Kimi Antonelli secured victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, capitalizing on a dominant qualifying performance to overcome mid-race challenges and maintain his championship advantage. The Mercedes driver qualified on pole position and controlled much of the race, though a Virtual Safety Car on lap 20 temporarily disrupted his lead when Ferrari pitted both drivers simultaneously during the caution period. Leclerc emerged ahead following the pit sequence, but Antonelli demonstrated superior pace on the following laps and regained the lead on lap 34 down the Kemmel Straight. He crossed the finish line 1.9 seconds ahead of Leclerc to secure his sixth victory of the season.
The race proved disastrous for Antonelli’s title rival George Russell, whose championship hopes suffered a significant setback. Russell qualified third but was caught up in a first-lap collision with Lewis Hamilton at the fifth corner. Stewards determined Hamilton at fault for the incident and issued a five-second penalty, which he served during his sole pit stop. Russell was spun into the gravel and retired from the race, doubling Antonelli’s in-house advantage to 50 points with one race remaining before the summer break.
Hamilton ultimately finished fourth after serving his penalty and overtaking Oscar Piastri in the closing laps. The Ferrari pit stop where Hamilton received his penalty was marred by confusion when he was given a premature signal to leave the box, resulting in a mechanic being struck by the car’s front-right tire. Ferrari received a €30,000 fine for the unsafe release. Max Verstappen took third place for Red Bull ahead of Leclerc, while Isack Hadjar finished sixth in the second Red Bull, having made two opportunistic pit stops under the early Safety Car triggered by Russell’s crash. The championship battle continues with the Hungarian Grand Prix scheduled for the following week.