Kimi Antonelli has secured his sixth victory of the season at the Belgian Grand Prix. The Italian teenager won from pole position, extending his lead at the top of the drivers’ championship. Antonelli is now 45 points clear of his new nearest rival, Lewis Hamilton, after a dominant performance at Spa-Francorchamps.
Championship Lead Widens for Antonelli
Kimi Antonelli’s advantage had been cut to 25 points at the top of the drivers’ championship following a disappointing run of races. However, with his sixth victory of the season secured in Belgium, the Italian teenager has significantly extended his lead. Antonelli is now 45 points clear of Lewis Hamilton, who gained a place in the standings with his fourth-placed finish at Spa.
The current drivers’ championship standings show Antonelli in the lead with 204 points. Lewis Hamilton follows with 159 points. Mercedes teammate George Russell holds third position with 154 points, trailing Antonelli by 50 points and Hamilton by five. Charles Leclerc is fourth with 126 points, 28 points behind Russell. Further positions include Lando Norris in fifth with 103 points, Oscar Piastri in sixth with 92 points, and Max Verstappen in seventh with 91 points. Isack Hadjar is listed with 60 points, and Liam Lawson with 39 points.
Antonelli Reflects on Return to Top Step
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who secured the Belgian Grand Prix victory from pole position, stated: “It is great to be back at the top step after a few difficult rounds.” He added that “it was a hard-fought” win at Spa. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who finished the Belgian Grand Prix in third, offered his perspective on the race.
Verstappen said he tried “everything I could in the race.” He described his first stint as “not too bad,” while the second stint was “probably a bit more difficult.” Verstappen also commented that he felt Kimi and he “got a little bit unlucky with the virtual safety car.” Despite this, he concluded that “for us to be on the podium is good” and that he “gave it everything I had, actually P3 is good.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who finished second at Spa, stated: “I believed in the win until the end.” Leclerc noted that his team “had a little bit of luck with the VSC (virtual safety car) at the right time for us.” He also highlighted that “the pace was relatively strong.” Leclerc experienced “five or six laps on the hards where I was struggling with the front axle” before it “came back a little bit,” concluding that he “felt better with the car, there’s still some work to do but it’s a step forward.”
Russell’s Challenging Belgian Grand Prix
It has been a bad day at the office for George Russell at Spa. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has been speaking to Sky Sports and says he’s going to have to put an arm around his driver George Russell. The Briton looked devastated as he explained his version of events following his early retirement from the race.
Russell highlighted how he was about 40% down on his battery power in the opening stages before the contact. This power deficit led his Silver Arrows to be swallowed up by his competitors on the Kemmel Straight. George Russell now trails Antonelli by 50 points and Hamilton by five in the drivers’ championship standings.
Constructors’ Standings and Hungarian Outlook
Mercedes maintains a substantial lead in the constructors’ championship, sitting 73 points clear of second-placed Ferrari. This lead is despite the team losing out on points through George Russell’s early retirement at the Belgian Grand Prix. McLaren moved on to 195 points in third position in the standings.
Red Bull currently occupies fourth spot, 44 points behind McLaren. The battle for fifth place in the constructors’ championship is also intensifying, as Alpine and Racing Bulls are now level on 61 points. Both teams finished with a driver inside the top 10 at Spa-Francorchamps. Russell has a chance to recover quickly from this setback, with the F1 calendar moving to Hungary next week for the final race before the summer break. We will keep an eye out for a decision on Lewis Hamilton’s unsafe release investigation, though.