Kimi Antonelli claimed his sixth win of the Formula One season at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, stretching his championship lead to 45 points over Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes driver's closest title rival, teammate George Russell, endured a disastrous race after spinning off on the opening lap.

Russell, who entered the race as Antonelli's nearest challenger, was involved in a collision with Hamilton while trying to recover positions lost at the start. The Briton's car ended up in the gravel trap, forcing him to retire and dealing a severe blow to his championship hopes.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished second, 1.952 seconds behind, after leading during a virtual safety car period. Max Verstappen took third for Red Bull, marking the team's 300th podium. Hamilton crossed the line fourth despite a five-second penalty for the clash with Russell.

Antonelli's victory puts him 50 points clear of Russell in the standings. Mercedes has now taken pole position in every race this season. "It's great to be back on the top step after a few difficult rounds," Antonelli said. "We lost first place with the VSC but managed to fight back. Today we were a bit lucky, but you have to take every opportunity."

Oscar Piastri finished fifth for McLaren, while Isack Hadjar moved from last to sixth for Red Bull. Reigning champion Lando Norris was seventh after a grid penalty. Gabriel Bortoleto, Arvid Lindblad, and Franco Colapinto rounded out the top ten.

Source: www.aljazeera.com