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Antonelli Wins Belgian GP, Leads Hamilton by 45 Points

7/20/2026

30 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Antonelli Wins Spa

Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on July 19, 2026.
The win put him at 204 points, 45 ahead of Lewis Hamilton and 50 ahead of George Russell.
George Russell retired on lap one after colliding with Hamilton’s Ferrari, sending him into gravel.
Hamilton finished fourth and received a five-second penalty for the collision.
Ferrari was fined €30,000, with €10,000 suspended, for an unsafe pit-lane release.

Summary

Russell Battery Failure

George Russell said a battery failure after Turn 1 left his Mercedes 35 % low on charge, causing a power loss at Eau Ridge and a gravel run.
Toto Wolff blamed a weak power-unit and a software flaw across the engine family, and promised to support Russell after the race.
Lewis Hamilton called the collision a “racing incident,” said he would text Russell an apology, and called the penalty unnecessary.

History

Historical Context

The 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, held on 28 September 2008, was Formula 1’s first night race and the sport’s 800th World Championship event. A deliberately staged crash by Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr. triggered a safety-car period that helped teammate Fernando Alonso win, later exposing the ‘Crashgate’ scandal and prompting FIA bans for team principal Flavio Briatore and engineer Pat Symonds.

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Antonelli Wins Spa

Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on July 19, 2026.
The win put him at 204 points, 45 ahead of Lewis Hamilton and 50 ahead of George Russell.
George Russell retired on lap one after colliding with Hamilton’s Ferrari, sending him into gravel.
Hamilton finished fourth and received a five-second penalty for the collision.
Ferrari was fined €30,000, with €10,000 suspended, for an unsafe pit-lane release.

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