Antonelli Wins in Belgium to Extend Lead as Russell Crashes Out

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli re-established his comfortable championship lead with victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, despite a virtual safety car (VSC) delay, while teammate George Russell crashed out in a first-lap incident with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.

The Italian fought back after losing time under VSC to catch and pass Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, claiming his sixth win in 10 races this season.

Russell, who retired after the collision with Hamilton, dropped to third in the standings, 50 points behind Antonelli. Hamilton was promoted to second, five points ahead of Russell, finishing fourth. Red Bull's Max Verstappen took the final podium place.

The VSC period gave Leclerc a cheap pit stop, allowing him to leapfrog Antonelli. However, Antonelli closed the gap and passed Leclerc on the Kemmel straight eight laps later. Despite facing a potential five-second penalty for exceeding track limits, Antonelli controlled the race to win by just under two seconds.

It was his first win since Monaco in early June, after a retirement in Spain, a third in Austria, and a point-less finish at the British Grand Prix.

Ferrari showed stronger race pace than expected, and Leclerc's second place was impressive following his win at Silverstone. Hamilton received a five-second penalty for the collision with Russell and also hit a mechanic during his pit stop, an incident that will be investigated after the race.

Lando Norris, who started 13th after a penalty, adopted an alternate strategy but was hindered by the VSC. He finished seventh. The top ten: Antonelli, Leclerc, Verstappen, Hamilton, Piastri, Hadjar, Norris, Bortoleto, Lindblad, Colapinto.