.png){kind=small}
Kimi Antonelli goes into the summer break as the championship leader after winning the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, extending his advantage to 25 points over Mercedes team-mate George Russell. Russell's title challenge took a brutal hit with a lap one retirement — handing Antonelli the kind of breathing room that could define this championship run-in.
The more pressing intrigue sits behind them. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and moves to third in the championship standings on 147 points, but a post-race penalty is hanging over him — and potentially a second, relating to contact with a Ferrari mechanic. If those penalties bite, the picture behind Antonelli shifts again. Hamilton currently sits just seven points clear of Charles Leclerc, whose Spa podium — a second-place finish — narrows his gap to Russell to 46 points. The Monégasque is building momentum at exactly the right time.
In the constructors' battle, Mercedes lead on 333 points with Ferrari on 255. McLaren sit third on 179, with Norris and Piastri yet to win a race between them this season. Red Bull are fourth on 128, with Verstappen still searching for a maiden 2026 victory.
The Hamilton penalty situation needs to resolve before the championship picture fully clarifies — follow all the developments in our race centre. Formula 1 reconvenes after the summer shutdown for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring.