2026 Belgian GP recap: Kimi Antonelli wins as Charles Leclerc takes superb second

The 2026 Belgian GP results saw Kimi Antonelli return to the top step of the podium after an intense battle with Charles Leclerc at Spa-Francorchamps. The Ferrari driver briefly led after gaining a major advantage during the Virtual Safety Car period, but Kimi Antonelli used Mercedes’ superior straight-line performance to complete the decisive overtake on the Kemmel Straight.

Charles Leclerc nevertheless delivered one of his strongest performances of the season, finishing second after pushing the championship leader deep into the race. Max Verstappen completed the podium for Red Bull, while Lewis Hamilton recovered from an opening-lap collision, car damage and a five-second penalty to secure fourth place for Ferrari.

The so-called university of Formula 1 rarely produces predictable races. Spa demands respect, places enormous pressure on both drivers and machinery, and remains a severe judge that rarely forgives mistakes. Kimi Antonelli arrived in Belgium hoping to restart his championship momentum after a series of unfortunate events, while Max Verstappen was searching for greater meaning in a difficult campaign and George Russell was determined not to surrender his title hopes.

Ferrari, meanwhile, approached the race as an outsider. Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton had shown flashes of encouraging pace during the weekend, despite the SF-26’s straight-line and power-unit limitations in Spa qualifying. Lewis Hamilton had also made it clear that Ferrari still had several possibilities available as the team targeted a strong result in the race.

2026 Belgian GP results shaped by an eventful opening lap

The race was scheduled over 44 laps, with the medium compound overwhelmingly preferred by the drivers starting inside the top ten. Lando Norris, lining up in P13, was the first driver on the grid to select the hard tyres. Sergio Perez, Lance Stroll, Isack Hadjar and Fernando Alonso made the same choice, while Carlos Sainz and Valtteri Bottas started on soft tyres.

When the lights went out, Kimi Antonelli launched cleanly and initially kept Max Verstappen behind. The Red Bull driver managed to overtake after Eau Rouge, but Kimi Antonelli immediately fought back and reclaimed the position. Charles Leclerc took advantage of the battle to move into second place.

There was then an immediate twist as George Russell’s race came to an abrupt end. The Mercedes driver made contact with Lewis Hamilton and came off worse, while Oscar Piastri capitalised on the confusion to move ahead of the Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton found himself fifth behind the Australian as the Safety Car was deployed.

The two Haas cars had also made contact, while both Haas drivers and Isack Hadjar entered the pits. Race control noted the collision between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, with the seven-time world champion asking Ferrari whether his SF-26 had sustained any damage. The team initially reassured him, but on lap four it was confirmed that the incident between the two British drivers was under investigation.

Lewis Hamilton fights through damage and a five-second penalty

The Safety Car returned to the pits at the end of lap five. Lewis Hamilton immediately attacked Oscar Piastri at La Source and completed the pass, only for the McLaren driver to retaliate at the entrance to Eau Rouge. It then became apparent that Lewis Hamilton’s car was missing an aerodynamic element located beneath the left-hand mirror.

Max Verstappen began closing on Charles Leclerc and overtook the Ferrari driver at the start of lap seven. Oscar Piastri moved onto Charles Leclerc’s gearbox, with Lewis Hamilton following closely behind in the second Ferrari.

By lap eight, Oscar Piastri was putting Charles Leclerc under intense pressure, although the Monegasque managed to defend at the end of the Kemmel Straight. Lewis Hamilton simultaneously attempted to attack the McLaren. Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri made light contact, sending a piece of bodywork into the air, and Lewis Hamilton used the opportunity to overtake the Australian.

At the front, Kimi Antonelli was unable to escape but had established a modest 1.5-second advantage over Max Verstappen. Race control noted the contact between Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri before announcing that Lewis Hamilton had received a five-second penalty for his collision with George Russell.

On lap 11, Charles Leclerc was close behind Max Verstappen, while Lewis Hamilton was positioned directly behind his Ferrari team-mate. Charles Leclerc was also placed under investigation for the contact with Oscar Piastri. Meanwhile, Lando Norris had climbed from P13 to sixth place by lap 13, slotting in behind Oscar Piastri.

At the same stage of the race, Kimi Antonelli increased his advantage over Max Verstappen to two seconds. Mercedes had arrived at Spa with several refinements intended to improve the W17’s straight-line efficiency at the Belgian Grand Prix, and its performance on the long full-throttle sections was beginning to show.

Lewis Hamilton then reported over the radio that he was faster than Charles Leclerc and requested permission to pass. Ferrari did not order the drivers to exchange positions. Given Lewis Hamilton’s five-second penalty, however, the team was under pressure to make its strategic decisions quickly.

The pit-stop window opens at Spa-Francorchamps

Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz stopped on lap 15, formally opening the pit-stop window. Liam Lawson followed shortly afterwards. Much of the attention was focused on Lando Norris, whose hard tyres were allowing him to maintain the strongest pace among the drivers yet to stop.

Race control subsequently confirmed that Charles Leclerc would not receive a penalty for his contact with Oscar Piastri. Max Verstappen made his pit stop on lap 17 and rejoined in sixth place, behind Lando Norris.

Kimi Antonelli stopped on lap 19 to protect himself against Max Verstappen’s undercut and successfully retained track position over the Red Bull driver. Ferrari continued with both cars, while Lando Norris closed on his McLaren team-mate and overtook him on lap 20. The position was immediately reversed in the following exchange.

Ferrari had entered the weekend aware that Spa’s combination of efficiency, energy deployment and long straights would expose the SF-26’s weaknesses. Those concerns had already been visible when Ferrari’s hybrid deficit emerged during Friday practice, even though the car had looked competitive through several of the circuit’s corners.

Virtual Safety Car hands Charles Leclerc the lead

A Virtual Safety Car was deployed on lap 20, creating a decisive strategic opportunity for Ferrari. Charles Leclerc entered the pits, with Lewis Hamilton following directly behind him. The timing of the neutralisation allowed Charles Leclerc to remain ahead of both Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen.

Lewis Hamilton, however, had to serve his five-second penalty and consequently dropped to sixth place. During the release from his pit box, a mechanic was touched by the front-right wheel of car number 44. The Virtual Safety Car period ended on lap 21, leaving Kimi Antonelli 2.5 seconds behind the Ferrari leader.

Kimi Antonelli immediately began pushing to close the deficit, while Charles Leclerc turned his attention to Lando Norris, who had not yet made his pit stop. The Ferrari driver overtook the McLaren on lap 23 and moved into the effective race lead.

Kimi Antonelli initially struggled to find a way past Lando Norris, allowing Charles Leclerc to increase his advantage. Race control then noted a possible unsafe release involving Lewis Hamilton. The incident threatened to compromise his race further if an additional penalty was imposed, although the stewards later announced that it would be investigated after the chequered flag.

Lando Norris became a valuable temporary ally for Charles Leclerc. Kimi Antonelli required three laps to pass the McLaren, by which point the Ferrari driver had opened a three-second advantage with 18 laps remaining.

Kimi Antonelli closes on Charles Leclerc

Once in clean air, Kimi Antonelli began trying to remove a few tenths from Charles Leclerc’s advantage on each lap. His initial progress was limited, however, and by lap 29 he had recovered only half a second over two laps.

Max Verstappen subsequently overtook Lando Norris, whose unusually long opening stint continued until lap 31. The McLaren stop was delayed slightly by a problem while removing the left-rear wheel, and Lando Norris returned to the track in eighth place on medium tyres.

Lewis Hamilton moved up to fifth, while Kimi Antonelli reduced Charles Leclerc’s advantage to 1.5 seconds. Ferrari’s difficulties on the straights had been a recurring concern throughout the weekend, with the contrast between Ferrari’s encouraging FP1 and more difficult FP2 underlining how sensitive the SF-26 was to energy deployment and configuration changes.

By lap 32, Kimi Antonelli had suddenly closed to within seven tenths of a second. Charles Leclerc continued to defend, but on lap 34 the difference on the Kemmel Straight became decisive. The Mercedes power unit’s advantage over Ferrari’s package proved too great, allowing Kimi Antonelli to complete the pass and reclaim the lead.

Charles Leclerc refused to give up and attempted to stay close to the Mercedes. His performance reinforced the impression that he had finally overcome many of the adaptation difficulties that had affected his early races with the SF-26.

Lewis Hamilton passes Oscar Piastri for fourth

Behind the leaders, Lewis Hamilton was producing strong pace and rapidly reducing the gap to Oscar Piastri. With five laps remaining, the Ferrari driver moved to within six tenths of the McLaren.

Lewis Hamilton completed the overtake on lap 40, climbing into fourth place despite the damage sustained during the opening exchanges and the five-second penalty served at his pit stop. It represented a significant recovery after Ferrari had faced a demanding repair operation following Lewis Hamilton’s late crash during final practice.

Little changed during the closing laps. Kimi Antonelli gradually extended his advantage over Charles Leclerc and returned to the top step of the podium. The Ferrari driver secured an excellent second place, while Max Verstappen completed the podium after losing out slightly through the timing of the Virtual Safety Car.

Lewis Hamilton finished fourth ahead of Oscar Piastri, Isack Hadjar and Lando Norris. Ferrari therefore left Spa with both cars inside the top four, confirming the progress that had already been suggested by the team’s recent performances, even though the race also highlighted the remaining power-unit and straight-line deficit to Mercedes.