took advantage of this battle to overtake the McLaren, before receiving a five-second penalty for his clash with Russell on the first lap.
Meanwhile, Lando Norris began a strong comeback from 13th place thanks to a solid pace, while Antonelli finally managed to create a slight gap at the front of the race.
Ferrari attempts a strategic gamble
The leaders’ first stops then reshuffled the cards. Verstappen opened the ball, immediately covered by Mercedes with Antonelli.
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A Virtual Safety Car then offered an excellent opportunity to Ferrari, which executed a perfectly timed double stop. Charles Leclerc thus emerged ahead of Antonelli, temporarily regaining the lead of the race.
Lando Norris even briefly inherited the lead thanks to an alternate strategy, before being successively overtaken by Leclerc then Antonelli when the Briton finally made his stop.
Leclerc then seemed capable of aiming for victory, but Antonelli showed a superior pace with his tires and quickly closed in on the Ferrari’s slipstream.
Antonelli regains the lead and takes revenge
About fifteen laps from the finish, the Mercedes driver launched his attack and took first place with authority. Leclerc stayed close until the checkered flag, but could not find a way past.
Behind this duo, Max Verstappen secured the third step of the podium after holding off Oscar Piastri throughout the last stint.
Lewis Hamilton ultimately finished fourth despite his penalty, while Piastri completed the top 5.
The performance of the day also goes to Isack Hadjar. Forced to start from 21st position after his engine penalties, the Frenchman perfectly exploited Red Bull’s strategy to climb up to a brilliant sixth place.
Lando Norris, handicapped by his grid penalty, had to settle for seventh place ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto, Arvid Lindblad, and Franco Colapinto.
With this victory achieved after a solid and flawless performance, Kimi Antonelli takes his revenge after Silverstone and further consolidates his position as the world championship leader.
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2026 Belgian GP F1 Classification:
