Antonelli wins Belgian Grand Prix

Antonelli made a strong start from pole position, but Verstappen immediately challenged him and briefly moved ahead through Eau Rouge. The Mercedes driver quickly fought back and retook the lead on the Kemmel Straight.

The opening lap also brought drama further back. George Russell lost control while battling Lewis Hamilton and ended up in the gravel, bringing out the Safety Car. Esteban Ocon also suffered a puncture after contact with Carlos Sainz.

The race restarted on Lap 5, with Antonelli leading Leclerc and Verstappen. Hamilton and Oscar Piastri fought closely for fourth, while Norris began his charge through the field after starting 12th due to a grid penalty.

Norris made excellent progress on his hard tyres and moved into the top six during the opening stint. Meanwhile, Verstappen overtook Leclerc to move into second, but the Red Bull driver was unable to put serious pressure on Antonelli.

The race order changed significantly during the pit-stop phase. Verstappen was among the first of the frontrunners to stop, while Ferrari brought both Leclerc and Hamilton into the pits during a Virtual Safety Car period. Leclerc benefited from the timing of the stop and returned to the track ahead of Antonelli.

Norris stayed out much longer and briefly moved into the lead, but his ageing hard tyres eventually lost performance. Leclerc passed him first, followed by Antonelli and Verstappen.

Norris finally stopped on Lap 31 and dropped down the order, but he recovered to seventh by the chequered flag.

The fight for victory went down to the closing laps. Antonelli closed the gap to Leclerc and passed the Ferrari with 10 laps remaining to reclaim the lead. Leclerc stayed within striking distance, but Antonelli held on to win by 1.9 seconds. With this victory, Antonelli extended his championship lead to 45 points, while Hamilton moved up to second in the standings.

Verstappen finished third, with Hamilton taking fourth ahead of Piastri. Isack Hadjar produced an impressive recovery from his grid penalty to finish sixth, while Norris crossed the line seventh.

Gabriel Bortoleto scored points for the second consecutive race in eighth, followed by Arvid Lindblad and Franco Colapinto, who completed the top 10.

Russell, Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez were the three retirements of the race.

2026 Belgium Grand Prix race results:

1st – Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
2nd – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +1.952
3rd – Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – +11.586
4th – Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +17.245
5th – Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +18.988
6th – Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – +23.307
7th – Lando Norris (McLaren) – +24.014
8th – Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – +49.140
9th – Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – +50.406
10th – Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – +1:16.037
11th – Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – +1:16.991
12th – Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – +1:17.523
13th – Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) – +1:18.348
14th – Oliver Bearman (Haas) – +1:34.465
15th – Alexander Albon (Williams) – +1:44.684
16th – Carlos Sainz (Williams) – +1:45.856
17th – Esteban Ocon (Haas) – +1:50.925
18th – Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – +1 Lap
19th – Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – +2 Laps

20th – Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – DNF
21st – Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) – DNF
22nd – George Russell (Mercedes) – DNF