Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium): Kimi Antonelli always believed he had the momentum in the Formula 1 title race, even when results did not go his way. He made it count with a dominant victory on Sunday as his teammate and title rival George Russell failed to finish.
Antonelli saw off a challenge from Charles Leclerc to return to winning ways at the Belgian Grand Prix after reliability issues had allowed Russell to reduce his lead in recent weeks. Russell was left stranded in a gravel trap after problems with his Mercedes.
Antonelli started on pole but lost the lead to Leclerc when a Virtual Safety Car slowdown allowed the Ferrari driver to gain time during his pit stop.
The Mercedes driver overtook Leclerc with 10 laps remaining and cruised to his sixth win of the season — and of his Formula 1 career — his first since last month's Monaco Grand Prix. The victory gives the 19-year-old a 45-point championship lead and keeps him on course to become Formula 1's youngest-ever world champion.
“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. “With these new cars, new regs, there's so much going on and so much unpredictable.”
With six victories, Antonelli is now joint second among Italian Formula 1 drivers on the all-time wins list, behind only Alberto Ascari, who claimed 13 Grand Prix victories and two world championships in the early 1950s. Antonelli dedicated the win to his father, former sportscar racer Marco Antonelli, whose birthday was on Saturday.
Leclerc finished second after avoiding a penalty for a collision that damaged Oscar Piastri's McLaren, while Max Verstappen took third after briefly leading during a dramatic opening lap.
Antonelli extended his championship advantage after Russell became stranded in the gravel on the first lap following contact with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.
Having started the race with a 25-point lead over Russell, Antonelli now leaves Belgium with a 45-point advantage over Hamilton, who moved up to second in the standings, and a 50-point lead over Russell.
Russell appeared to blame his car rather than Hamilton for the incident, saying the contact would not have occurred if his Mercedes had not lost speed on the straight. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggested a software issue affecting multiple Mercedes-powered cars may have contributed.
Hamilton finished fourth after serving a five-second penalty for the collision with Russell. His race also included radio disagreements with Ferrari over strategy and set-up, as well as an incident in which he knocked over a Ferrari mechanic during a pit stop.
Hamilton immediately checked on the mechanic's condition and was told he was unhurt, though the Briton remained under investigation after the race for an unsafe release.
Oscar Piastri finished fifth for McLaren, followed by Isack Hadjar in sixth for Red Bull.
Lando Norris recovered from 13th on the grid after a penalty to finish seventh despite a delayed pit stop.
Gabriel Bortoleto finished eighth for Audi, Arvid Lindblad was ninth for Racing Bulls, and Alpine's Franco Colapinto claimed the final point in 10th.
