Antonelli Holds Off Leclerc At Spa, Extends F-1 Title Lead

Kimi Antonelli celebrates his sixth Formula One victory of the season Sunday in Belgium. (Jiri Krenek/Active Pictures for Mercedes-Benz)

By Thomas Hughes, SWN Open-Wheel Correspondent

STAVELOT, Belgium (July 19, 2026) — To take a page out of the 2018 movie Avengers: Infinity War, perhaps Kimi Antonelli is inevitable.

Antonelli returned to the top step of the podium for the first time in a month during Sunday’s Moët & Chandon Belgian Grand Prix, surviving pressure from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to claim his sixth victory of the Formula One season.

“It’s great to be back on the top step after a few difficult rounds,” Antonelli said. “It was a hard-fought race. We lost first place with the Virtual Safety Car, but then we managed to make our way back. It was a tough win because Charles was quick and we had to hold on.”

Antonelli did not lead for the majority of the race, but he led when it mattered most, converting pole to victory by 1.952 seconds over Leclerc.

It appears to pivot towards the conclusion that with each and every passing race, Antonelli becomes more and more of a favorite to clinch his first title — one that would put him as the youngest driver to win the F-1 title by more than three years.

“I just need to maximize the performance every time and try to do my best whenever I get in the car,” Antonelli said. “Then you see what the balance is at the end of the year. But with these new cars and new regulations, there’s so much going on and so many unpredictable things that can happen.”

The Mercedes driver started from pole position and held the lead after the start, but Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen quickly made his presence felt. Verstappen launched off the line and swept past Antonelli through Eau Rouge, briefly taking control before Antonelli used Mercedes’ pace to retake the lead down the Kemmel Straight.

Behind them, the opening lap created major drama. Antonelli’s teammate George Russell, attempting to recover after losing ground, collided with Lewis Hamilton; the Mercedes driver spun into the gravel and retired, bringing out the Safety Car and throwing his title hopes further into disarray.

The restart came on lap five, with Antonelli leading from Leclerc and Verstappen. The Mercedes driver handled the pressure well, maintaining his advantage while battles developed throughout the field.

Racing Bulls enjoyed one of its strongest starts of the season, with Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad moving into points-paying positions early, while defending F-1 champion and McLaren driver Lando Norris also began working his way forward after starting 13th due to a grid penalty.

Norris had qualified in third but was forced to start outside the top 10 after taking additional power unit components. Starting on hard tires, Norris used the strategy advantage to climb through the field, reaching seventh by lap 11 and continuing his charge toward the front.

At the front, Verstappen moved past Leclerc into second place at Les Combes, putting himself directly behind Antonelli. The Dutchman was the first of the leading contenders to stop on lap 18; Mercedes responded by covering the Red Bull threat, bringing Antonelli in.

Leclerc emerged ahead of Antonelli after the pit stops, putting himself in position to claim back-to-back victories. However, Antonelli remained within striking distance.

The midfield battles continued behind them. Oscar Piastri and Norris fought for position, with the McLaren teammates once again finding themselves in a close contest. Hamilton also became involved, battling Leclerc and Piastri while trying to recover from the opening-lap incident.

Hamilton’s race was complicated further when he received a five-second penalty for causing the race-opening collision with Russell.

Norris’ alternate strategy eventually faded. Running deep into the race on his original hard tires, he dropped out of podium contention before finally stopping on lap 31. Norris eventually finished seventh.

Pivoting towards the front, Antonelli reduced the gap and eventually made his move on lap 34, retaking the lead and putting himself back in control. Leclerc stayed within striking distance throughout the closing laps, with the gap shrinking under a second at points.

However, Antonelli remained composed and ultimately secured Mercedes’ eighth victory in 2026. Meanwhile, the podium finish was Leclerc’s fourth of the season.

“I’m confident in saying that I made a step forward,” Leclerc said. “Whether I’m at the level where I want to perform, not yet. There are still things in the car that I need to drive around. I cannot drive completely naturally, and that is slowing me down in some parts of the race. So, there are still things that I’ve got to work on in order to be better.”

Verstappen completed the rostrum in third, recovering from briefly leading early in the race but unable to match the pace of the two drivers ahead.

“I kept it on the road, which I think is the first thing,” Verstappen said. “We were just a little bit more competitive, and the balance was a little bit better. But we struggled more on the hard (compound), as simple as that.”

Hamilton finished fourth after his time penalty was applied, while Piastri crossed the line fifth.

Isack Hadjar delivered one of the strongest drives of the afternoon. Starting from the back of the grid after a power unit penalty, Hadjar charged through the field to finish sixth ahead of Norris, while Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto scored an eighth-place finish.

Lindblad finished ninth, while Colapinto secured the final point in 10th after a close battle with Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson.

Antonelli’s victory marked a return to form after several difficult rounds. The Italian leads the updated title hunt by 45 points over Hamilton and 50 over Russell.

Antonelli led the title race by 66 points after Monaco, but his title lead was trimmed to 25 entering Spa. In Belgium, he was simply a step ahead. Now, as a result, his lead is now nearly two races’ worth.

“The momentum has always been there despite what happened in the previous races,” Antonelli said in the news conference that followed his Spa victory. “That’s why I just need to take it one weekend at a time, because you never know what can happen.”

Formula One now heads directly to Budapest for the AWS Hungarian Grand Prix from July 24-26, where teams will continue the championship fight at the Hungaroring. After that, F-1 is off until Aug. 21-23, marking the annual summer break. All races are available to stream in the United States on Apple TV.