SPA, BELGIUM - JULY 19: Race winner Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team celebrates on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 19, 2026 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)Getty ImagesAndrea Kimi Antonelli stretched his Formula 1 championship lead with a victory at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.After celebrating a fifth consecutive win in round six in Monaco that saw him build a 66-point lead over Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, Antonelli experienced a series of misfortunes in the following three rounds, managing only 23 points while his title rivals closed in on him in the standings.The Mercedes man suffered a late retirement in Barcelona, took third place in Austria and then secured victory in Saturday’s sprint at Silverstone before finishing in a point-less 15th in the main race on Sunday.Following the British Grand Prix weekend, Antonelli found his lead slashed to only 25 points over his teammate George Russell, who built on his second-place finish in Barcelona and his victory in Spielberg with a P2 on home turf at Silverstone.Knowing very well the pressure he is under, Antonelli managed to bounce back beautifully in round 10 at Spa, converting his pole position into a sixth win of the season and further extending his lead in the championship to 45 points.Charles Leclerc, who took the lead at some point during the 44-lap race, secured second place in his Ferrari while Max Verstappen took third for Red Bull.SPA, BELGIUM - JULY 19: Race winner Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Second placed Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Scuderia Ferrari Third placed Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Tom Batch, Operations Director of Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 19, 2026 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)Getty ImagesMORE FOR YOUMeanwhile, Russell suffered a big blow in his title fight after he was forced to retire from the race on the opening lap. The Briton was trying to overtake Hamilton around the outside when the Ferrari clipped the rear of his Mercedes and sent him spinning into the gravel.Russell dropped to third in the standings after a scoreless Spa weekend, with 50 points now separating him from his teammate and current leader Antonelli.Hamilton crossed the finish line in fourth, having served a five-second time penalty during the race for causing a collision with Russell. He also avoided another time penalty post-race for an unsafe release during his pitstop, with the stewards instead handing the Italian team a €30,000 fine ($34,000) - of which €10,000 is suspended for the next 12 months.The seven-time champion now sits second in the standings with 159 points - 45 points behind Antonelli and only five ahead of Russell.TOPSHOT - Mercedes' British driver George Russell (L) looses control and crashes in the gravel after colliding with Ferrari's British driver Lewis Hamilton (R) at the start of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, in Spa, on July 19, 2026. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesLeclerc, fresh off his brilliant win at Silverstone, strengthened his grip on fourth place with a P2 finish at Spa, bringing his points tally to 126.Verstappen’s third podium finish of the season has him at 91 points, placing him seventh behind the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.On the constructors’ front, Mercedes holds a 73-point lead over Ferrari as they chase their first constructors’ championship since 2021 and their ninth overall.McLaren sits in third place, 163 points behind Mercedes, while Red Bull trails in fourth, 207 points back.With 10 rounds now completed, Cadillac remains the only team yet to score any points this season.ForbesF1 2026 Calendar: Full Race Schedule And Sprint VenuesBy Yara ElshebinyForbesF1 2026 Grid: Confirmed Driver Lineups For Each TeamBy Yara ElshebinyF1 Standings 2026 – Drivers’ ChampionshipHere are the updated drivers’ standings after the Belgian Grand Prix:Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes): 204 pointsLewis Hamilton (Ferrari): 159 pointsGeorge Russell (Mercedes): 154 pointsCharles Leclerc (Ferrari): 126 pointsLando Norris (McLaren): 103 pointsOscar Piastri (McLaren): 92 pointsMax Verstappen (Red Bull): 91 pointsIsack Hadjar (Red Bull): 60 pointsPierre Gasly (Alpine): 42 pointsLiam Lawson (Racing Bulls): 39 pointsArvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls): 22 pointsFranco Colapinto (Alpine): 19 pointsOliver Bearman (Haas): 18 pointsGabriel Bortoleto (Audi): 10 pointsCarlos Sainz (Williams): 6 pointsAlexander Albon (Williams): 5 pointsEsteban Ocon (Haas): 3 pointsFernando Alonso (Aston Martin): 1 pointNico Hulkenberg (Audi): 0 pointsValtteri Bottas (Cadillac): 0 pointsSergio Perez (Cadillac): 0 pointsLance Stroll (Aston Martin): 0 pointsF1 Standings 2026 – Constructors’ ChampionshipHere are the updated constructors’ standings after the Belgian Grand Prix:Mercedes: 358 pointsFerrari: 285 pointsMcLaren: 195 pointsRed Bull: 151 pointsAlpine: 61 pointsRacing Bulls: 61 pointsHaas: 21 pointsWilliams: 11 pointsAudi: 10 pointsAston Martin: 1 pointCadillac: 0 pointsThe next round of the 2026 season is the Hungarian Grand Prix, scheduled for July 24-26.