Ep81: Kimi keeps winning, Russell in tears and Formula 1 drama at Spa

An unusually dry Spa-Francorchamps still managed to deliver drama, controversy and enough questionable decisions to keep us talking long after the chequered flag.

Because this is Formula 1. We cannot simply discuss lap times.

Our boy Kimi does it again

After taking pole position by the largest qualifying margin we have seen this season, Antonelli converted it into victory and extended his championship lead. He did not lead every lap and the race was not completely straightforward, but that almost made the performance more impressive.

Max Verstappen took the lead at the start, Charles Leclerc temporarily found himself at the front during the pit-stop cycle and Antonelli had to recover track position rather than simply disappearing into the distance.

And he remained completely calm.

There was no panic when the lead moved away from him, no unnecessary desperation and no attempt to win the race in one corner. He trusted the Mercedes, managed his tyres and waited for the opportunity to come back to him.

We have already watched Antonelli evolve from the teenager who claimed a remarkable maiden victory in China into a driver capable of putting together a sustained championship campaign. His early run of victories even had him chasing Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes record in Monaco.

But Spa felt different.

He seemed more mature. Even his pole-position celebration was controlled. Happy, obviously, but not overwhelmed. Winning is no longer a lovely surprise for Antonelli. It is becoming something he expects from himself.

That does not mean he is complacent. When Bono warned him about track limits, Antonelli calmly asked how many strikes he had collected, received the answer and brought the car home.

Cool, calm and increasingly difficult to beat.

You can read the complete breakdown of the race in our report on all the key moments from the unpredictable Belgian Grand Prix, or revisit how Antonelli beat Leclerc to victory at Spa.

Russell’s heartbreak was difficult to hear

While Antonelli celebrated, the other side of the Mercedes garage experienced a brutal afternoon.

George Russell’s race ended on the opening lap after contact with Lewis Hamilton at Les Combes. Russell was sent into the gravel, became beached and was immediately out of the Grand Prix.

The incident itself looked like racing.

Hamilton was on the inside, Russell came around the outside and the two cars clipped. Hamilton received a five-second penalty, but neither driver appeared convinced that anybody had deliberately done anything wrong.

What was far more concerning was Russell’s reaction afterwards.

During an interview played while the race was still underway, he sounded absolutely devastated and was reportedly close to tears. Yet he did not blame Hamilton. Instead, Russell blamed the situation he had been placed in by the performance of his own car.

That is the worrying part.

Russell had already struggled with unexplained straight-line speed and power delivery throughout the weekend. He felt he should never have been surrounded by those cars in the first place, and that another technical problem had left him vulnerable at the start.

Mercedes has since acknowledged that it is investigating new engine issues behind Russell’s Spa struggles. That follows wider concerns about Mercedes reliability, including Lewis Hamilton’s warning that Russell and Antonelli could face power-unit penalties later in the season.

It is difficult not to compare the two Mercedes drivers because they are supposedly competing in equal machinery. Antonelli looks composed and confident, while Russell appears to be fighting a different problem every weekend.

I am not saying anything suspicious is happening. I am saying Mercedes needs to resolve this quickly.

Russell is fighting for a World Championship. He deserves the opportunity to do that without wondering whether the car will give him the performance he needs.

Did Hamilton really deserve that penalty?

Now, I have thoughts.

The FIA concluded that Hamilton was responsible for the collision and issued a five-second penalty. Its explanation was that Russell had established sufficient overlap and was entitled to space, while Hamilton understeered into him.

You can read the stewards’ complete reasoning in our report explaining why Hamilton received the five-second penalty.

Technically, I understand the explanation. Emotionally, I am not convinced.

Hamilton was already committed to the corner and had very little room available on the inside. Russell attempted to stay alongside him on the outside, the cars converged and contact followed. Hamilton could not simply disappear, unless Ferrari has introduced an invisibility upgrade we have not heard about.

Russell himself called it a racing incident and refused to blame Hamilton.

The decision became even more confusing when Charles Leclerc escaped punishment for his contact with Oscar Piastri. Piastri was alongside the Ferrari, Leclerc appeared to leave very little space and the McLaren sustained front-wing damage that compromised the remainder of its race.

One driver received a penalty because the other car retired. Another avoided one because both cars continued.

That makes the process feel focused on the outcome rather than the action, and that is where frustration with the FIA begins.

The stewards have access to every angle, steering trace, braking input and item of telemetry. They obviously possess information that we do not. But when two similar incidents produce different decisions, fans are entitled to ask why.

A frightening Ferrari pit-stop incident

Hamilton’s afternoon became even more complicated during his pit stop.

As the green light appeared, a Ferrari mechanic was still leaning towards the front of the car and was struck by Hamilton’s tyre. Thankfully, he was not seriously injured, but the incident was a frightening reminder of how precise every pit stop must be.

Hamilton immediately asked whether the mechanic was okay and sounded genuinely distressed. He also made it clear that he had left because the release light was green.

This was not a driver recklessly leaving his pit box. It appeared to be a communication failure, possibly connected to a front-wing adjustment that Hamilton expected but Ferrari did not have time to complete.

The FIA investigated the incident after the race and Ferrari was fined following the unsafe release.

I understand why Ferrari needed to be held accountable. Pit-lane safety cannot become negotiable.

But my cynical question remains: when a team member is the person placed at risk, who truly benefits from the financial penalty? The important outcome should be ensuring the mechanic is okay, understanding exactly how the communication failed and preventing it from happening again.

McLaren’s team orders are getting awkward

Then we have McLaren.

Lando Norris started 13th after receiving a ten-place grid penalty, while Oscar Piastri began further forward. Norris recovered impressively on the hard tyre and eventually caught Piastri while the two drivers were running different strategies.

McLaren appeared to move Norris ahead, presumably to allow him to use the stronger strategy. Fine. Sensible.

Except Piastri later took the position back. And I loved it.

If Piastri was faster, why should he remain behind? Neither driver is currently leading the championship, and both should be permitted to race while there is still plenty of the season remaining.

Later, Norris received a message telling him there would be no more “back and forth” between the cars, with an explanation apparently being saved for after the race.

Nothing says healthy teammate relationship quite like I’ll explain later.

McLaren’s race was also compromised by a slow Norris pit stop and a questionable strategic decision during the Virtual Safety Car. Our analysis suggests McLaren’s VSC call may have cost Norris a podium, while the team’s execution was further examined after the pit-stop delay ended his podium challenge.

Both drivers have also expressed frustration with the unpredictability of the 2026 power units, which can leave performance dependent on energy deployment behaviour that drivers cannot fully control.

And all of this is happening while rumours continue to connect Verstappen with McLaren and questions remain about Piastri’s own future. As we discussed during our recent silly season episode covering Verstappen, Piastri and the driver market, rumours rarely appear from absolutely nowhere.

Where there is smoke, there is usually at least a very nervous press officer.

Verstappen returns to the podium

Verstappen produced a strong afternoon to finish third.

His race contained excellent moments and less convincing ones, but he was aggressive at the start, briefly took the lead and secured another podium for Red Bull.

His qualifying performance was helped by Isack Hadjar, who provided Verstappen with a tow because his own enormous grid penalty meant his starting position was already effectively decided. Hadjar later described the process as a very difficult “Deliveroo” tow.

Thirty grid places in a 22-car field still makes absolutely no sense to me, but at least Red Bull found a practical use for it.

Hadjar then recovered to finish sixth, turning a difficult starting position and an unusual strategy into an excellent points result. Our analysis explains how Hadjar converted a baffling double pit stop into sixth place.

Bortoleto and Lindblad quietly deliver again

Away from the podium, Gabriel Bortoleto and Arvid Lindblad produced two of the strongest performances in the midfield.

Bortoleto finished eighth for Audi, continuing a run of increasingly confident results. He is not attracting the loudest headlines, but he is steadily making progress and helping Audi move into the midfield fight.

You can read more about how Bortoleto is leading Audi’s revival with consecutive points finishes.

Lindblad finished ninth after battling Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto through the midfield. Those fights do not always receive enough television coverage, but they were intense, aggressive and hugely important for the teams involved.

Colapinto eventually claimed the final point for Alpine, finishing ahead of Pierre Gasly and Lawson.

There was plenty happening beyond the lead battle. You simply had to know where to look.

Lewis, Kim Kardashian and important paddock journalism

We could not finish an episode without discussing at least one story that has absolutely nothing to do with aerodynamic efficiency.

Hamilton recently posted a collection of photos featuring Kim Kardashian, her children and members of his family, accompanied by a message about holding the people you love close.

They look very happy together.

There was also footage of Hamilton performing some kind of extremely impressive water sport while Kardashian cheered from the boat. I cannot confidently identify the exact water sport, but I can confirm that the man’s core strength is outrageous.

Hamilton has traditionally kept his relationships private, so seeing him share these moments feels significant. He seems happy, relaxed and very much in love.

And honestly, good for him.

He may occasionally sound grumpy on the radio, but apparently all he needed was a holiday, a boat and Kim Kardashian.

Next stop: Budapest

Antonelli now leads the championship with 204 points, ahead of Hamilton on 159 and Russell on 154.

That is an extraordinary advantage at this stage of the season, especially considering how competitive Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren have been at different moments.

Formula 1 moves directly from Spa to the Hungaroring, where teams will face a completely different challenge. The updated circuit layout includes four Straight Mode zones and a new Overtake Mode configuration, which could be crucial on a circuit where overtaking has traditionally been difficult.

Mercedes also has only a few days to understand what happened to Russell’s car.

Then comes the summer break, which means the racing will briefly stop and the silly season rumours will become completely unhinged.

We will be watching.

Listen to Episode 81 of the Away We Go Podcast for our complete Belgian Grand Prix reaction, and join us next week as we unpack Budapest.

Until then, it’s lights out and Away We Go.