The Belgian Grand Prix is one of the most iconic races on the Formula One calendar, first held in 1925. With Eau Rouge and Raidillon among the most famous and dangerous corners in motorsport, the circuit Spa-Francorchamps serves as the ultimate test for any F1 driver, even without the rain often observed there over the years.
With Kimi Antonelli starting on pole ahead of Max Verstappen, both drivers got away cleanly. Verstappen briefly passed Antonelli going into Eau Rouge, before Antonelli retook the lead on the following straight.
Later on the first lap, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were side by side, after a battery problem left Russell with limited speed on the straights. This led to a collision between the two Brits, with Hamilton appearing to clip the side of Russell’s Mercedes, resulting in an unfortunate retirement for Russell which could severely hurt his championship chances.
The contact looked like a first-lap racing incident to many, including to Russell, who said: “I thought probably a racing incident. I am not going to blame Lewis.” The stewards took a different view, however, and decided to give Hamilton a five-second penalty, seen as overly harsh by many.
There was more drama as Charles Leclerc squeezed Oscar Piastri to the edge of the track, resulting in contact and damage to the McLaren. Piastri voiced his frustration on the radio: “He didn’t leave enough space. That could’ve been a massive crash.” Despite this, Leclerc avoided a penalty. Piastri fell back to fifth, while Leclerc remained in P3 before the pit stops.
The race was shaken up by a Virtual Safety Car on lap 20, with Ferrari taking the opportunity to pit both of their drivers. Leclerc re-emerged in the net race lead after this, ahead of Antonelli in P2. However, Antonelli closed in on him, overtaking Leclerc for the race lead on lap 34.
Leclerc was able to apply pressure on Antonelli until the chequered flag, remaining within roughly 2 seconds of the race leader, but the Mercedes driver ultimately held off the Ferrari to claim his sixth victory of the season. Verstappen finished in P3 for his third podium in 2026.
Hamilton finished in P4, while Piastri managed to finish in P5 despite the damage to his McLaren.
Isack Hadjar, starting in P21 after a grid penalty, had an impressive drive with an aggressive three-stop strategy to finish in P6, highlighting his growing confidence at Red Bull.
Lando Norris was also hoping to make up positions, having started in P13 after a penalty for exceeding the permitted number of engine parts to his McLaren. Despite driving strongly, a lengthy 7.8 second pit stop proved costly, leaving him stuck behind Hadjar in P7.
Elsewhere, Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto finished yet again as the best of the rest in a convincing P8, ahead of Racing Bulls’ standout Arvid Lindblad in P9, and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto in P10. With 61 points, Racing Bulls are now level with Alpine for P5 in the Constructors’ Championship, only increasing the stakes in what has been a very tight midfield.
Another dose of bad luck this weekend harmed Russell’s championship bid, leaving him third in the standings. Antonelli extended his lead to 45 points ahead of Hamilton, with Russell a further five points behind.
With next weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix the final race for four weeks, every driver will be hoping to go into the summer break with momentum.
A weekend full of drama has only reminded us why Spa-Francorchamps deserves to remain on the F1 calendar, but its new contract means it will only be included on a rotating basis, not taking place in 2028 and 2030.
“Formula 1 2018: Johnnie Walker Belgian Grand Prix” by Kanazuchi is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
