There’s a moment in a chess match when checkmate still seems distant, but the feeling that the game has already changed hands appears. The opponent continues to make moves, still finds some good plays, and the board remains full of pieces. But with each move, it becomes more evident: someone has taken control. This year’s Formula 1 Belgian GP had exactly that feeling.
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Kimi Antonelli not only won at the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit but took another step towards transforming the 2026 title fight into a championship played entirely at his pace. With such an extensive calendar, the advantage is not yet definitive, but the scenario is starting to change: now, rivals seem to increasingly need a mistake from the young Italian to get back into contention, and less from their own performances.
This doesn’t mean the season is over. Formula 1 has shown many times that championships can turn quickly. A successful upgrade, a series of retirements, or a bad patch, as Antonelli himself has experienced, can change everything. But Spa left an important message: today, Mercedes seems to have found a combination that its rivals have not yet been able to achieve.
In Belgium, Antonelli recovered from his poor performance in England and once again demonstrated the performance of an experienced driver. And the most impressive thing was precisely the lack of desperation, more controlled than his performance at Silverstone. The 19-year-old was fast all weekend and controlled the race even when Charles Leclerc temporarily took the lead with Ferrari after the pit stops.
Antonelli learned from the mistake that led to a penalty for exceeding track limits in the previous race. In Spa, he regained the lead, managed his advantage, and took the victory like someone who understood when not to take risks. Proof of this is that the youngster was warned about exceeding track limits and immediately stopped pushing the situation.
On the other side of the garage, George Russell had a weekend that sums up his season so far: not everything is bad luck. A driver needs to take responsibility for their mistakes, especially in a championship fight. It’s true that Mercedes identified engine problems that hampered his performance, especially at the start. The lack of battery power left the Brit vulnerable before the incident with Lewis Hamilton, and Toto Wolff admitted that this failure also impacted the gap to Antonelli.
But only part of the difference.
The Mercedes boss himself acknowledged that the rest came from the driver’s performance. And that’s the most worrying point for Russell. At the beginning of the year, it seemed natural to imagine a balanced fight within the team. Antonelli was the reckless youngster, Russell was the experienced and favorite driver. Today, that narrative has evaporated. While Russell tries to find answers to problems only he can solve, Antonelli continues to learn from his mistakes, accumulate points, and remains untouchable in the championship lead.
In chess, no one wins a great game with just one brilliant move. Victory comes after small advantages are accumulated until the opponent realizes they no longer have answers.
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The 2026 championship is still open on paper, but Antonelli is starting to build a comfortable position on the board. His rivals still have pieces to move, but perhaps they are reaching the point where they need to wait for an opponent’s mistake to believe in victory again.
Other highlights in Spa
Charles Leclerc – Besides Antonelli, Ferrari also left Spa with reasons to celebrate. Charles Leclerc drove a practically perfect race within the car’s possibilities, secured second place, and confirmed the good form started with the victory at Silverstone. But there was also an uncomfortable feeling for the Italians.
Ferrari seems to have found consistency but still hasn’t found enough speed to trouble Mercedes in all scenarios. The best possible result still seems far from victory. And the constructors’ championship campaign is starting to be hampered by the difficulty in keeping both its drivers at the same level. Lewis Hamilton was only 12th in Belgium and did not score points.
Lando Norris – McLaren perhaps left Belgium with the greatest sense of a missed opportunity. Surprisingly, Lando Norris showed pace to contend for the top positions, but a grid penalty for component changes ended up being an obstacle that turned his race into a recovery drive.
The reigning world champion was so surprised by the performance in Spa that he questioned the team about the difference from Silverstone, as he considers the two tracks quite similar in their characteristics.
Isack Hadjar – Starting from the back of the grid, he drove one of his best races for Red Bull. Sixth place and the pace shown indicate that the Frenchman is starting to justify the team’s gamble.
Gabriel Bortoleto – Another solid performance from the Brazilian, putting Audi back in the points. The team is still far from the top positions but is starting to close the gap to Racing Bulls in the midfield.
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