Kimi Antonelli managed to claw back from an ill‑timed Virtual Safety Car (VSC) period, pass Charles Leclerc and take the checkered flag at the Belgian Grand Prix, while his teammate George Russell saw his title campaign take a serious hit. Antonelli widened his lead over Russell to 50 points after the British driver was forced into the gravel at the fifth corner on the opening lap, a mishap that stemmed from a collision with Lewis Hamilton.
The stewards deemed the Ferrari driver at fault for the incident. Hamilton received a five‑second time penalty, which he served during his only pit stop, and ultimately crossed the line in fourth place after overtaking McLaren’s Oscar Piastri with four laps remaining. The penalty and the incident prompted a post‑race probe into Ferrari’s pit‑lane release, after a Ferrari crew member was struck by the front‑right tyre of Hamilton’s car when the driver was mistakenly given the signal to leave the box. The mechanic was briefly knocked to his knees but escaped injury.
Ferrari were fined €30,000, with one‑third of that amount suspended for a year. The result reshuffled the championship order: Hamilton moved back ahead of Russell into second place, still 45 points behind Antonelli, whose sixth win of the season cements his status as a favourite for the title as the calendar heads toward the Hungarian Grand Prix at the end of the week before the summer break. Mercedes reliability issues have plagued Russell’s car in two of the last three races, further widening the gap. Max Verstappen, who briefly led the race after overtaking Antonelli at Eau Rouge on the first lap, fell back to third after Leclerc passed him during the VSC.
Verstappen struggled on the hard compound in the final stint and finished nine seconds behind Leclerc, delivering Red Bull’s 300th podium in Formula 1 history. Red Bull’s second car, driven by Isack Hadjar, finished sixth after a strategic gamble: he pitted twice under the early safety‑car period triggered by Russell’s crash to meet the mandatory tyre‑change rule.
Hadjar defended his position against Lando Norris, who had fresher tyres after a late stop, and held on despite starting thirteenth on the grid with a penalty. Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto took eighth place, followed by Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto in ninth and tenth respectively.
The official top‑ten order read: 1) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 2) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 3) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 4) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 5) Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 6) Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) 7) Lando Norris (McLaren) 8) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) 9) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) 10) Franco Colapinto (Alpine). Antonelli entered the race as the overwhelming favourite after securing pole position in qualifying.
The 19‑year‑old, however, faced a challenging first lap, as the slipstream‑friendly layout of Spa‑Francorchamps allowed Verstappen to close in and briefly take the lead at the bottom of Eau Rouge. Antonelli reclaimed the advantage on the long Kemmel Straight, using superior battery reserve to surge past the Red Bull before the Les Combes braking zone.
Leclerc, starting fourth, launched an impressive start and also passed Verstappen. By lap six, Verstappen had retaken second place, staying within three seconds of Antonelli when he made his first pit stop on lap 17. Antonelli pitted a lap later and retained the lead.
Ferrari opted for a longer first stint for both drivers, a strategy that paid off when a VSC was deployed on lap 20 to clear debris. The reduced‑speed period allowed Ferrari to pit both cars with a smaller time loss than under green‑flag conditions. Leclerc emerged ahead of both Verstappen and Antonelli, gaining a brief advantage. Hamilton’s race was further complicated by confusion in the pit lane.
After serving his penalty, he was signalled to leave the box prematurely, causing a mechanic to be knocked over while adjusting his front wing. This delay cost Hamilton additional seconds, but he still managed to finish fourth. When the VSC ended, Leclerc re‑joined the race about 2.5 seconds ahead of Antonelli and on slightly fresher hard tyres. Nevertheless, Mercedes’ superior straight‑line speed allowed Antonelli to close the gap and, on lap 34, overtake Leclerc down the Kemmel Straight.
The Italian held off a late charge from Leclerc and crossed the finish line just 1.9 seconds ahead, securing a narrow yet meaningful victory. After the race, Antonelli said, “It feels great to be back on the top step after a few tough rounds. It was a hard‑fought race.
We lost the lead during the VSC but managed to fight our way back. Charles was quick, and we had to defend our position.” Leclerc, who finished second, reflected, “I believed I could win until the end. The VSC came at the right moment for us, and the pace was strong. I was struggling with the front axle on the hard tyres for a few laps, but the car came back a little later.” For Russell, the weekend was a disaster.
He qualified third and held that position into the first lap, but was overtaken by both Ferraris on the Kemmel Straight and then attacked by Piastri’s McLaren. While attempting to retake a position from Hamilton into Les Combes, Russell’s Mercedes was clipped by Leclerc’s under‑steering Ferrari, sending the Briton into the gravel. Russell later blamed his car’s lack of straight‑line speed for the incident, stating, “I got swallowed up down the straight, lost three positions, and the crash was a racing incident. Maybe I could have taken a wider line, maybe Hamilton could have braked more.
The incident wouldn’t have happened if I had the speed down the straight.” The championship now looks set to head to Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix, with all sessions broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Fans can stream the race via NOW without a long‑term contract, and the F1 Show podcast remains available for further analysis.