Kimi Antonelli secured a composed victory at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, marking his sixth win of the season and significantly extending his lead in the Drivers’ Championship. The Mercedes driver navigated a challenging race, ultimately passing Charles Leclerc in the closing stages to claim the top spot. Antonelli now holds a 45-point advantage over Lewis Hamilton and a 50-point lead over his Mercedes teammate George Russell in the standings.
Max Verstappen delivered an unexpected podium finish for Red Bull Racing, securing third place despite the team not anticipating a front-running performance at Spa. Red Bull’s technical director Pierre Waché noted that the RB22 chassis struggled with high-speed corners, making Verstappen’s result a testament to his driving and strategic tyre management. Verstappen himself admitted the second stint on hard tyres proved more challenging than expected.
The race proved frustrating for McLaren, with both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri encountering issues. Norris, who started 13th due to a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding power unit components, executed a strong recovery drive to finish seventh. However, an ill-timed Virtual Safety Car period and a slow 7.8-second pit stop, where the left-rear tyre was difficult to remove, cost him crucial track position and a potential podium finish.
Oscar Piastri finished fifth, but his race was compromised by floor damage sustained early after contact with Charles Leclerc. This damage impacted the car’s aerodynamic efficiency and balance through the opening stint. Piastri expressed frustration following the clash, which necessitated a damage limitation strategy.
George Russell’s Belgian Grand Prix ended prematurely on the opening lap after a collision with Lewis Hamilton. Russell’s Mercedes suffered a battery issue exiting La Source, leaving him vulnerable on the Kemmel Straight. He described the incident as a racing incident but reserved his frustration for the energy deployment problems that had plagued his car.
Mercedes acknowledged a power unit problem across all their cars, with Russell not alone in suffering a deployment issue out of the opening corner. Team principal Toto Wolff commented on the bittersweet nature of the Belgian GP for Mercedes, given Antonelli’s victory contrasted with Russell’s early retirement.
Charles Leclerc secured second place for Ferrari, extracting a strong result despite the SF-26 exhibiting a significant straight-line speed deficit on Spa’s long sections. Ferrari’s team principal Fred Vasseur stated that while the car showed strong cornering, the lack of top-end speed was a consistent challenge. Ferrari had introduced an updated ‘Macarena’ rear wing aimed at improving straight-line speed, but energy management remained a concern.
Lewis Hamilton finished fourth for Ferrari, despite receiving a five-second penalty for his collision with Russell and facing a post-race investigation for an unsafe pit release. Hamilton’s car also sustained damage, losing a significant amount of downforce, but he demonstrated strong pace during his recovery.
Isack Hadjar delivered one of his strongest performances of the season for Red Bull, recovering from a grid penalty to finish sixth. He employed a bold hard-tyre strategy and showed excellent race pace in clean air. Hadjar admitted he was initially ‘slow in his head’ to understand the strategy but acknowledged it paid off.
Gabriel Bortoleto secured eighth place for Audi, maximising the team’s strategy with a long first stint. He defended for 25 laps against Arvid Lindblad, utilising the Audi’s strengths in the middle sector to compensate for its straight-line vulnerabilities.
Arvid Lindblad, driving for Racing Bulls, qualified strongly and converted that pace into ninth place. He benefited from the latest specification upgrades on his VCARB 02, which included a revised floor and diffuser. Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane explained that a qualifying shootout at Silverstone determined Lindblad would receive the sole upgrade for Spa.
Franco Colapinto delivered a strong recovery drive for Alpine, finishing tenth. He managed the race well after a safety car disrupted his progress and kept Pierre Gasly behind through smart positioning, despite the Alpine’s straight-line performance limitations.
Aston Martin endured another challenging weekend, with Fernando Alonso treating the Belgian Grand Prix as a data-gathering exercise. The team is focusing on a significant aerodynamic upgrade package for the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix, aiming to address the AMR26’s lack of downforce and balance issues. Team principal Mike Krack confirmed the upgrades are a ‘big undertaking’ with tight spare parts availability.
Cadillac faced a troubled weekend, with Sergio Pérez retiring on lap 13 due to a rear inboard suspension failure. Valtteri Bottas finished 18th, reporting persistent high-speed load issues and tyre degradation. Team principal Graeme Lowdon stated they are investigating the cause of Pérez’s retirement and aiming to regain earlier reliability.
