Kimi Antonelli has strengthened his position at the top of the Formula 1 championship standings by winning the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, July 19th, 2026. The victory comes after a challenging couple of weeks for Antonelli, who described it as "great to be on the top step after two difficult rounds."

The race saw Antonelli's teammate George Russell crash out on the first lap. Russell expressed visible emotion after the incident and attributed the crash to a lack of speed on the straight due to a mysterious issue with his car. Speaking on Fox Sports, Russell said, "I just got totally swallowed up down the straight, I lost three positions down the straight, down into turn five, then the incident was a racing incident. Maybe I could have gone a bit wider, maybe he could've braked a bit more. The incident shouldn't have happened if I had the speed down the straight. Very, very disappointing...felt like I was in a position to fight for the lead after turn one and suddenly no power and it's all gone."

Following the crash, Russell slipped from second to third in the championship standings and is now 50 points behind leader Antonelli. Lewis Hamilton moved into second place in the standings after Russell's early exit.

Oscar Piastri overcame an early collision to finish fifth in the race, contributing valuable points for the team. Reflecting on the race, Piastri noted, "Was just about getting the result and today we were a bit lucky in what happened in terms of championship."

Antonelli's win at the Belgian GP further cements his authority in the drivers' championship race as the season progresses.

Sources