Belgian Grand Prix 2026 produced another shock in the new formula for success with this time it being demonstrated that it is not just about the pace. For the first time, Spa-Francorchamps singled out teams that learned how to deploy batteries along with teams yet to find consistency and reliability. Kimi Antonelli consolidated his title status with an elegant winner, Ferrari stealthily enhanced its title hopes and Red Bull’s recent improvements kept its car moving up toward the front. But George Russell and Oscar Piastri and Aston Martin were leaving Belgium with many questions unanswered all the while as the championship duel progresses towards Hungary.

⭐ Winner: Kimi Antonelli

Before Spa, doubts about the championship credentials of Kimi Antonelli were eradicated. The Mercedes youngster was briefly phased for Ford’s Max Verstappen who went through the confidence of attacking for a fantastic open lap overtake of the season down Eau Rouge. Instead, Antonelli was patient, deployed his batteries effectively and regained his lead from an enemy with coolness and incisiveness to take control of the rest of the race.

Antonelli’s one thing, though, is his outstanding sophistication. He’s just 19 and already has the power to run, yet the skills to choose wisely, attributes that are coveted by many veteran racers. His sixth win of the season was due to consistency, not any knee-jerk reaction, making him the standard-bearer of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Each race weekend appears to give a new impression that Mercedes has discovered their new long-term world champion.

❌ Loser: George Russell

Antonelli had another win and George Russell had one of his worst weekends of the year. The problems seldom occurred during qualifying when Mercedes’ deployment software meant that Russell could not keep up with pace of teammate Lawrence.Those first salient issues were ones of power unit deployment software as Russell simply could not match his teammate’s qualifying pace. The Brit unfortunately was left with more technical issues during the race as his car was unable to regenerate sufficient battery energy that was leaving turn 1.

This loss of power also left Russell exposed on Kemmel Straight as Lewis made contact to effectively give him no chance to score on the straight. Russell obviously wasn’t going for the finger-pointing finger, but this is on Mercedes’ agenda, as they’ve been plagued with reliability problems. Russell is still making points and his championship challenge is slowly getting further off over the weeks with Antonelli hitting a ton of points, although his pace is quite competitive when he’s running at his stock.

⭐ Winner: Ferrari

Spa was perhaps one of the biggest winners of the Biennale, if Ferrari did not secure victory. Charles Leclerc did another measured drive to come through for second place while Lewis Hamilton improved after picking up first-time contact with Russell, front wing damage and a challenging 1.7-second pit stop. The second and fourth place would have been a superb team effort on what is usually a circuit that shows the vulnerabilities of Ferrari in using hybrid technology.

The thread within Ferrari starts and stays strong. If Mercedes is just a little bit faster over a lap then every other week or so Ferrari will dominate yet. The degree of this reliability may mean it can make all the difference as the contest heads into the second half when they put their technical problems to the test, should any others continue to turn wheels.

❌ Loser: Oscar Piastri

After spending the weekend frustrated again, Oscar Piastri’s poor run. His preparation was cut short by hydraulic troubles on Friday and the problem made him unable to get into any battle close to the front. Teams fans may feel that it was another race that Lando Norris had slightly more pace all weekend long as teammate, but it was a job for good damage limitation done in fifth place.

Despite being one of Formula 1’s quickest young talents, a downtrend has become evident at recent races for Piastri. He’s slowed down his momentum as a contender for the championship with a few minor problems, some tarnished qualifying starts and some rough weekends. That still has a pretty competitive package but it’s relatively safe to say that unless Piastri can regain his confidence when it comes to qualifying it’s going to be a little harder for him to keep up with Norris and the No 1s.

⭐ Winner: Gabriel Bortoleto

Engine performance is so important at Spa, that not many would have imagined that Audi was going to leave with a point score. But Gabriel Bortoleto was the same youngster again, proving his capacity to be one of Formula 1’s most exciting young talents. The Brazilian easily siloed his way to Q3 before putting in a points-worthy execution of that routine, despite the slow start.

Strategy wasn’t the only element of Bortoleto’s game. He was racing at a level throughout the day and his confidence was building in high pressure situations on every stint. Audi’s power unit is still one of the least powerful on the grid and another victory at Spa on the points table is all the more impressive. It would be no surprise if the German outfit follows their progress and becomes a middle class contender with normal outpouring before the end of this season.

❌ Loser: Aston Martin

Spa showed how far work there was still to be undertaken by Aston Martin. Both Alonso and Stroll were engaged in a battle just to follow rally music in the midfield throughout the weekend, which saw the AMR26 not pay attention to the pace of the other cars on the long straights or fast corners. Aston Martin’s development has come to a standstill following the rivalry team’s substantial improvements over recent races, while both drivers are frustrated by their lack of progress.

Now the team is hanging on a big aerodynamic spit around to be first to get the Hungarian Grand Prix, and after the power unit will be updated later this year. But as the difference in performance has widened, however, mere upgrading may not be enough to help Aston Martin bounce back straight away. If those improvements don’t yield them much, the team may end up fighting for positions near the end of the season.

🏆 Second Place: Red Bull Racing

Red Bull was in a sweet spot for one of the most promising weekends of the season. If anything, Max Verstappen wouldn’t have been able to stop him winning but Antonelli was significantly more competitive looking than just a fortnight ago. The team made better strides in its race pace on the opening lap with the RB22 in the lead as “neutrophilia” had been a problem and the new upgrades to the car seemed to have been effective in helping the team match pace with the hybrids.

It was as wellwoven as it was entertaining, Isack Hadjar’s as well. The young Frenchman delivered one of his best drives of his time at Red Bull, and netted crucial points, and put the team two strong cars into the competition during a race. Belgium was a welcome reminder that Red Bull will still be with us for the long haul for a team all but desperate with the constant rumour and speculation surrounding personnel moves and Verstappen’s immediate and long term future.

Belgian GP 2026 had once again proved that the new era of Formula 1 was not about having to be faster than anyone else – it’s about executing things right. Battery deployment, energy recovery and accuracy were key all weekend as use of each opportunity was rewarded with accuracy even on the tiniest of technical shortcomings being penalised. Kimi Antonelli was once again everything in one, Ferrari had their headsets steeled for the title title and Gabriel Bortoleto kept making his steady ascent with Audi and Red Bull’s comeback was getting on the right track.

Belgium was another sign to Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin that consistency is going to be key in the battle for this year’s championship. motsu is a need for Russell, momentum for Piastri and performance improvements for Aston Martin. Hungary is next on the meets agendas and there are still a number of teams working on big changes for the upcoming races, but the race for the driver’s and constructors’ championship titles can’t be declared an orator yet.

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