After a tough couple of rounds, Kimi Antonelli returned to the top of the podium at the 2026 F1 Belgian GP, taking his sixth win of the season.
Starting from pole, Antonelli briefly lost the lead to Max Verstappen before quickly reclaiming it on the opening lap. After managing an early Safety Car that saw his teammate George Russell retire, Antonelli pulled clear from his rivals before pitting on Lap 19. However, a Virtual Safety Car disrupted his strategy, as Charles Leclerc pitted under a second VSC and emerged ahead of the Italian.
Despite the interruption, Antonelli remained the faster driver, steadily making his way back up to P2 before overtaking Leclerc at the Kemmel Straight on Lap 34. Antonelli controlled the race from there, crossing the line 1.952s ahead of Leclerc.
“I’m very happy with it”: Antonelli on his 2026 Belgian GP victory
Speaking during the 2026 F1 Belgian GP post-race press conference, Antonelli reflects on how pleased he is with his victory, as he said:
“I mean, it was a hard-fought race. The pace was a lot higher than in practice, and it was not easy because Max in the first stint was keeping up, and then obviously Charles had great pace as well on the Hards. So, it was not easy because there was also so much deployment difference between all the teams. As well, we were strong in certain parts of the track but then weak in others. So, it definitely was not straightforward, but I’m very happy with it.”
Antonelli’s race took a decisive turn when he pitted shortly after the first VSC ended, with Race Control deploying a second VSC two tours later. A similar incident occurred during the 2026 F1 Austrian GP, when Antonelli pitted a lap before a VSC was deployed, costing him a bigger shot at the race win.
“You know, obviously, I was a bit annoyed, but you know you can’t predict these things and sometimes it goes your way, other times it doesn’t,” he shared. “You know, in Suzuka I was very lucky with it, with the safety car, with the timing,and today it wasn’t, you know, like on that side, it wasn’t on my side. But it’s how it goes, and so that’s why, despite everything, you just try to make the best out of it and just try to maximi the result.”
Chaos and Ferrari rivals
Analysing the opening lap of the race, Antonelli briefly explained just how chaotic and messy it was from his perspective. Leading through Turn 1, Antonelli lost the lead to Verstappen through Eau Rouge before quickly taking it back and seeing Leclerc behind in P2.
“It was crazy,” he began. “To be fair, I was so confused of what was happening because Max came flying past me before Eau Rouge, and then I passed him back. But then I saw Charles that almost came alongside me, and I was like what the heck is happening you know like I had no clue. I was just trying to to hold a position on track, and I was looking in my mirror the whole time because I just saw so many cars coming. But yeah it was a crazy start. But luckily we got away cleanly.”
Leclerc proved to be Antonelli’s main rival during the 2026 F2 Belgian GP, making a strong start, executing a bold strategy, and keeping up pressure on Antonelli until the very end.
Asked whether he was surprised by Ferrari’s pace today, Antonelli said: “I mean, they were good in FP as well. Their long run didn’t look bad at all, so we knew they would have been good. And today it was just the confirmation that they were there, and they were very strong in 12, 13 compared to us. I was struggling a little bit with the rear there, but then, on the other hand, we were very strong in the low speed corners. So yeah that’s why it was not easy, especially to keep up in the sector two. But yeah, definitely we expected them to be quick today.”
Antonelli weighs in on Russell’s deployment issues
While Antonelli leaves with a weekend to remember, Russell leaves with a weekend to forget. Russell struggled with straight-line speed and energy deployment across the Spa-Francorchamps weekend, leaving him several seconds off Antonelli’s pace in multiple sessions. In the end, Russell’s race ended on the opening lap after a collision with Lewis Hamilton left him in the gravel.
When asked about Russell’s unexplained energy deployment issues and whether he had experienced similar inconsistencies this season, Antonelli shared:
“Yeah, it can happen. I mean being honest yeah with George this weekend there was a slight loss, and sometimes it’s yeah just don’t understand. I had the same in Australia, for example, where it’s just… it can be a little bit of driving, sometimes the system just does something a little bit different. So it’s very complicated, and for the team, you know, you gotta appreciate the work, because the system is just very complicated.”
He continued: “Of course, they’re trying to make things a bit easier, but sometimes it’s hard to get it perfect. So also the driving sometimes, you know, especially in these kind of tracks that are very energy demanding, if you start driving differently then also for the system is a bit crazy, so it’s tricky. But yeah I have to agree that you know this weekend for George there was a slight issue, but I’m sure for Budapest it will be fixed.”
Championship progress
With Antonelli taking the win, Russell retiring, and Hamilton finishing P4, Antonelli now sits 45 points clear of Hamilton and 50 points clear of Russell in the Drivers’ Standings.
Reflecting on whether the significant points difference and the recent edge that he has had over Russell gives him more confidence in the World Championship, Antonelli explained:
“I mean, the momentum has always been there despite what happened in the previous races. And that’s why, you know, I just need to take it one weekend at a time, because you never know what can happen. So I just need to maximise every time the performance and, you know, and just try to do your best every time you go in the car and then you see what’s the balance at the end of the year. But, you know, with these new cars, new regs, there’s so much going on and so much unpredictable as well things that can happen. So that’s why I just need to focus race by race, and then you’ll see at the end of the year.”
Knowing how quickly fortunes can change, Antonelli looked back at his difficult 2025 rookie mid-season, where he suffered several DNFs and finished P16 in Spa.
Asked whether he could have imagined leading the championship and winning at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps just 12 months later, Antonelli concluded:
“No absolutely not and yeah I mean last year here was I probably reached the bottom so it was a very difficult weekend for me mentally but it was good this year definitely a lot better but yeah definitely didn’t expect if you would have asked me last year at this moment I probably would have said no.”
