Formula 1® Belgium Recap – Rain Holds Off and Action Abounds in Spa

With the threat of rain clouding the start of the Formula 1® MOET & CHANDON BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2026, all eyes were on the sky, but the track would remain dry as drivers fought for position and took chances that would either pay off in podium finishes or cost them everything.

FREE PRACTICE

Most teams focused on car setup during the first free practice session, and one of the most visible changes came from Red Bull. After Max Verstappen spun twice in previous races due to issues with the team’s new-for-2026 rotating upper wing, the team reverted to a traditional, non-rotating version for Spa.

More than one team struggled to return to the pits due to mechanical issues throughout the free practice sessions. Oscar Piastri’s car suffered from hydraulic pressure issues in the first session, and his car spent most of the second session in the pits as the team worked to solve the issue prior to qualifying. Later, Isack Hadjar encountered issues in the pit exit, where he stalled out and had to be pushed back to the Red Bull garage.

As much of a setback each of those issues was, Alpine and Ferrari fared significantly worse. In the second free practice session, Pierre Gasly lost traction in turn 13. This sent him into the gravel, and as the rear of his car swung wide, the right rear tire made contact with the wall, resulting in significant damage and a red flag.

Later, in the third session, Lewis Hamilton experienced the same sequence of events in the same track location when a snap of oversteer sent him into the same section of wall.

QUALIFICATION

With the exception of Nico Hülkenberg abandoning Q2 due to mechanical issues, each qualification session was completed without incident. The first session claimed both drivers of Aston Martin and Cadillac as those teams continue to find their footing for the 2026 season.

Aston Martin is hoping to bring their lingering performance issues to an end with a significant upgrade package at next weekend’s race in Hungary. Cadillac, in the meantime, continues to gather data and learn as much as possible in their first-ever season. Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon were also eliminated from Q1.

Q2 saw the elimination of Oliver Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Franco Colapinto, Nico Hülkenberg, Pierre Gasly, and Liam Lawson. This set the stage for a competitive Q3, and when the dust settled, Kimi Antonelli continued his trend of strong qualifications when he claimed pole position. Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, George Russell, and Charles Leclerc rounded out the top five.

RACE

The action began on lap one of the race when Lewis Hamilton and George Russell made contact in turn 5. In the turn, Russell provided Hamilton with sufficient space, but Hamilton experienced understeer and collided with Russell, sending Russell off the track and ending his race as Hamilton recovered and continued the lap. Despite the incident resulting in a 5-second time penalty for Hamilton, Russell later stated he felt it was a racing incident, expressing more frustration with his car’s lack of power on the straight, which placed him into traffic approaching from behind.

Other smaller skirmishes took place in the opening lap, with Esteban Ocon making light contact with multiple cars and then departing the track with a suspected flat tire. Isack Hadjar returned to the pits, ultimately abandoning the race and incurring a DNF.

Lap 8 brought more action, as Oscar Piastri attempted to overtake Charles Leclerc in turn 5. As the two cars approached the turn, Piastri had not moved far enough ahead of Leclerc to claim the turn and ran out of space as Leclerc set up his turn entry, making contact with Piastri and damaging Piastri’s front wing. The stewards determined Leclerc did not crowd or force Piastri off of the track, and they did not assess penalty points against either driver.

The deployment of a virtual safety car during lap 20 was fortunate for both Ferrari drivers, as this set them up to take advantage of a double pit stop without losing as much time to rivals due to the slower pace of all cars under the virtual safety car. Because of these circumstances, Lewis Hamilton was able to gain a slight time advantage against the car ahead despite having to serve his five-second penalty in the pits.

Unfortunately, a mishap occurred during Hamilton’s release, when he hit a pit crew member with his front right wheel. The crew member was reportedly uninjured, but race stewards placed Hamilton and Ferrari under investigation for an unsafe release, with the investigation slated to take place after the race.

Ultimately, Kimi Antonelli maintained his lead and went on to win the race. He was joined on the podium by Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, who finished second and third, respectively.

FINAL RACE RESULTS:

1. Kimi Antonelli
2. Charles Leclerc
3. Max Verstappen
4. Lewis Hamilton
5. Oscar Piastri
6. Isack Hadjar
7. Lando Norris
8. Gabriel Bortoleto
9. Arvid Lindblad
10.  Franco Colapinto
11. Pierre Gasly
12. Liam Lawson
13. Nico Hülkenberg
14. Oliver Bearman
15. Alex Albon
16. Carlos Sainz
17. Estaban Ocon
18. Valtteri Bottas
19. Fernando Alonso

DNF – Lance Stroll

DNF – Sergio Perez

DNF – George Russell