Kimi Antonelli returned to form at the Belgian Grand Prix with a decisive victory over Charles Leclerc. His teammate, George Russell, did not complete the race, impacting the Formula 1 title race.

Starting in pole position, Antonelli initially lost the lead to Leclerc. A virtual safety car allowed Leclerc to save time during his pit stop. With ten laps left, Antonelli overtook Leclerc, securing his sixth win of the season. This was his first victory since the Monaco Grand Prix last month.

Antonelli expressed his gratitude over the radio to the Mercedes team, saying, “Let’s go! Thank you so much, guys, thank you.” Leclerc finished second, while Max Verstappen secured third place after temporarily leading during the opening laps.

The outcome of the race extended Antonelli’s lead in the standings. Russell’s incident on the first lap, when spun off by Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, left him in the gravel, failing to finish.

Before the race, Antonelli had a 25-point lead over Russell, which has now increased significantly. He leaves Belgium with a 45-point lead over Hamilton, who moved to second place in the standings, and a 50-point lead over Russell.

Tensions rose at Mercedes as Russell seemed to attribute his misfortune to car issues rather than Hamilton. He claimed his car’s loss of speed triggered the incident.

Hamilton faced a challenging race, finishing fourth for Ferrari despite a five-second penalty for his clash with Russell. He also engaged in strategy discussions with Ferrari over team radio and accidentally hit a team mechanic during a pit stop. Immediate checks confirmed the mechanic was unharmed, yet Hamilton is under investigation for an “unsafe release.”

Oscar Piastri secured fifth for McLaren, while Isack Hadjar achieved sixth for Red Bull, having started at the back due to a penalty. Lando Norris commenced 13th but, despite leading briefly, finished seventh due to a pit stop delay.

Gabriel Bortoleto took eighth place for Audi, Arvid Lindblad was ninth for Racing Bulls, and Franco Colapinto earned the final point for Alpine in 10th.