All the key moments from the unpredictable 2026 Belgian Grand Prix

Antonelli restores Mercedes momentum at Spa

The 2026 Belgian Grand Prix delivered the uncertainty expected of Spa-Francorchamps, with Kimi Antonelli converting pole position into a hard-fought victory and restoring Mercedes to the top step of the podium.

Antonelli was dominant in qualifying, taking his sixth pole of the season and finishing half a second ahead of team-mate George Russell. Russell again complained of straight-line speed problems, describing the situation as “super frustrating” and saying Mercedes was investigating a wide range of possible causes.

His race lasted only a few corners. Contact with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton at Les Combes sent Russell into the gravel and out of the race. The result extended a difficult weekend for the Briton, who admitted: “It’s one thing after another, after another, after another.” A separate report on Hamilton’s penalty for the Russell collision provides further detail on the opening-lap incident.

Antonelli, meanwhile, recovered the lead after losing track position to Charles Leclerc around a pit stop shortly before a Virtual Safety Car. He held on to win and now leads Hamilton by 45 points in the Drivers’ Championship, with Russell a further five points behind.

Leclerc, Verstappen and the midfield fight

Leclerc continued his recovery after a difficult period, moving from fourth on the grid to third on the opening lap before challenging for second. A clash with Oscar Piastri damaged the McLaren, but Ferrari avoided a penalty and executed a strong strategy during the Virtual Safety Car. Leclerc eventually finished second after an absorbing fight with Antonelli.

Max Verstappen completed the podium after initially moving ahead of Antonelli at the start. Red Bull also celebrated Isack Hadjar’s recovery from the back row to sixth, while the team said it had confirmed the ability to fight for podiums at different circuits.

Gabriel Bortoleto claimed eighth for Audi, securing back-to-back P8 finishes and moving the team to within one point of Williams. Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad was ninth, extending his points-scoring run to five races, while Franco Colapinto took the final point after a close battle with Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly. Alpine and Racing Bulls therefore left Spa tied on 61 points.

Support races add to Spa’s drama

Rafael Camara won the F2 Feature Race after recovering the lead and negotiating a red-flag stoppage caused by Laurens Van Hoepen’s crash. Nikola Tsolov finished third and retained a 27-point championship advantage over Gabriele Mini.

In F3, Ernesto Rivera took his best result of the season from fourth on the grid. Hiyu Yamakoshi finished second and Freddie Slater third, with Slater one point behind Ugochukwu in the championship. Both series return next weekend in Budapest.