Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli ended a three-race winless streak on Sunday to extend his lead in the Formula One drivers’ championship with a solid fighting victory for Mercedes in the Belgian Grand Prix. The 19-year-old Mercedes driver came home 1.952 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc with four-time champion Max Verstappen finishing third for Red Bull.  Antonelli’s teammate George Russell, who began the race in second place in the championship, just 25 points behind the Italian, crashed out of the race on the opening lap after tangling with Hamilton. 

Hamilton was fourth for Ferrari after an incident-filled race in which he hit a mechanic during a pit-stop. The incident was referred to the stewards. While the seven-time champion escaped additional punishment, his Ferrari team were handed a fine. 

Isack Hadjar, who began at the back of the grid, did superbly to work his Red Bull up to sixth, just holding off reigning world champion Lando Norris, who started 13th, in the second McLaren. 

It was Antonelli’s sixth win of the season and came from his sixth pole of the year, the first driver to win from pole in Belgium since 2021. 

It lifts him to 204 points in the championship, 45 clear of Hamilton with Russell third on 154.

“It feels very nice to be back on the top step,” said Antonelli. 

“We just have to keep performing, keep bringing the results and then we will see what will happen at the end of the year.”

The race started in cool conditions under a grey sky with rain in the air as Antonelli made a good start to lead up to La Source, but he had no answer when Verstappen deployed his power pack to pass him through Eau Rouge.

The Dutchman was then immediately vulnerable to a counter-attack and both the Italian and Leclerc drafted past him into Les Combes where behind them Hamilton clashed with Russell.  

– ‘Racing incident’ –

The four-time champion continued in fifth, but Russell bounced off into retirement as a Safety Car (SC) was deployed.  

Hamilton reported that he “had no front end” control as a result of a car ahead moving across him and the incident was investigated by the stewards who gave Hamilton a five-second penalty. 

A downcast Russell, whose title bid had taken a heavy blow, said: “It was a racing incident, but it shouldn’t have happened if I’d had the speed down the straight.” 

Racing resumed on lap five with Piastri fighting and resisting Hamilton before Verstappen swept past Leclerc for second. Piastri then chased Leclerc and they touched at Les Combes, where the Monegasque defended and the Australian lost a piece of front wing end plate. 

The stewards investigated again, but took “no further action” while Hamilton advanced and passed Piastri for fourth on lap nine as the race settled after a frantic start with Antonelli two seconds clear of Verstappen at the front ahead of both Ferraris.

Further virtual safety cars (VSC) intervened and on lap 20, Ferrari went for a ‘double-stack’. Leclerc went through cleanly but Hamilton, who had to serve his five-second penalty, made a messy exit touching a mechanic. 

The mechanic was reported to be fine and, after deliberation, race stewards decided that as Hamilton had stopped immediately following the incident and lost more time, a further penalty for him was not justified.

Ferrari, however, were handed a 30,000 euro ($34,300) fine, of which 10,000 euro is suspended for 12 months, and they must also provide the FIA with a report with “protocols introduced to mitigate the risk of such an incident” from reoccurring.

The incident left Norris, who had started 13th after a 10-place grid penalty for taking a new battery, leading ahead of Leclerc, Antonelli and Verstappen until the Ferrari cruised by to take command on lap 23.

Antonelli swept past Norris three laps later and surged after Leclerc while Hamilton fell back to sixth.

Norris finally pitted, rejoining eighth after a slow stop due to a sticky left rear, Hadjar rising to sixth behind Hamilton. 

Leclerc led until lap 34 when, as he feared, Antonelli’s superior power carried him through at Les Combes. 

But he hung on tight, within a second of the silver arrow, while Hamilton passed Piastri for fourth with five laps to go

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France vs Morocco Highlights | Mbappé Inspires France to FIFA World Cup Semifinal Victory

For many fans who just watched the 2026 World Cup final, this is a sad time. The tournament that has captivated the world for the last five weeks will be missed.

Don’t worry, though. It’s only four years until the next one kicks off. The 2030 World Cup will be upon us before long.

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This was one of the biggest tournaments to be hosted in the competition’s near-100-year history, spanning three countries. Next time, it will be another three nations taking on hosting responsibilities, but this time spanning two continents.

For recent converts in the US, the thought of traveling to a World Cup probably hasn’t crossed the mind as a potential holiday plan. That may now change after the explosion in popularity of soccer in the states.

Any of Spain, Portugal or Morocco make for unreal holiday destinations. Combine that with a passionate fanbase, beautiful weather and delicious food, and there’s reason to be excited.

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The unique three-nation layout for 2030 represents a historic compromise. Initially, the Iberian bid faced stiff competition from a sentimental South American proposal aiming to celebrate the tournament’s centenary where it all began in 1930.

To avoid a divisive vote, FIFA negotiated an unprecedented global compromise: the opening three matches will be played in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay, before the entire tournament shifts to its primary hosts—Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.

This landmark agreement makes 2030 the first World Cup to span three continents and six countries.

However, as the 2026 tournament concludes, the celebratory mood has been tempered by a lot of criticism of how recent events unfolded.

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The Council of Europe raised urgent concerns regarding the integrity of the sport, fiercely criticizing FIFA for caving to political pressure after U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly called Gianni Infantino, leading to the highly controversial lifting of striker Folarin Balogun‘s red-card suspension mid-tournament.

The council warned that when rules bend for heads of state, every result is open to doubt. Furthermore, the Council strongly condemned FIFA’s new commercial partnership with the prediction market platform ADI Predictstreet.

By allowing stadium-backed betting on granular micro-events like individual passes or corners, they argue FIFA has opened a dangerous door to fraud, making it easy to manipulate minor match moments for financial gain.

The Council of Europe is now demanding a rigid, transparent integrity framework before the 2030 cycle gets underway.

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Shedeur Sanders is preparing for the 2026 season in a big way. The Cleveland Browns quarterback had a photoshoot that involved a driveway filled with his No. 12 jersey.

Football X account Dov Kleiman posted a behind-the-scenes look at the shoot. NFL fans had quite the reaction.

A fan said, “He’s the Bronny James of football.”

Another added, “Browns though. Aura lost.”

One wrote, “Next level ego. This is how you prepare for the upcoming season?”

Some fans weren’t as dismissive.

One said, “He’s one of a kind!”

Another added, “I dont get why everyone is mad at him for his confidence. That man believe in himself. Everyone should try to do the same thing.”

One chipped in, saying, “Greatest player to ever wear the Browns uniform? 🤔”

Dov Kleiman added that Shedeur Sanders is already one of the faces of football. It comes after the former Colorado Buffaloes star amassed a stat line of 1,400 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in eight games as a rookie.

Furthermore, it’s important to note that Sanders wore the No.12 jersey during the 2025 season. He’s now switched to his preferred No. 2 following the departure of DeAndre Carter. Both Sanders and the Browns have leaned into the number change in their offseason content creation.

Shedeur Sanders and Cleveland Browns aiming for bounce-back season

Shedeur Sanders has been a winning quarterback for the majority of his competitive career. Sanders excelled at high school and college. He ended his collegiate football career as the recipient of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award while placing eighth in Heisman Trophy voting.

Sanders was initially projected to be an early first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft. However, he slipped into the Cleveland Browns‘ lap in the fifth round. He went on to appear in eight games as a rookie to mixed results.

Sanders is currently in a QB1 competition with former perennial Pro Bowler Deshaun Watson. Watson has way more experience, but he’s recovering from a serious Achilles injury. The quarterback duo has been locked in throughout the offseason.

Next up for Shedeur Sanders and the Cleveland Browns is an all-important 2026 campaign. Coach Prime’s son will look to guide the franchise to the playoffs for the first time since the 2023 season. He’ll have his work cut out under new coach Todd Monken and without franchise legend Myles Garrett, who’s been traded to the Los Angeles Rams.