Antonelli beats Leclerc to Belgian GP win as Russell retires

(opens in a new tab)Sign InSubscribeF1ScheduleResultsStandingsDriversTeamsF1 UnlockedOpen menuFIA if(window.f1MobileDetection.iOSSafari) { var meta = document.createElement("meta"); meta.name = "apple-itunes-app"; meta.content = "app-id=835022598, app-argument=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-beats-leclerc-to-belgian-grand-prix-win-to-extend-title-lead-as-russell-retires.MAqSJSgXvRP6dLbwiRbWI.MAqSJSgXvRP6dLbwiRbWI"; document.head.appendChild(meta); } {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-beats-leclerc-to-belgian-grand-prix-win-to-extend-title-lead-as-russell-retires.MAqSJSgXvRP6dLbwiRbWI","url":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-beats-leclerc-to-belgian-grand-prix-win-to-extend-title-lead-as-russell-retires.MAqSJSgXvRP6dLbwiRbWI","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-beats-leclerc-to-belgian-grand-prix-win-to-extend-title-lead-as-russell-retires.MAqSJSgXvRP6dLbwiRbWI","datePublished":"2026-07-19T14:39:55.007Z","dateModified":"2026-07-19T14:39:55.007Z","headline":"2026 Belgian Grand Prix race report and highlights: Kimi Antonelli beats Charles Leclerc to Belgian Grand Prix win to extend title lead as George Russell retires","author":"F1","description":"Kimi Antonelli came out on top in an eventful Belgian Grand Prix that saw his Mercedes team mate retire early on.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.formula1.com/image/upload/f_auto/q_auto/v1784470734/trackside-images/2026/F1_Grand_Prix_of_Belgium/2286755727.jpg"},"isAccessibleForFree":"true","publisher":{"@type":"SportsOrganization","@id":"https://www.formula1.com#organization","name":"Formula 1","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.formula1.com/etc/designs/fom-website/social/f1-default-share.jpg","width":"480","height":"120"}}}BelgiumRace2026Antonelli beats Leclerc to Belgian Grand Prix win to extend title lead as Russell retiresKimi Antonelli came out on top in an eventful Belgian Grand Prix that saw his Mercedes team mate retire early on. Kimi Antonelli returned to glory with victory at a closely contested Belgian Grand Prix, narrowly beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc as Max Verstappen settled for his third podium of the season in P3. The Dutchman got off to a sublime start as he stormed past Antonelli on the opening lap at Eau Rouge, but couldn’t quite stay ahead of the Mercedes driver and quickly gave up the lead. While Antonelli clung on at the front, there was heartbreak for his team mate who fell behind both Ferraris and made early contact with Lewis Hamilton, spinning George Russell into the gravel and bringing his race to an end, with far-reaching implications in the title battle. The Italian resisted the pressure of a Safety Car restart as well as a late challenge from Leclerc after retaking the lead to take the chequered flag by 1.9s, securing his sixth race win of the 2026 season and first since the Monaco Grand Prix. Leclerc missed out on claiming consecutive victories but confidently held onto second place ahead of Verstappen, who crossed the line ahead of the second Ferrari of Hamilton – who had to serve a five-second time penalty for the collision with Russell and will also be investigated after the race for an unsafe release – and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. The top five were followed by Isack Hadjar, the Frenchman charging from the back of the grid to a mighty points haul in P6, with Lando Norris similarly improving from P13 to P7. Gabriel Bortoleto scored for Audi in eighth, while Arvid Lindblad and Franco Colapinto rounded out the top 10. FORMULA 1 MOËT & CHANDON BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2026 There was an exhilarating contest for the final point that saw Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson and Nico Hulkenberg just miss out, with Haas’ Ollie Bearman finishing significantly further back in P14. The Williams pair of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz were 15th and 16th respectively, leading Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas and Fernando Alonso. The latter two were the sole finishers for their respective teams as Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez retired with car issues, joined by the damaged Mercedes of Russell. Spa-Francorchamps has played host to all manner of drama over the years, and plenty had already occurred before the drivers lined up for this season’s 44-lap affair – Hamilton and Gasly crashing at the tricky Fagnes Chicane, forcing both Alpine and Ferrari to rebuild their cars over the weekend. Elsewhere, it was confirmed that a total of five drivers would take grid penalties for taking on new power unit components that exceed the permitted allocation. Alonso would be joined on the back row by Hadjar, who demonstrated great pace in the sessions leading up to race day, while Sainz and Stroll would start ahead in P19 and P20 respectively. But arguably the most frustrated penalised driver would be McLaren’s Norris, who made the most of his updated engine by storming to P3 in Qualifying but having to settle for a P13 grid slot on race day. He later insisted that the goal was a top-six finish, but it remained to be seen just how much the Briton could achieve. The chance of rain was still low despite the dark clouds hovering above the circuit, but one factor that could impact the afternoon was the cooler temperature, which had gradually dropped over the course of the weekend. Pirelli had originally expected the two-stop strategy to be a popular choice thanks to thermal tyre degradation. When the tyre blankets were removed prior to the formation lap, it was revealed that the majority had opted to start on the medium compound, with Norris the first on hard tyres. He was joined by Perez, Stroll, Hadjar and Alonso while Bottas and Sainz went for the bold choice of the red-walled soft tyres. Download the Official F1 AppYour ultimate companion into
the world of Formula 1 Legal & complianceTerms of Use Beyond The Grid - the F1® podcast F1FacebookXInstagramYouTube© 2003-2026 Formula One World Championship Limited