F1 2026 Belgium Grand Prix

Synopsis

Spa-Francorchamps lived up to its legendary reputation at the 2026 Belgium Grand Prix. From the opening lap collision that sidelined George Russell, to the high-stakes wheel-to-wheel duels on the Kemmel Straight, the Ardennes provided a ruthless stage for the championship battle. Kimi Antonelli maintained his composure through Safety Cars and pit lane chaos to claim his first victory in the Belgian forest, narrowly holding off a defiant Charles Leclerc and a resurgent Max Verstappen.

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Chaos at Spa: Russell Out in Opening Lap

Drivers back on the grid after the formation lap, with Antonelli, Verstappen and Russell in the top three and Norris and Hadjar starting at the back of the grid because of 10-place grid penalties. With everyone on a look out for the rain, revs rising and lights out at 2026 Belgium GP.

Pole-sitter Antonelli got a clean launch, but chaos erupted immediately behind. Russell in P3 begins to drop down behind the Ferrari's, and eventually makes contact with Hamilton, which leads Russell to spin out and get stuck in the gravel trap but Hamilton is still going and between all the chaos Leclerc gets past Verstappen in P2.

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Strategy Roulette: Early Safety Car Gambles

This triggered an immediate Safety Car and ended Russell's race on lap one. Further back the Haas drivers too had a minor contact with each other. Antonelli is leading the race, with Leclerc on his tail as they crawl behind the safety car.

Under the Safety Car on Lap 3, Hadjar, Bearman, Perez, Bottas, and Ocon made early pit stops. When racing resumed on Lap 5, Ferrari and McLaren coming to play as Hamilton tries to get past Piastri into La Source, but couldn't as Piastri takes the place back in Eau Rouge.

Lap 6, Antonelli still in the lead with Leclerc behind him but the Ferrari driver seemed preoccupied by having to defend his own position from Verstappen, who successfully gets past the red car at the end of Kemmel Straight.

Debris and Damage: The Piastri-Leclerc Collision

Antonelli facing double the pressure as it was now Verstappen on his tail with just 0.8 seconds, behind Verstappen Leclerc with Piastri behind him. Lap 8, Leclerc and Piastri going alongside causing the duo to touch, casing some debris comes off the back of Leclerc's car but he manages to hold onto the position and it causes a yellow flag.

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The contact causes Leclerc to lose time behind Verstappen and Hamilton using it to his advantage gets past Piastri on the Kemmel Straight. The stewards soon declare that Hamilton will have to serve a 5-second penalty for the collision with Russell.

At Lap 11, Antonelli finally creates a gap between him and Verstappen by 2.1 seconds. Piastri is informed that he is carrying damage to his floor edge, which causes him to drop back. The collision between Piastri and Leclerc is soon taken into investigation by the stewards.

Second retirement of the race by Perez as he reported a rear spring/damper issue, so was retired as a precaution. Getting more track action on Lap 14, Hamilton wants to be let past Leclerc, as he is probably faster right now, because of his teammate's collision with Piastri. The two Ferraris' are in a fight of their own.

At Lap 17, The stewards free the Ferrari and Mclaren drivers for any further investigation so, Leclerc is free to race on. Lap 15, Antonelli is still 2.1 seconds clear of Verstappen looking comfortable, the two Mercedes drivers having very contrasting fortunes.

Hadjar who started at the back of the grid steadily making his way onto the front of the pack as Lindblad pits from P7, which gives him a chance to try and catch the McLarens ahead. Verstappen pits at Lap 18 and comes out ahead his teammate in P6, which also causes Antonelli to have a 4-second lead from Leclerc.

Pit Lane Peril: Penalty and Pit Stop Panic for Hamilton

On Lap 19, the VSC is briefly deployed for suspected debris, which hurts Verstappen for an upcoming undercut lap, meanwhile Hamilton complains about his strategy with his team. The race leader Antonelli pits and comes out ahead Verstappen, which promotes Leclerc to P1. Norris finally gets past Piastri in P3, who is carrying car damage at Lap 20.

After few moments VSC is again deployed as marshals come out to clear the track, during which both the Ferraris' pit. Leclerc ahead of Hamilton, thanks to the cheap VSC pit stop which also clears Hamilton of his 5-second penalty. But during the pit stop Hamilton's right-front tyre accidently knocked down a mechanic - who was unhurt, after the driver was given green signal to leave.

The new order is Norris in the lead - yet to pit, then comes Leclerc, Antonelli, Verstappen, Piastri and Hamilton. On Lap 23, Leclerc catches Norris and sweeps past him at the end of Kemmel Straight, getting back in the lead. And Hamilton is noted for an unsafe release during pit stop.

At Lap 25, Hamilton is not happy with his balance as he asked on the radio whether the set-up change was completed and was told it was not. So, the mechanic incident happened because the call went out late to tweak Hamilton's front wing, and that is what the mechanic was about to do when Hamilton got the green light.

Mechanical Whispers: Ferrari’s Gearbox Struggle and the Stroll Retirement

Leclerc is leading the race with 3.0 seconds ahead of Antonelli as got past Norris, whose tyres were 25-lap old. Hamilton drops back to P6 because of poor balance. At Lap 27, Stroll is called into the pits with clutch problem, he could be the third retiree of the race.

At Lap 29, Verstappen and Norris fight for P3, but Verstappen successfully gets the McLaren off his back, just then Norris is told not to yo-yo race with Piastri. Back up, Antonelli makes his move - he takes three and a half tenths out of Ferrari.

Norris finally pits at Lap 31, with a slow stop of 7.8 seconds and comes out behind Hadjar and Bortoleto in P9. Leclerc at P1 complains about his gear shifts being harsh between first and second, and beginning to feel pressure just the gap down to one second.

The Kemmel Duel: Antonelli Hunts Down the Ferrari

After a promised Antonelli - Leclerc fight last time out at Silverstone which couldn't happen. The Belgium GP has successfully fulfilled that as Antonelli tries to overtake Leclerc at Kemmel Straight with just seven tenths between them. The battle lasted for a few moments with Antonelli taking back the lead of the race.

Leclerc will have overtake mode on during this lap hoping for a best chance of getting the fight back on before the Mercedes really gets a taste of the clean air up front. Lap 36, Ferrari have shown a great pace this weekend, but not enough to make a move on the Italian driver. Further back, Verstappen continues to hold onto P3 2.2 seconds ahead of Piastri.

The lead is just 0.8 seconds, Leclerc who was already racing quite aggressively through the race, doing everything he can to hold onto Antonelli. If Antonelli can hold out here, he would have a 50 point lead over his teammate heading to Budapest next weekend.

Limit Testing: Warnings and Tension in the Closing Laps

At Lap 39, Antonelli finally breaks the second mark - he stretches the gap to 1.1 seconds, then comes Verstappen and Piastri, who has Hamilton right on his rear wing. At Lap 40, Piastri fails to keep Hamilton at bay as Hamilton makes a clean pass at the Kemmel Straight. But he is still under investigation for unsafe release, meaning if Piastri manages to stay behind the Ferrari he could have the advantage here if Hamilton is given the penalty.

Up front Antonelli is warned about track limits and another one will get him the black and white flag warning. With just two laps remaining Hamilton is told to hurry up and create more gap, with the team worried about the possible penalty coming his way.

Onto the last lap with the checkered flag coming into the vision, Antonelli wins his first Belgium Grand Prix, Leclerc takes seconds and Verstappen third. No rain in the end, a few interruptions in terms of Safety Cars and VSC periods... But only one winner at the end, the man who has looked so rapid all weekend.

Spa Standings: The Final Verdict

The 44-Lap race concluded with: P1: Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) P2: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) P3: Max Verstappen (Red Bull) Driver of the day: Charles Leclerc Fastest lap time: Lando Norris (1:48.890) Top speed: Lewis Hamilton (350 km/h) DNF's : George Russell, Sergio Perez, Lance Stroll