Belgian Grand Prix 2026 – Sunday

Kimi Antonelli secured a bittersweet victory at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, while teammate George Russell had an unfortunate first lap that led to his retirement. Antonelli started from pole position, with Russell in third. Both drivers struggled with a lack of boost, affecting their performance in the first lap and losing speed on the straight before turn five. Antonelli lost his position to Max Verstappen in turn two but regained it in turn five. Russell, on the other hand, was overtaken by cars behind him and had contact with Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari, ending his race. After a safety car deployment, Antonelli adopted a conventional one-stop strategy with medium-hard tires, making a pit stop to cover Verstappen and maintaining his position. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc gained an advantage by pitting during a virtual safety car phase, but Antonelli managed to close the three-second gap and reclaim the lead about ten laps from the end. Antonelli slowly pulled away from Leclerc, securing his sixth win of the season and the team’s eighth. The team now heads to Budapest for the final race before the summer break. Antonelli reflected on the win, stating it was a hard-fought victory and the team remained calm despite losing the lead. He praised the team’s performance and acknowledged the competitiveness of other teams, emphasizing the need to continue working hard and scoring points. Russell expressed disappointment with his weekend, citing the lack of boost as a significant issue, and vowed to regroup and improve for the next race. Team principal Toto Wolff described the day as a mix of emotions, praising Antonelli’s drive and acknowledging the team’s reliability issues, which have cost them points this season. Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin highlighted the contrasting fortunes of the two drivers, with Antonelli’s win being well-deserved after losing the lead without fault. Shovlin acknowledged the team’s strong overall package but emphasized the need to improve reliability, which is currently their biggest weakness.