Kimi Antonelli Menangi F1 GP Belgia 2026 Usai Russell Gugur

Pembalap Mercedes, Kimi Antonelli, merebut kemenangan keenamnya musim ini di Formula 1 GP Belgia di Sirkuit Spa-Francorchamps pada Minggu, 19 Juli 2026. Hasil ini memperlebar keunggulan klasemen usai rekan setimnya, George Russell, tereliminasi di lap pertama.

Antonelli merebut kembali posisi terdepan dari Charles Leclerc saat balapan menyisakan 10 lap, usai sempat kehilangan pimpinan balapan akibat intervensi Virtual Safety Car saat melakukan pit stop.

Kemenangan tersebut membuat pembalap Italia berusia 19 tahun itu unggul 45 poin di puncak klasemen atas Lewis Hamilton yang naik ke peringkat kedua, serta memperlebar jarak hingga 50 poin dari Russell yang berada di posisi ketiga.

Nasib buruk menimpa Russell yang harus menyelesaikannya di area gravel pada lap pembuka setelah terlibat kontak dengan mobil Ferrari milik Lewis Hamilton di tikungan Les Combes.

"I'm numb to the disappointment now," kata George Russell, pembalap Mercedes.

"When it happens so often, you just get used to it," tambah Russell.

Pembalap asal Inggris tersebut menjelaskan bahwa masalah kegagalan pengisian daya baterai daya pada mobilnya saat berada di Tikungan 1 membuatnya kehilangan tenaga puncak di trek lurus Kemmel.

"I made a good start, I made a great first corner and I was tucked up right behind Verstappen [in second place]," ujar Russell.

"But for whatever reason the battery decided not to recharge at Turn 1, so I went around the first corner, the battery didn't charge and I exited the first corner 35% down [on battery charge]," lanjut Russell.

"And because of that, because it didn't charge and I also had a boost problem, the turbo didn't sort itself out, so I had no power. I got to the top of Eau Rouge with 0% on the battery — quite frankly it was dangerous — and I got swamped by three cars," kata Russell.

"I shouldn't have been in that position in the first place, that's why I'm most angry. With Lewis, honestly, I think was a racing incident," jelas Russell.

Sebelum balapan usai, Russell juga menyoroti masalah teknis yang membatasi jalannya sesi kualifikasi dan balapan utama.

"I appreciate everyone's working hard to solve the problem, but, you know, I'm stood here [speaking to media] on lap 5 of the race," tutur Russell.

"I felt like I was in a good position to fight for the lead up to Turn 1, and then suddenly no power and it's all gone," tegas Russell.

Di sisi lain, Antonelli menegaskan bahwa dirinya terus menjaga momentum sepanjang balapan meski menghadapi regulasi dan dinamika balap yang tidak menentu.

"The momentum has always been there despite what happened in the previous races, and that’s why you just need to take one weekend at a time, because you never know what can happen," ungkap Kimi Antonelli, pembalap Mercedes.

"With these new cars, new regs, there’s so much going on and so much unpredictable," tambah Antonelli.

Dalam balapan ini, Hamilton dijatuhi penalti lima detik akibat insiden dengan Russell dan finis di posisi keempat. Ferrari juga dikenakan denda sebesar 30.000 euro setelah mobil Hamilton menyenggol seorang mekanik saat keluar dari area pit stop.

Charles Leclerc finis di posisi kedua untuk Ferrari, diikuti Max Verstappen di podium ketiga yang sekaligus mencatatkan podium ke-300 bagi tim Red Bull. Sementara itu, posisi lima hingga sepuluh berturut-turut ditempati oleh Oscar Piastri, Isack Hadjar, Lando Norris, Gabriel Bortoleto, Arvid Lindblad, dan Franco Colapinto.