Kimi Antonelli won the Belgian Grand Prix for Mercedes with a cool, assured drive, but his title rival and teammate George Russell was left distraught after his championship challenge suffered another serious blow when he was knocked out on the opening lap after a clash with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.
Antonelli's commanding performance
Antonelli was in control at the front and delivered a commanding drive, including coming back at Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who finished second, after the Monegasque driver had gained the lead through the pit stops. The win was assuredly deserved but the race was notable because of Russell's retirement, for which the British driver took aim at his Mercedes team and what he sees as his car's weakness.
Title race implications
The win has once more given Antonelli a huge lead in the world championship, with the 19-year-old now 50 points clear of Russell. For the title race at least the key moments had come in the opening seconds. According to Mercedes team sources, the clash was deemed a racing incident, but Russell expressed frustration over the car's performance.
