KIMI Antonelli got back to winning ways in emphatic fashion, converting pole position into victory at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday to end a three-race drought and stretch his Formula 1 championship lead.
The Mercedes star held off a relentless Charles Leclerc to claim his sixth victory in 10 races this season, crossing the line 1.9 seconds clear of the Ferrari driver on an eventful afternoon at Spa-Francorchamps.
It also marked the first time that the pole sitter in Belgium won the race since Lewis Hamilton accomplished the feat for Mercedes in 2021.
READ: Antonelli storms to pole in Belgium as Norris drops 10 places
Max Verstappen completed the podium in third, giving Red Bull its milestone 300th podium finish in F1 after 427 starts.
The victory carried even more historical weight for Antonelli, who tied Riccardo Patrese for the second-most Grand Prix wins by an Italian driver in F1 history with six, trailing only two-time F1 champion Alberto Ascari with 13.
"It's great to be back on the top stop after a few difficult rounds. It was a hard-fought race. We lost the first place with the Virtual Safety Car, we made our way back and it was a touch win as Charles was quick," Antonelli said.
An eventful day in Spa
Antonelli's afternoon did not begin smoothly as Verstappen launched brilliantly off the line and swept past the Mercedes at Eau Rouge on the opening lap, only for Antonelli to reclaim the lead soon after.
Behind them, the race took an early twist when George Russell and Hamilton made contact in a battle for position, sending the Mercedes into the gravel and forcing the championship contender into retirement.
The incident dramatically altered the title fight before the opening laps had even settled, with Hamilton receiving a five-second penalty for the collision with Russell.
A Safety Car bunched up the field shortly in just the second lap, with a brief Virtual Safety Car to clear on-track debris in Lap 20, but Antonelli remained composed on the restart before withstanding a late charge from Leclerc to secure his first victory since Monaco.
Leclerc settled for second after narrowly missing out on back-to-back wins, while Verstappen claimed his third podium of the season.
Hamilton crossed the line fourth, with Oscar Piastri completing the top five. Isack Hadjar produced one of the drives of the day by charging from the back of the grid to sixth, ahead of fellow recovery specialist Lando Norris, who climbed from 13th to seventh after his 10-place grid penalty.
Gabriel Bortoleto finished eighth for Audi, while Arvid Lindblad and Franco Colapinto completed the top 10. Liam Lawson, Pierre Gasly and Nico Hulkenberg narrowly missed the points-paying positions.
Hamilton's weekend, however, may not yet be over as the Ferrari veteran remains under post-race investigation for an unsafe release in Lap 20 in the pit lane after already being penalized for the opening-lap collision with Russell.
With the victory, Antonelli boosted his championship tally to 204 points, extending his lead to 45 points over Hamilton and 50 over his scoreless teammate Russell heading into the next round.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
