SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — Kimi Antonelli saw off a challenge from Charles Leclerc to get back to winning ways at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday as his teammate and Formula 1 title rival George Russell failed to finish.
Antonelli started on pole but lost the lead to Leclerc when a virtual safety car slowdown allowed the Ferrari driver to save time during his pit stop.
Antonelli sped back past Leclerc with 10 laps remaining and cruised from there to his sixth win of the season — and his F1 career — and first since last month’s Monaco Grand Prix. Leclerc was second and Max Verstappen was third after briefly taking, then losing, the lead from Antonelli on the opening lap.
The Italian stretched his standings lead after Russell was left stuck in the gravel on the first lap after he was pushed into a spin by Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
In a sign of tension at Mercedes after a heavy blow to his title chances, Russell seemed to blame the team, rather than Hamilton, over the incident.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
