Kimi Antonelli won the Belgian GP and extended his lead in the Formula 1 championship. Gabriel Bortoleto also shone at Spa-Francorchamps by finishing eighth and scoring points for the second consecutive race.
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Antonelli started from pole position, lost the lead to Charles Leclerc during the pit stop window, but caught up with the Ferrari driver and regained the lead with an overtake on lap 34. The Monegasque crossed the finish line just over two seconds later, while Max Verstappen completed the podium.
Bortoleto dropped from eighth to 11th in the early laps but recovered ground with a strategy that extended his first stint. The Brazilian resisted pressure from Arvid Lindblad at the end, added four more points, and reached ten in the championship. “It was an incredible weekend, with Q3, P8 now. There was no way to want more than that with the car we have,” he said.
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Leclerc was also voted driver of the day by fans, receiving 17.7% of the votes after fighting for the win. However, the Monegasque’s race also sparked complaints from Oscar Piastri, who had his front wing damaged in a touch during the battle for third place and felt that the rival should have received at least a warning.
Lewis Hamilton finished fourth even after serving a five-second penalty for contact that contributed to George Russell’s retirement on the first lap. The Briton also escaped a new sporting sanction after hitting a mechanic during his pit stop, with Ferrari receiving a fine. Antonelli now leads the World Championship with 204 points, against 159 for Hamilton and 154 for Russell.
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