Antonelli extends F1 lead with Belgian GP win a year after 'rock bottom'

Kimi Antonelli won the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday to stretch his Formula 1 championship lead to 45 points, a year after the same circuit marked the lowest point of his rookie season.

The Mercedes driver's sixth victory of the campaign leaves him 45 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton with 10 of 22 scheduled rounds completed. Antonelli, 19, admitted he would not have believed such a position was possible 12 months ago.

A year on from a rookie struggle

During his 2025 rookie season, Antonelli finished above ninth only once across a 10-race stretch, and he was eliminated in Q1 in Belgium that year. He described that weekend as the moment he "probably reached the bottom", saying it had been mentally very difficult.

He was promoted into the Mercedes seat by team principal Toto Wolff after Hamilton's move to Ferrari, arriving with limited F1 experience. He said after Sunday's win that it represented redemption for that earlier period, while stressing he does not want to become complacent.

• Antonelli took his sixth win of the season in Belgium, moving 45 points clear at the top of the drivers' standings
• Lewis Hamilton is his nearest challenger, with 10 of 22 scheduled rounds complete
• The Italian finished above ninth just once in a 10-race run during his 2025 rookie campaign
• He lost points to an engine failure while running second in Barcelona and a wheel-guard failure at the British Grand Prix
• Team-mate George Russell began the year as title favourite but has been outpaced by Antonelli

What's next

The championship moves on to the Hungarian Grand Prix, with every session covered from Friday. Twelve rounds remain on the calendar, leaving scope for the picture to shift if Ferrari can extract more from a power unit that has trailed Mercedes for much of the season.

Antonelli said he is not dwelling on the prospect of becoming by far the youngest F1 world champion, telling Sky Sports F1: "I never want to relax too much." His advantage means the chasing pack will need a significant step forward to close the gap over the second half of the year.