Overview
- Kimi Antonelli converted pole into victory at Spa on Sunday by reclaiming the lead from Charles Leclerc with a high‑speed pass down the Kemmel Straight on lap 34.
- George Russell was spun into the gravel on the opening lap after contact with Lewis Hamilton and retired from the race, leaving him roughly 45–50 points behind Antonelli in the standings.
- Race stewards gave Hamilton a five‑second penalty for causing the collision with Russell, and Hamilton later faced a post‑race probe after a Ferrari unsafe pit release clipped a mechanic who was reported unhurt; Ferrari were fined for the incident.
- Russell reported a battery recharge failure and a persistent top‑speed deficit that left him vulnerable on the Kemmel Straight, and Mercedes say engineers are urgently investigating those energy‑management issues.
- With the Hungarian Grand Prix next and the four‑week summer break after that, Antonelli’s extended lead changes the title fight dynamic and makes any Mercedes fixes and stewarding clarifications time‑sensitive.