After a three-race losing skid that included a DNF in Barcelona and a P15 finish at Silverstone, Italian racer Kimi Antonelli finally returned to his winning ways after crossing the checkered flag in front at the iconic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.
In 10 races so far this season, the sophomore driver seized his sixth overall victory, steering the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team to 358 points in the Constructors’ Championship.
“It was a hard-fought race, pace was a lot higher than practice, and it was not easy… Definitely was not straightforward, but yeah, I’m very happy with it,” Antonelli said post-race.
Mercedes Finishes with Bittersweet Result
Despite the first-place finish from Antonelli, Mercedes also received the worst possible result in a race—a DNF from George Russell after crashing out in the opening lap.
Less than a minute after the five lights went out, Russell collided with former teammate Lewis Hamilton in Turn 6, sending the Mercedes star spinning into the gravel and ultimately putting an abrupt end to his Belgian tilt.
Still, Antonelli remained unfazed as the lone Mercedes driver on track, crossing the line by a mere 1.9 seconds ahead of Ferrari standout Charles Leclerc—marking the first time in five years that the pole sitter in Belgium also won the race.
Verstappen, Red Bull Bounce Back
After a dismaying race at Silverstone that ended in a DNF after crashing out with four laps left, Max Verstappen and Red Bull made sure to bounce back in major fashion.
Despite dropping a place from his qualifying result of P2, the Dutch driver still managed to seal a podium spot at third place, while fellow teammate Isack Hadjar pulled off one of the best performances of his young career, seizing a sixth-place finish despite starting the race 21st on the grid.
Meanwhile, Ferrari—who sits second in the Constructors’ title—added more points to their tally as Leclerc and Hamilton finished in second and fourth, respectively, while McLaren solidified the third spot after fifth- and seventh-place finishes from Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
The grid returns to action at the Hungaroring racetrack in the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, July 26.
