Kimi Antonelli Wins Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps

Kimi Antonelli won the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. The 19-year-old started from pole position, lost the lead during a virtual safety car period, and regained it cleanly with ten laps remaining before pulling away for his sixth victory of the season. Charles Leclerc finished second for Ferrari.

Max Verstappen took third. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth for Ferrari after receiving a five-second time penalty for colliding with George Russell on the opening lap. Oscar Piastri placed fifth for McLaren, Isack Hadjar sixth for Red Bull, Lando Norris seventh for McLaren, Gabriel Bortoleto eighth for Audi, Arvid Lindblad ninth for Racing Bulls, and Franco Colapinto tenth for Alpine.

George Russell, Antonelli's Mercedes teammate, retired on the opening lap after the collision sent him into the gravel trap. Stewards later ruled Hamilton was not at fault and fined Ferrari 30,000 euros, with 10,000 euros suspended for one year. Russell stated the incident would not have occurred if his car had not lost speed on the straight.

Antonelli now leads the drivers' championship by 45 points over Hamilton and by 50 points over Russell. The result gives the Italian six career wins, tying him for second among Italian drivers behind Alberto Ascari. "The momentum has always been there despite what happened in the previous races, and that's why you just need to take one weekend at a time, because you never know what can happen," Antonelli said.