The long-awaited 2026 F1 Belgian GP arrived at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit under good racing conditions. Kimi Antonelli started from pole for Mercedes, ahead of Max Verstappen, with George Russell and Charles Leclerc lining up on the second row, both hoping to use the tow down the long straights.
Antonelli had claimed pole by a commanding 0.317 seconds, the largest margin of the season. Despite some inconsistency across the weekend, he had looked unbeatable whenever he found his rhythm, and many observers praised the way he had kept frustrations from recent races from affecting his form. His championship lead over Russell, which had swelled to 68 points during a five-race winning streak, had since narrowed to 25, though few expected the Italian to let that gap grow again today.
Grid penalties and tyre choices
Carlos Sainz joined the list of grid-penalty victims, dropping to nineteenth for Williams after taking a new power-unit component, alongside Norris, Hadjar, Stroll and Alonso. James Vowles had admitted the previous day that Williams had got their car wrong this season, telling Alex Albon as much after Qualifying. Albon himself lined up fifteenth.
Most of the field opted for medium compound tyres at the start, though five drivers, Norris, Perez, Hadjar, Stroll and Alonso, chose the hards. Sainz and Bottas gambled on softs, a decision that left them hoping for an early Safety Car.
Chaos at the start
The lights went out and Antonelli made a modest getaway, with Verstappen closing in immediately and looking to pass into the first corner before the Mercedes driver held on through Raidillon and hit back on the Kemmel Straight. Further back, Russell and Hamilton made contact, sending Russell into the gravel while Hamilton continued. Leclerc used the distraction to pass Verstappen.
The Safety Car emerged soon after as Russell’s stricken Mercedes was recovered, having retired from the race. The incident triggered further disruption through the midfield, with Ocon suffering a problem of his own and several cars pitting as a result. The stewards opened an investigation into the Hamilton-Russell collision at Turn 6.
Antonelli settles into the lead
By lap three, Antonelli led the field behind the Safety Car with Leclerc close behind. Replays showed Russell losing ground to both Ferraris before attempting a move around the outside of Hamilton, the pair touching in what looked like a likely racing incident. Elsewhere, Sainz had clipped Ocon at the start, and Bearman had also found the gravel.
Several drivers pitted during the early laps, including Hadjar, who stopped twice and committed to running hards to the finish, along with Bearman, Perez, Bottas and Ocon.
Once racing resumed, Antonelli pulled clear at the restart while Hamilton passed Piastri into La Source, only for Piastri to retake the place at Eau Rouge. Norris, meanwhile, closed in on Bortoleto for ninth.
The Championship picture widens
By lap six, Russell remained the only retirement, a result that threatened to leave him fifty points adrift of his teammate. Antonelli continued to lead, though Leclerc stayed close, distracted by Verstappen’s pressure rather than by Antonelli himself. Verstappen eventually picked off Leclerc at the end of the Kemmel Straight, and Norris completed his move on Bortoleto for ninth two laps later.
Hamilton penalised, Antonelli pulls clear
By lap ten, Hamilton received a five-second penalty for the earlier Russell incident, to be served at his next stop. He ran fourth at the time, just ahead of Piastri. Antonelli began edging away from Verstappen, opening a 1.6-second gap, while Verstappen found Leclerc all over him, with Hamilton also joining that fight. Further back, Norris lined up a move on Lindblad.
Piastri, meanwhile, was informed he carried floor damage after clashing with Leclerc, a coming-together the stewards were also reviewing. Norris completed his pass on Lindblad soon after, leaving him 8.2 seconds behind his struggling teammate.
Hamilton presses Leclerc
By lap fourteen, Hamilton wanted past Leclerc, believing himself faster, possibly aided by Leclerc carrying some damage from the Piastri clash. The pair continued to race hard as Verstappen extended his gap up the road. The stewards ultimately took no further action over the Leclerc-Piastri contact, allowing Leclerc to push on freely; he soon led Piastri by 1.9 seconds as the Australian began struggling with his tyres. Lindblad’s pit stop from seventh released Hadjar to chase the McLarens ahead.
Virtual Safety Car disrupts strategy
A Virtual Safety Car appeared on lap nineteen for track debris, catching Verstappen at an awkward moment as he lost the chance to exploit an undercut. Hamilton continued to voice strategy complaints over the radio as race leader Antonelli made his stop.
By lap twenty, Leclerc led from Hamilton, still carrying his pending penalty, while Norris finally completed his move on the damaged Piastri. Antonelli and Verstappen, both having pitted, ran 2.6 seconds apart. Hadjar sat seventh on pure pace, though his hard tyres were already seventeen laps old. A second Virtual Safety Car period followed as marshals cleared the circuit again, prompting Hamilton’s team to call him in.
Ferrari’s double stack pays off
Ferrari pitted both cars together on lap twenty-one, and Leclerc emerged ahead of Antonelli on merit, benefiting from the cut-price nature of a VSC stop. Norris, yet to pit, held the effective lead, with Leclerc, Antonelli, Verstappen, Piastri and Hamilton completing the order behind him. Hamilton’s stop had also seen him narrowly avoid a mechanic as he departed the pit box, though the team confirmed the mechanic was unharmed.
Leclerc retakes the lead
Leclerc closed on Norris by lap twenty-three and swept past at the end of the Kemmel Straight to reclaim the race lead, while Hamilton picked up a separate note for an unsafe release. Perez had also retired around this point with a suspected rear damper issue, taken out as a precaution, leaving him and Russell as the race’s retirees.
Leclerc pulled 1.3 seconds clear of Norris, who now had Antonelli for company, with both Mercedes and Ferrari showing strong pace on the hard tyre compared to a struggling Verstappen, who complained of a lack of grip.
It later emerged that Hamilton had left his pit box before his team could complete a planned front wing adjustment, the call for the change having gone out too late. Hamilton questioned over the radio whether his team had made the change, only to learn they hadn’t, which left him unhappy with his car’s balance. The stewards subsequently confirmed they would investigate the unsafe release involving his car after the race.
Antonelli Fights Back Through the Field
By lap twenty-six, Leclerc led with a chance of consecutive victories, while Antonelli, stuck behind the ageing tyres of Norris, duly completed a pass. Piastri had clawed his way back into contention too, his fresher tyres compensating for the earlier floor damage, running a second behind Verstappen as the pair chased down Norris.
Hamilton slipped to sixth as Stroll was called in with a clutch issue, potentially becoming the third retirement. Verstappen continued to report tyre trouble as the lead gap between Leclerc and Antonelli held at 2.6 seconds.
The battle for the lead of the 2026 F1 Belgian GP race intensifies
Antonelli clawed back a couple of tenths to restore the 2.6-second gap to Leclerc. Norris briefly held off Verstappen before the Dutchman found a way past at Les Combes, with Piastri poised to follow given the differing strategies between the McLaren teammates.
By lap thirty, Norris had yet to stop, prompting questions over his team’s timing. Antonelli chipped away at Leclerc’s lead, taking three and a half tenths out of the Ferrari on a single lap, while Norris was instructed not to race his teammate aggressively. When Norris finally pitted, a 7.8-second stop dropped him behind both Hadjar and Bortoleto into ninth. Further back, Colapinto produced a superb move to pass both Alpines in a tight scrap with Lawson and Hulkenberg.
Antonelli and Leclerc go head-to-head
By lap thirty-four, the Antonelli-Leclerc duel many had anticipated since Silverstone finally arrived, the previous meeting having been cut short by reliability trouble. With just seven tenths between them, Antonelli made his move at the end of the Kemmel Straight to retake the lead, though it proved a swift rather than protracted battle.
Ferrari’s race pace remained strong, Leclerc losing barely a tenth as the gap held at 0.8 seconds, though he couldn’t quite find a way back past. Verstappen continued to defend third, 2.2 seconds clear of Piastri, while Norris trailed Hadjar by 7.7 seconds, with the pair expected to meet again near the finish.
Antonelli closes in on victory
By lap thirty-eight, Antonelli stood on the verge of a 50-point championship lead over his teammate heading into the Hungarian round, a prospect that explained Russell’s downbeat mood in earlier media duties. Antonelli held a 0.9-second advantage over Leclerc, with Verstappen well clear in third.
Antonelli then broke the one-second mark, extending his lead to 1.1 seconds, with Verstappen and Piastri following, the latter under pressure from Hamilton. The two had a brief moment before Hamilton found no way through. Hadjar led Norris by 5.1 seconds, with Bortoleto, Lindblad and Colapinto rounding out the points, while Gasly sat 1.3 seconds behind his teammate in eleventh.
On lap forty, Hamilton finally completed a clean pass on Piastri at the end of the Kemmel Straight, a move that carried extra significance given his looming post-race investigation. At the front, Antonelli led by 1.5 seconds and received a reminder over track limits.
The final laps
By lap forty-two, Norris began closing rapidly on Hadjar, lapping half a second faster, though time appeared to be running out. Further down the order, Colapinto held a tight 0.9-second lead over Gasly in the fight for tenth, with Lawson and Hulkenberg both within a second.
Hamilton, running fourth, was urged to push on given the threat of a penalty, holding a 3.1-second buffer over Piastri. Norris set the fastest lap of the 2026 F1 Belgian GP race and closed to within 1.7 seconds of Hadjar, though it remained unclear whether he would run out of laps.
Antonelli wins the 2026 F1 Belgian GP race
Antonelli began the final lap in command, closing in on a sixth win from the season’s first ten races, leading Leclerc by 2.5 seconds after a strong afternoon from fourth on the grid. Verstappen looked secure for the podium, 4.9 seconds clear of Hamilton, who continued to hold off Piastri. Hadjar led Norris by 1.2 seconds, leaving the McLaren driver needing something extraordinary to close the gap.
Antonelli duly crossed the line to win in Belgium, a composed performance from the young Italian, who had stayed patient after losing track position to Leclerc’s pit strategy before executing a clean pass to reclaim the lead. Leclerc finished second and Verstappen third, with Hamilton fourth ahead of Piastri, Hadjar and Norris. Bortoleto, Lindblad and Colapinto completed the points-scoring positions.
2026 F1 Belgian GP race results
