Kimi Antonelli wins Formula 1 race in Belgium ahead of Leclerc and Verstappen

Spa-Francorchamps – 19/07/2026: Kimi Antonelli won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, continuing his strong Formula 1 season. The Mercedes driver prevailed on Sunday ahead of Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari and Max Verstappen in the Red Bull. According to the official season results, it was already the Italian’s sixth Grand Prix victory of 2026.

Antonelli started from pole position but had to hold off Leclerc during the race. Following a virtual safety car period and his pit stop, the Ferrari driver briefly moved ahead of the Mercedes. However, Antonelli regained the lead around ten laps from the finish and then controlled the race to victory.

Leclerc defended second place against Verstappen after the order at the front changed several times. Verstappen briefly overtook Antonelli during the turbulent early stages but subsequently lost the position again. The Dutchman ultimately completed the podium and scored important points for Red Bull in the tenth race of the season.

Despite Antonelli’s success, Sunday was not without a setback for Mercedes. His teammate George Russell retired on the opening lap after his car came to a halt in the gravel trap. According to the team, a technical problem may have played a role. The incident prevented another potentially strong result for the team.

Ferrari also experienced an eventful race. Lewis Hamilton received a five-second time penalty after a collision with Russell and finished fourth. After the race, it was also investigated whether there had been an unsafe release during his pit stop. Charles Leclerc was unaffected and secured a podium finish for Ferrari with second place.

Behind the top four drivers, Oscar Piastri finished fifth for McLaren. Isack Hadjar took sixth place for Red Bull despite starting from the back of the grid because of a penalty. Lando Norris worked his way up to seventh after a grid penalty. Gabriel Bortoleto, Arvid Lindblad and Franco Colapinto completed the points positions.

The Belgian Grand Prix was held at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps from July 17 to 19, 2026. The official Formula 1 schedule lists the Hungarian Grand Prix, due to take place from July 24 to 26, 2026, as the next round of the season. Antonelli heads to the Hungaroring with added momentum after his victory.