SPA, BELGIUM – JULY 19: Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team celebrates on the podium after winning the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 19, 2026 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli strengthened his grip on the Formula 1 championship battle with a commanding victory at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
The Mercedes driver had looked untouchable after claiming a fifth straight win in round six at Monaco, a result that pushed him 66 points clear of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. But the momentum shifted over the next three rounds, as a run of setbacks limited Antonelli to just 23 points and allowed his main title rivals to cut into his advantage.
His difficult spell began with a late retirement in Barcelona, followed by a third-place finish in Austria. At Silverstone, he offered a reminder of his pace by winning Saturday’s sprint, only for Sunday’s British Grand Prix to unravel as he finished 15th and outside the points.
By the end of the British Grand Prix weekend, Antonelli’s championship lead had been reduced to 25 points over Mercedes teammate George Russell. Russell had steadily applied pressure with second place in Barcelona, victory in Spielberg and another runner-up finish in front of his home crowd at Silverstone.
Under renewed scrutiny, Antonelli delivered the ideal response in round 10 at Spa. Starting from pole position, he controlled the key moments of the Belgian Grand Prix to secure his sixth win of the season and rebuild his championship cushion to 45 points.
Charles Leclerc, who briefly moved into the lead during the 44-lap race, brought his Ferrari home in second place, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen completed the podium in third.
SPA, BELGIUM – JULY 19: Race winner Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Second placed Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Scuderia Ferrari Third placed Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Tom Batch, Operations Director of Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 19, 2026 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
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Meanwhile, Russell suffered a big blow in his title fight after he was forced to retire from the race on the opening lap. The Briton was trying to overtake Hamilton around the outside when the Ferrari clipped the rear of his Mercedes and sent him spinning into the gravel.
Russell dropped to third in the standings after a scoreless Spa weekend, with 50 points now separating him from his teammate and current leader Antonelli.
Hamilton crossed the finish line in fourth, having served a five-second time penalty during the race for causing a collision with Russell. He also avoided another time penalty post-race for an unsafe release during his pitstop, with the stewards instead handing the Italian team a €30,000 fine ($34,000) – of which €10,000 is suspended for the next 12 months.
The seven-time champion now sits second in the standings with 159 points – 45 points behind Antonelli and only five ahead of Russell.
TOPSHOT – Mercedes’ British driver George Russell (L) looses control and crashes in the gravel after colliding with Ferrari’s British driver Lewis Hamilton (R) at the start of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, in Spa, on July 19, 2026. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP via Getty Images)
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Leclerc, fresh off his brilliant win at Silverstone, strengthened his grip on fourth place with a P2 finish at Spa, bringing his points tally to 126.
Verstappen’s third podium finish of the season has him at 91 points, placing him seventh behind the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
On the constructors’ front, Mercedes holds a 73-point lead over Ferrari as they chase their first constructors’ championship since 2021 and their ninth overall.
McLaren sits in third place, 163 points behind Mercedes, while Red Bull trails in fourth, 207 points back.
With 10 rounds now completed, Cadillac remains the only team yet to score any points this season.
F1 Standings 2026 – Drivers’ Championship
Here are the updated drivers’ standings after the Belgian Grand Prix:
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes): 204 points
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari): 159 points
- George Russell (Mercedes): 154 points
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): 126 points
- Lando Norris (McLaren): 103 points
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren): 92 points
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull): 91 points
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull): 60 points
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine): 42 points
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls): 39 points
- Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls): 22 points
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine): 19 points
- Oliver Bearman (Haas): 18 points
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi): 10 points
- Carlos Sainz (Williams): 6 points
- Alexander Albon (Williams): 5 points
- Esteban Ocon (Haas): 3 points
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin): 1 point
- Nico Hulkenberg (Audi): 0 points
- Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac): 0 points
- Sergio Perez (Cadillac): 0 points
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin): 0 points
F1 Standings 2026 – Constructors’ Championship
Here are the updated constructors’ standings after the Belgian Grand Prix:
- Mercedes: 358 points
- Ferrari: 285 points
- McLaren: 195 points
- Red Bull: 151 points
- Alpine: 61 points
- Racing Bulls: 61 points
- Haas: 21 points
- Williams: 11 points
- Audi: 10 points
- Aston Martin: 1 point
- Cadillac: 0 points
The next round of the 2026 season is the Hungarian Grand Prix, scheduled for July 24-26.
