ROUND

10

Belgian Grand Prix

2026-07-19·44 laps

Antonelli claimed his sixth win of 2026 at Spa-Francorchamps in a race shaped by Russell's lap-1 retirement and Ferrari's strategic gamble. Verstappen led early after passing Antonelli into La Source, but a VSC-timed pit cycle put Ferrari's Leclerc ahead of the Mercedes after the stops. Antonelli patiently tracked Leclerc, managed his tyres and swept past on the Kemmel Straight on lap 34 to win by 1.952 seconds. Hamilton survived first-lap contact with Russell (earning a 5s penalty) and a controversial unsafe release during his pit stop, eventually finishing fourth. Ferrari were fined €30,000 post-race for the unsafe release but Hamilton kept his points. Russell's DNF allowed Antonelli to extend his championship lead to 45 points.

Race Winner

Antonelli

Mercedes-AMG Petronas

Fastest Lap

1:46.312

Antonelli

Conditions

☀ Dry

Key Moments

🚗LAP 1Russell retires lap 1 — front wing damage after contact with Hamilton at T5. Hamilton +5s penalty for the collision. Verstappen leads after passing Antonelli into La Source

🟡LAP 5VSC: debris on circuit — Antonelli reclaims lead from Verstappen. Leclerc–Piastri contact causes floor damage to Piastri (stewards NFA)

⚡LAP 17Verstappen pits M→H (L17); Ferrari double-stacks Leclerc & Hamilton (L18); Antonelli pits M→H (L19, just as VSC ends — misses full free stop). Leclerc emerges ahead of Antonelli. Hamilton unsafe release (mechanic still adjusting wing)

⚡LAP 31Norris pits M→H (lap 31) after long medium run — 7.8s slow stop (left-rear issue). Re-emerges behind Hadjar & Bortoleto. Three-wide battle on Kemmel: Colapinto passes Gasly & Lawson for P10

🏎LAP 34Antonelli sweeps past Leclerc at end of Kemmel Straight — leads to the flag. Leclerc unable to respond; gap grows to 1.952s at finish

🏎LAP 40Hamilton passes Piastri at Kemmel Straight for P4 — secures position despite 5s penalty already served in earlier stop

Why They Lost

Strategy and race factors that shaped the result for drivers who finished behind Antonelli.

P6HadjarOracle Red Bull Racing

▸Made 2 stops to the winner's 1, conceding track position on the extra in-lap and out-lap.
▸Pitted 18 laps earlier than Antonelli (lap 1 vs 19), exposing the next stint to more wear.

P7NorrisMcLaren Mastercard

▸Pitted 12 laps later than Antonelli (lap 31 vs 19), losing time on worn tyres before the stop.

Strategy Breakdown

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POS	Driver	Strategy	Time	Gap
1	Antonelli Mercedes-AMG Petronas P -1.7%T 0.93O 1.08	M→HL19	1:34:43.471	+0.000	▶ Simulate
2	Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari HP P -1.6%T 0.92O 1.08	M→HL18	1:34:45.423	+1.952	▶ Simulate
3	Verstappen Oracle Red Bull Racing P -2.2%T 0.92O 1.25	M→HL17	1:35:01.284	+17.813	▶ Simulate
4	Hamilton Scuderia Ferrari HP P -1.5%T 0.86O 1.15	M→HL18	1:35:03.694	+20.223	▶ Simulate
5	Piastri McLaren Mastercard P -1.3%T 0.94O 1.05	M→HL20	1:35:05.451	+21.980	▶ Simulate
6	Hadjar Oracle Red Bull Racing P 1.2%T 1.05O 1.05	H→HL1→HL22	1:35:18.834	+35.363	▶ Simulate
7	Norris McLaren Mastercard P -1.4%T 0.95O 1.10	M→HL31	1:35:22.017	+38.546	▶ Simulate
8	Bortoleto Audi Revolut P 1.0%T 0.98O 1.05	M→HL20	1:35:24.882	+41.411	▶ Simulate
9	Lindblad Visa Cash App Racing Bulls P 1.0%T 1.05O 0.95	M→HL21	1:35:27.341	+43.870	▶ Simulate
10	Colapinto BWT Alpine P 1.2%T 1.02O 1.08	M→HL22	1:35:28.854	+45.383	▶ Simulate