Italian recovers the lead after Ferrari’s strategy, overtakes Leclerc on track and wins in Spa. Gabriel Bortoleto withstands pressure from Lindblad and scores important points for Audi.
Kimi Antonelli confirmed the excellent form he has been showing in the 2026 Formula 1 season and won the Belgian GP held in Spa-Francorchamps this Sunday. The Mercedes driver started from pole position, lost the lead during the pit stop window to Charles Leclerc, but regained the lead with a decisive overtake on lap 34 to claim another victory in the championship. Leclerc finished second, just over two seconds behind the Italian, while Max Verstappen completed the podium. Gabriel Bortoleto had a consistent race and crossed the finish line in eighth place, securing more points for Audi.
Even before the start, the weekend was already bringing good news for Brazilian motorsport. Hours before Formula 1, Rafael Câmara won the Formula 3 race in Spa and remained among the top contenders in the championship, reinforcing his status as a leading candidate to reach the F1 grid next season.
With only a 10% chance of rain, most drivers chose medium tires for the start. Norris, Pérez, Stroll, Hadjar, and Alonso opted for the hard tires, while Bottas and Sainz went for the softs. Bortoleto lined up in eighth, a position earned after reaching Q3 and benefiting from penalties to Norris and Hadjar.
When the lights went out, Verstappen made an excellent start and took the lead from Antonelli. The Italian immediately responded by using all the battery energy to try to regain the position, while Leclerc took advantage of the Dutchman’s momentary loss of pace to also overtake him. Further back, Bortoleto lost two positions in the first meters and was quickly pressured by Norris, who was starting a great recovery drive after starting only 13th.
The first lap ended in confusion. George Russell lost control of the Mercedes at Turn 5, touched Lewis Hamilton, and spun into the gravel, causing the Safety Car to be deployed. Hamilton lost part of his front wing but managed to continue the race. After review by the stewards, the Ferrari driver received a five-second penalty for causing the collision. During the neutralization, Bearman, Hadjar, Pérez, Bottas, and Ocon took the opportunity to make early pit stops.
At the restart, the battle focused between the Ferraris. Hamilton persistently pressured Leclerc for third place, but the Monegasque defended firmly. Ferrari also informed the driver that they would adopt a “plan B” strategy due to less tire degradation than expected. Meanwhile, Bortoleto was stuck behind Lawson and a group also formed by Colapinto and Gasly, losing pace until being overtaken by Hadjar.
The race changed again during the pit stop window. A first Virtual Safety Car was deployed on lap 18, followed by another neutralization shortly after when marshals had to enter the track to remove debris. Ferrari perfectly took advantage of the situation. Leclerc made his stop during the VSC and returned ahead of Antonelli, taking the clear lead of the race. Audi also nailed Bortoleto’s strategy, who made his tire change during the neutralization and returned to the track in eighth position.
Read more F3: after podium in Sprint, Pedro Clerot leaves Spa in the top-10 of the championship
In the second half of the race, Leclerc tried to open a gap while Antonelli was momentarily stuck behind Norris, who was using a different strategy. The Italian needed a few laps to overtake the McLaren, allowing the Ferrari driver to open more than three seconds of advantage. As soon as he regained second position, however, Antonelli started an relentless chase.
Lap after lap, the Mercedes driver reduced the gap until he definitively entered the DRS zone. On lap 34 came the decisive moment of the race. Antonelli took advantage of superior speed on the straight, positioned the car on the outside, and completed the overtake even before the braking zone of Turn 5, reclaiming the lead cleanly and decisively. Immediately after, he also set the fastest lap of the race to consolidate the advantage.
Leclerc stayed close for a few laps but never managed to get close enough to retake the overtake. Ferrari also instructed changes to the engine braking setting in an attempt to find more performance, but Antonelli perfectly managed the lead until the checkered flag.
Further back, Hamilton overtook Oscar Piastri again in the final straight and recovered fourth position on track, although he still had an investigation pending for unsafe release during the pit stop. Verstappen, in turn, overtook Norris in the second half of the race and secured third place on the podium, finishing about ten seconds behind the duo fighting for the win.
The final stretch also required calm from Gabriel Bortoleto. The Brazilian came under pressure from Arvid Lindblad, saw the gap drop to less than two seconds, and even ran wide at the Bus Stop chicane, cutting part of the track during the battle. Race control noted the incident for possible advantage gained but quickly decided not to open an investigation, allowing the Audi driver to keep his position.
In the last laps, Norris still tried to catch Hadjar in the fight for sixth place but could not create a real overtaking opportunity. Free from the threat of penalty and maintaining about two seconds advantage over Lindblad, Bortoleto managed the pace until the checkered flag to confirm a solid eighth place, scoring important points for Audi in a race marked by strategy, neutralizations, and a great battle for victory.
Check the result of the 2026 Belgian GP:
1) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
2) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
3) Max Verstappen (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford)
4) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
5) Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes)
6) Isack Hadjar (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford)
7) Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes)
8) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
9) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford)
10) Franco Colapinto (Alpine/Mercedes)
11) Pierre Gasly (Alpine/Mercedes)
12) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford)
13) Nico Hülkenberg (Audi)
14) Oliver Bearman (Haas/Ferrari)
15) Alexander Albon (Williams/Mercedes)
16) Carlos Sainz (Williams/Mercedes)
17) Esteban Ocon (Haas/Ferrari)
18) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac/Ferrari)
19) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin/Honda)
OUT) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin/Honda)
OUT) Sergio Pérez (Cadillac/Ferrari)
OUT) George Russell (Mercedes)
