Key events

1h ago Russell exits on first lap
1h ago Lights out
2h ago Current grid after penalties applied
2h ago Introduction

Lap 38 of 44: Should Antonelli claim victory here in Belgium he would hold a 50 point advantage over Russell heading into Budapest. Antonelli now leads by more than a second.

Lap 37 of 44: The advantage stands at nine tenths of a second. Leclerc fights to remain close. Norris trails Hadjar by 6.8s while Hamilton sits 1.6s behind Piastri.

Lap 36 of 44: Leclerc drops only one tenth this lap. The margin is 0.8s as he speeds along the Kemmel Straight. Yet he cannot attempt a pass immediately. Verstappen leads Piastri by 2.2s. Norris now sits 7.7s behind Hadjar.

Lap 35 of 44: Leclerc presses to stay inside one second of Antonelli for Overtake Mode. Verstappen holds third.

Lap 34 of 44: Antonelli cruises with a fresh fastest lap. He has gained seven tenths on Leclerc so his rival gains Overtake Mode this lap.

Lap 33 of 44: Seven tenths separate first and second. Antonelli overtakes at the Kemmel Straight end and takes the lead. Leclerc radios: This first to second gear feels poor. Out of one it feels poor. So rough.

Lap 32 of 44: Antonelli trails Leclerc by just 0.9s. Norris passes Bortoleto cleanly for seventh.

Lap 31 of 44: Norris suffers a slow stop due to a left rear issue at 7.8s which is poor. He drops behind Hadjar and Bortoleto into P9.

Further back Colapinto overtakes two cars amid the Alpine battle involving Lawson and Hulkenberg.

Lap 30 of 44: Norris receives a warning from engineer Will Joseph on team radio: I do not want any yo-yo racing with Oscar. I will explain later.

Lap 29 of 44: Norris holds off Verstappen briefly but the Dutchman passes into Les Combes.

Piastri will soon pressure his teammate and with differing strategies the team may swap them soon unless Norris pits.

Lap 28 of 44: The gap between Leclerc and Antonelli is 2.5s. Who manages tyres better without mistakes? Leclerc tyres are two laps fresher. Hamilton trails Piastri by 7.6s in the P5 battle.

Lap 27 of 44: Stroll pits with a clutch issue and becomes the third retirement.

Verstappen reports his tyres are not performing.

Lap 26 of 44: Leclerc sits well placed for consecutive wins. Antonelli shadows Norris and finally overtakes.

Piastri trails Verstappen by one second as the next pair to chase Norris. Hamilton sits in P6.

Lap 25 of 44: More details on the Hamilton mechanic incident. The call came late to adjust Hamilton front wing which the mechanic was handling when the green light appeared. Hamilton asks if the change finished and learns it did not. He expresses unhappiness with balance.

Lap 24 of 44: Perez retires cautiously after a rear spring report joining Russell out of the race.

Leclerc leads by 1.3s over Norris who now faces Antonelli.

Lap 23 of 44: Leclerc overtakes Norris easily on the long straight to Turn 5. Antonelli aims to repeat next lap. Hamilton receives a note for unsafe release which may bring a second penalty.

Lap 22 of 44: Norris leads on hard tyres and still needs to pit. Leclerc leads Antonelli by 2.5s so an on track fight for effective lead may arrive. Verstappen trails by 3.8s Piastri by another 1.3s then Hamilton. Hadjar leads Bortoleto Lindblad and Lawson. Bortoleto gained on Racing Bulls with a low cost Virtual Safety Car stop.

Lap 21 of 44: Ferrari benefits from a cheaper stop under Virtual Safety Car and Leclerc emerges two seconds ahead of Antonelli. Order shows Norris leading without a pit stop then Leclerc Antonelli Verstappen Piastri and Hamilton.

Hamilton contacted a mechanic after the green light and checks the mechanic status which the team confirms is fine.

Lap 21 of 44: Another Virtual Safety Car appears for marshals clearing the track. Hamilton learns of his penalty and replies Another one.

Lap 20 of 44: Leader Antonelli pits in 2.6s and emerges ahead of Verstappen. This moves Leclerc into the lead.

Lap 19 of 44: Virtual Safety Car deploys for 30 seconds for unclear reasons. Lewis Hamilton radios Why the hell I told you my preferred strategy. You have now placed me with everyone else.

Lap 18 of 44: Verstappen pits first among leaders perhaps to cover Leclerc. Hard tyres fit in 2.5s and he exits in sixth just ahead of his teammate.

Lap 17 of 44: Lindblad pits from P7 freeing Hadjar to pursue the McLarens.

Peter Bonnington tells Antonelli Your tyres look good Kimi. Better than others so you can use them.

Lap 16 of 44: Leclerc avoids penalty over Piastri contact. Piastri gains a big reprieve while Hamilton frustration grows after stewards issue a penalty.

Lap 15 of 44: Perez pits Gasly follows. Sainz changes nose. Action calms at Spa.

Lap 14 of 44: Antonelli leads Verstappen by two seconds. Leclerc trails Verstappen by one second with Hamilton fourth.

Lap 13 of 44: Hamilton claims he is quicker than Charles with more pace as they run side by side again. Leclerc holds third.

Lap 12 of 44: Piastri drops with floor damage yet Hamilton pressures Leclerc. They may race freely. Norris passes Lindblad and trails his teammate by 8.2s.

Lap 10 of 44: Antonelli creates space over Verstappen aided by battles behind. Verstappen has Leclerc close. Hamilton joins the fight. Norris prepares a move. Oscar Piastri engineer reports We have some damage to the right hand side forward floor. It is not huge we remain competitive.

Lap 9 of 44: Hamilton receives a five second penalty for the Russell collision to serve at his first stop. Leclerc is noted for contact with Oscar Piastri.

Lap 8 of 44: Piastri and Leclerc collide in the braking zone. Debris leaves Leclerc car yet he keeps position with Hamilton now close behind.

Piastri radios that could have been a massive crash.

Lap 7 of 44: Verstappen closes to one second of Antonelli. Antonelli passes Eau Rouge and the straight 0.8s clear. Leclerc trails by 0.8s with Piastri behind the Ferrari.

Lap 6 of 44: Antonelli has not escaped Leclerc but the Ferrari defends as Verstappen passes at Kemmel Straight end. Norris rises to P9.

Lap 5 of 44: Antonelli manages the restart well and creates a gap to Leclerc that holds.

Lap 4 of 44: Safety Car pits after marshals clear Russell Mercedes. Antonelli leads the restart but faces pressure from Leclerc and Verstappen into the first corners.

Further back Norris recovers from 13th into points in 10th while Lawson advances from ninth to sixth early.

Lap 3 of 44: Hamilton drops behind Piastri now fourth. Norris gains three spots to 10th. Antonelli leads Leclerc second and Verstappen third after earlier moves. Safety Car leads.

Lap 2 of 44: Safety Car deploys after opening lap drama to recover Russell Mercedes from gravel. Russell exits unharmed but his race ends.

Contact occurred when Russell moved late outside Hamilton. Hamilton feels Russell crossed his front yet the Ferrari continues undamaged in fifth. Stewards note the incident.

Hamilton radios Car crossed over in front of me. I was right behind another car so I had no front end.

Safety Car prompts early stops. Bearman Hadjar Perez Bottas and Ocon pit to alter strategy.

Russell exits on opening lap

Lap 1 of 44: Action starts as Antonelli holds off Verstappen initially. Red Bull driver takes first briefly with speed. Antonelli reclaims lead with Mercedes pace before the straight ends while Leclerc overtakes Verstappen for second dropping the Dutchman to third.

Behind the leaders Mercedes drama hits as Russell race ends instantly. Contact with Hamilton spins Russell into gravel where he stops. Major setback for Russell championship hopes with no points.

Lights out

The race begins at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Medium C3 tyres are popular though some differ. Five drivers chose hards Norris Perez Hadjar Stroll and Alonso. Sainz and Bottas selected softs.

Weather watch: Light rain falls during formation lap. This marks the first view of car performance in these conditions.

Weather watch: Clouds gather suggesting possible light rain at the start.

Max Verstappen tells Sky Sports It looks like maybe there is a little bit of rain and I might jinx it now but I do not think it is going to rain. Oscar Piastri says It looks pretty grey and we are in Spa so I would not be surprised if it rains.

Ferrari: Not only the top three hope to gain when lights go out at Spa. Ferrari lines up right behind with stronger race pace than qualifying in recent events.

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualified 0.002 seconds apart for fourth and fifth. Both sit ready to exploit any issues ahead early.

Confidence rises in Ferrari after Leclerc and Hamilton wins in the last three races. Leclerc latest win came at British Grand Prix where he passed Kimi Antonelli at the start to win.

Silverstone showed Ferrari launch strength over Mercedes yet even without that at Spa they have pressured Mercedes lately.

Red Bull: Away from the title fight Verstappen remains a major topic. The four time champion enjoys support from the Orange Army yet future questions persist after another difficult weekend at Silverstone with technical issues causing a second straight retirement.

Kimi Antonelli lead in the standings