Kimi Antonelli wins Belgian Grand Prix to extend F1 championship lead

Mercedes driver won his sixth GP of 2026 as championship rival and teammate George Russell crashes out on first lap.Kimi Antonelli won the Belgian Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday to stretch his Formula One lead to 45 points over Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton on a bleak day for teammate George Russell, his closest title rival heading into the race.Russell had been the 19-year-old Italian’s closest rival before the start at Spa-Francorchamps, but the Briton spun off into the gravel on the opening lap after a collision with Hamilton while trying to make up places lost at lights out.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Spain vs Argentina: Five key factors that could decide World Cup finallist 2 of 4World Cup 2026 final: Closing ceremony and half-time show – what to knowlist 3 of 4The story behind football stars Messi and Yamal’s viral photolist 4 of 4Why is Argentina’s football team so white?end of listFerrari’s Charles Leclerc was second in the 44-lap race, 1.952 seconds behind after leading, thanks to a pit stop while a virtual safety car was deployed, with Max Verstappen third to give Red Bull their 300th Formula One podium.Hamilton finished fourth, despite serving a five-second penalty for the collision with Russell, but remained under investigation for an unsafe release from a pit stop that could drop him to fifth and further stretch Antonelli’s lead.Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli leads Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen at the beginning of the Belgian Grand Prix [Sarah Meyssonnier/POOL via AFP]It was Antonelli’s sixth win in 10 rounds this season, leaving him 50 points clear of Russell. Antonelli was first in qualifying, continuing Mercedes’ clean sweep of pole positions this season.“It’s great to be back on the top step after a few difficult rounds,” said Antonelli, who had drawn a blank in two of the past three rounds.“It was a hard-fought race. We lost first place with the VSC but then we managed to make our way back.