Antonelli won the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the Belgian Grand Prix at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The season leader returned to winning ways, finishing ahead of Charles Leclerc.
At the start of the Belgian Grand Prix, the young Italian fended off attacks from Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. Behind them, however, another Mercedes driver—George Russell—spun off into the gravel after making contact with Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari). Hamilton received a five-second penalty for the incident.
Verstappen later regained second place, overtaking Leclerc. On lap 10, Hamilton passed McLaren driver Oscar Piastri. The virtual safety car added extra intrigue to the race, allowing the Ferrari drivers to minimize their pit stop times.
As a result, after a wave of pit stops, Leclerc found himself ahead of Antonelli. The leader, however, was reigning champion Lando Norris (McLaren), who started from the middle of the pack and opted for a late pit stop. But the Briton was overtaken by both title contenders and Verstappen.
On lap 31, Norris finally made his pit stop, but the mechanics took too long, costing the McLaren driver any chance of a podium finish. The key moment came a few laps later. Antonelli caught up to Leclerc and coolly overtook him on his first attempt.
The only change in the final laps was Hamilton’s advance. The experienced Brit managed to pass Piastri and finished in fourth place. Antonelli won the race after three consecutive setbacks, with Leclerc and Verstappen joining him on the podium.
Behind them were Hamilton and Piastri. The top ten also included Isaac Ajjar (Red Bull), the aforementioned Norris, Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto, Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls, and Alpine driver Franco Colapinto.
Source: Formula 1
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