Belgian F1 live updates: Antonelli wins ahead of Leclerc, after VSC shakes up race

Formula 1 Storylines live Updated Belgian F1 live updates: Antonelli wins ahead of Leclerc, after VSC shakes up race Paddock packdown to pause? As the champagne was soaking into the overalls of Antonelli, Leclerc and Verstappen on the podium, the pit lane was already filling with mechanics stripping down the team pit equipment so it can be packed up and transported to Hungary for the next race this time next week. There's four hours until the World Cup final kicks off in New York City. With soccer very popular in the F1 world, I wonder if they'll be able to pause filling the trucks in time to watch the game? As of Thursday, Argentine driver Franco Colpinto was yet to finalized his final-watching plan, while Spaniard Carlos Sainz is flying home with Leclerc and take off is set for kick off! Sainz was already fearing Ferrari's post-race debrief would run long if his former teammate got on the podium, as Luke explained below, and that has now come to pass ... Verstappen popular on the podium I popped down to the pit lane to catch the end of the podium ceremony. While the Spa crowd (which hit 400,000-strong over the whole weekend, according to a Formula One Management statement) gave Kimi Antonelli warm applause in recognition of his win, there was no doubt who they gave the loudest cheer: Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver was born in the country and has half-Belgian ancestry on his mother's side. Plus, he always puts on a show at this fearsome track. How Antonelli recovered to win at Spa Check out Luke and Madeline's briefing on that rather breathless Belgian GP, with its crash-filled opening and late chase for Antonelli against Leclerc. The podium ceremony is underway and we'll be hearing from the drivers and team bosses in the paddock shortly. The race's other retirements After Russell's early exit, two more cars failed to finish today's race. Sergio Pérez retired on Lap 13 due to a "rear spring/damper issue" on his Cadillac, per a team statement. And Lance Stroll stopped on Lap 25 after he felt a gearbox problem developing on his car that Aston Martin decided needed investigating in the pits. Antonelli wins the 2026 Belgian GP! Checkered flag! Antonelli wins, as he has looked like doing ever since Mercedes fixed its set up in second practice back on Friday afternoon. The final winning margin is 1.9-seconds and Antonelli now has a 50-point lead over Russell (who is down to third and back behind Hamilton, as it stands) in the championship standings. Last lap! Lap 44/44: It's almost race done for the lead battle, Antonelli has started the final lap with a handy 2.5-second lead over Leclerc. Why Hamilton was penalized for the Russell clash We've already had the stewards' ruling emailed through, about Hamilton's penalty for the collision with Russell. The stewards said they acknowledged "several mitigating circumstances" which included it being a Lap 1 incident (for which there is normally more leeway given) and his attempt to leave more room for Russell. But that meant Hamilton 'only' got a five-second penalty rather than the usual 10 seconds for causing a collision like that. Hamilton up to fourth, but may not keep it Lap 40/44: Hamilton has had plenty of action in this race, with his penalty for the collision with Russell on Lap 1 and then slow pitstop where he went to rejoin while a Ferrari mechanic was still working on his car. This will be investigated post-race and could yet land Hamilton with another penalty. Hamilton has just passed Piastri to retake fourth place, with Verstappen a further four-seconds ahead in third. Antonelli grabs breathing space Lap 39/44: Antonelli has now got the lead gap over one second, which means Leclerc loses access to the higher engine power of Overtake Mode. That could be it for the victory battle ... Antonelli not escaping Antonelli isn't disappearing into the distance as I was anticipating, here. Leclerc's managed to keep the Mercedes within sight and stay within the one-second window for Overtake Mode and higher engine power for now. It's at least some pressure on Antonelli... Antonelli back to first! Lap 34/44: That didn't take long at all - Antonelli breezes by Leclerc on the Kemmel Straight on his second lap using the Overtake Mode. Mercedes had warned that Leclerc might try and squeeze him at the subsequent Les Combes chicane, as he did against Piastri much earlier, but the pass was completed much earlier on the straight and there was little fight overall. Game on for the win Lap 33/44: As the race heads towards its final 11 laps, Antonelli has got the gap to Leclerc down under one second. He'll now have extra electric energy to spend which Leclerc can't access. Norris stops and loses time Lap 30/44: Norris finally stops to swap medium tires for hards, but his left-rear hard won't come off fast and the same medium won't go back on quickly either! He's down to eighth place and behind Gabriel Bortoleto's Audi when he would've come out in clean air but for the slow pit stop. McLaren warn Norris Norris, who was passed for third by Verstappen a few laps earlier and is still yet to stop, is told by his race engineer Will Joseph that he "doesn't want any yo-yo racing" with Piastri in the sister McLaren, and will "explain why later." That would only serve to hold up Piastri, who is on fresher tires and set to go to the finish without coming in again, unlike his teammate. Where Antonelli is gaining Lap 29/44: Antonelli isn't quite chomping into Leclerc's lead, but he has whittled the gap down to 2.5-seconds from 3.1-seconds in two laps. The Mercedes is quicker in sectors one and three, but the Ferrari takes back a handy few tenths in the middle sector. Antonelli finally by Norris, chasing Leclerc Lap 26/44: Leclerc's lead is up to 3.1- seconds, as Antonelli is struggling to pass Norris. He finally gets the McLaren on on the Kemmel Straight this lap, but Leclerc got by Norris much quicker and has gained around a second overall compared to how things stood just after Leclerc pitted. Don't count Antonelli out yet Ferrari did well to seize the moment with that VSC stop for Leclerc. But Antonelli is flying as he bears down at the front. This may feel like a repeat of Silverstone's closing stages, where Antonelli looked set to pass Leclerc before his wheel cover issue spoiled his charge. Leclerc flying out front Lap 24/44: Leclerc (pictured above before his VSC stop) is looking really fast now he's cleared Norris, lapping last time around 0.2-seconds quicker than Antonelli in third. But Antonelli is yet to clear Norris, and his pace will be compromised as a result. Leclerc leads overall Lap 23/44: Leclerc has zoomed up to Norris and the aging tires on his McLaren, and blasts by to take the lead on the long run up the Kemmel Straight. He leads Antonelli by just over two seconds and it's game on to see if the Ferrari driver can hang on to win two in a row after his Silverstone triumph. Another VSC boosts Leclerc to the lead! Lap 20/44: More debris needing to be recovered from the third sector means the VSC is activated again and it stays out longer this team, meaning Ferrari can pit Leclerc and gain time on Antonelli. It goes so well for Leclerc he comes out with a 1.5-second lead over Antonelli. Norris, who hasn't stopped yet, leads the race ahead of leclerc, but will drop back when he does come in.