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Antonelli Triumphs at Spa Despite VSC Chaos; Drama at Mercedes
Andrea Kimi Antonelli has won the Belgian Grand Prix following a race filled with tactical twists and a controversial collision between Mercedes teammates.
By Nadia van Leeuwen - 2026-07-20T12:45:46.000Z - 3 min read
Andrea Kimi Antonelli convincingly won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, extending his lead in the World Championship to a substantial 45 points. Starting from pole position, the Mercedes driver initially held the lead, but after a lightning start Max Verstappen managed to pass him briefly at Eau Rouge. However, Antonelli quickly reclaimed his position on the Kemmel Straight, after which Charles Leclerc also managed to get past the Red Bull.
Shortly after the start, a dramatic situation unfolded in the battle for fourth place. An intense fight between George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, and Oscar Piastri culminated in a collision between the two Mercedes drivers at Les Combes. George Russell ended up in the gravel trap and was forced to retire, while Lewis Hamilton was able to continue, albeit with a five-second time penalty for his role in the incident.
The race was marked by the impact of several Virtual Safety Cars (VSCs), which put tactical decisions to the test. Following an initial VSC on lap 18, right after Antonelli had made his pit stop for hard tyres, the timing proved unfortunate for him. Shortly after, on lap 20, a second VSC gave Ferrari the opportunity to pit both Leclerc and Hamilton, allowing Hamilton to serve his penalty immediately. Leclerc thus returned to the track under VSC conditions ahead of Antonelli, taking the virtual lead.
Once back up to full speed, Antonelli steadily closed the gap to Leclerc. The young driver demonstrated his mastery by successfully passing the Ferrari driver on lap 34—once again on the Kemmel Straight—to take the lead. Leclerc attempted to stay attached, but Antonelli held firm and finished with a margin of just under two seconds.
Max Verstappen managed to finish the race in third, about ten seconds behind the leading duo, driving a car that many considered not to be the second-best on the grid. Following his penalty and with a damaged car, Lewis Hamilton fought his way back to fourth after overtaking Oscar Piastri in the closing stages. A striking performance came from Isack Hadjar, who crossed the line sixth after starting from 21st place due in part to a grid penalty, delivering one of his finest races.
Lando Norris, who had to start from P13 due to a grid penalty through no fault of his own, also impressed by finishing seventh. The midfield witnessed intense battles as well, with Gabriel Bortoleto and Arvid Lindblad claiming eighth and ninth place, aided by VSC timing. Franco Colapinto snatched the final point for Alpine, while teammate Pierre Gasly narrowly missed out on points after suffering damage from a practice crash.
After the race, Lewis Hamilton was investigated further for an unsafe pit release in which his front wheel struck a Ferrari mechanic. Fortunately, Ferrari confirmed via team radio that the mechanic was unhurt. Hamilton himself stated that a crash in FP3 had impacted his race pace, while Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff attributed Russell's power issues not just to the driver, but to a 'team error'.
The race at Spa drew a mixed response from fans, with ratings ranging from excellent to disappointing, though the general sentiment was positive. Despite complex conditions and no shortage of drama, many drivers displayed exceptional performance and racecraft, extracting everything from their machinery on a challenging circuit.