Kimi Antonelli wins Belgian Grand Prix, Russell crashes out

The 19-year-old Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli delivered a commanding drive at the challenging circuit of Spa-Francorchamps to take victory at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.

It was the Italian’s sixth win of the season, extending his lead to 50 points over title rival and teammate George Russell, who crashed out in the opening lap after a clash with Ferarri’s Lewis Hamilton.

Charles Leclerc took second after briefly leading the pack when a safety car gave him an opportunity to pitstop, but Antonelli calmly chased the Monegasque driver down to retake the lead within 10 laps.

Red Bull’s Verstappen was third, cheered on by his travelling “Orange Army,” while Hamilton was fourth, ahead of Piastri, Hadjar and Norris. Bortoleto, Lindblad and Colapinto also took points.

The opening lap was the most eventful of the race with Antonelli, who was on pole, briefly losing his lead when Verstappen slipped past him on the downhill track towards the famous Eau Rouge corner.

As the Italian regained the lead, Russell’s car spun into the gravel after it was clipped by Hamilton on the notorious bend. The early forced retirement was a bitter blow to the Briton’s title hopes.

Hamilton received a five-point penalty which he served during the ensuing pitstop. There was further drama when he was given the green light to pull away and his car struck one of the mechanics. The latter was unhurt but the incident is under investigation.

For Antonelli, though, victory was sweet after his previous three Formula One outings garnered only 15 points. “It’s great to be back on the top after a few difficult rounds. It was a hard-fought race. We lost the first place with the Virtual Safety Car, we made our way back and it was a tough win as Charles was quick and we had to hold on to them,” he said immediately after the race.

The Italian youngster is only in his second Formula One season, but is exuding increasing confidence, as well as natural speed. He now heads to Hungary next weekend, the last race before the summer break, with a 45-point lead over Hamilton who lies in second place.

For the organisers of the local Grand Prix, it was a successful edition with a record attendance of 400,000. After a light sprinkling of rain during the formation lap, the Ardennes track renowned for its tricky conditions when when wet, remained dry. King Philippe was at the race and presented winner Antonelli with his trophy.

Photos: ©Spa Grand Prix Facebook page; Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps Facebook page