Antonelli antics, heartwarming tributes and World Cup excitement – 7 moments you might have missed at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix

It was another spectacular weekend in the Ardennes at the Belgian Grand Prix for round 10 of the 2026 Formula 1 season, as the weekend at Spa-Francorchamps brought up plenty of epic racing and drama. In a race usually plagued by wet weather, the sun shone this year, so fans were treated to an abundance of wheel-to-wheel racing at one of the most prestigious and beloved circuits on the calendar.

On track, Kimi Antonelli converted his maiden pole at Spa into a maiden victory at the famed Belgian circuit, adding to his win tally in 2026. The Italian didn't have it all his own way, as Charles Leclerc made him work for every lap in the final stint – while Mercedes team mate George Russell suffered an early retirement, dealing another blow to his championship hopes. Antonelli pulled 45 points clear with his Belgian victory, with Max Verstappen completing the podium in third behind Leclerc.

However, those weren’t the only stories from the Belgian Grand Prix weekend – here are some off-track moments you may have missed...

Racing for Anthoine

Formula 1 is ultra-competitive, with each team and driver doing their utmost to come out on top at the end of every race weekend – but every once in a while, you get a poignant reminder that the paddock remains one big family.

Every year at Spa-Francorchamps, drivers, engineers, hospitality and more from all over the pit lane come together to remember the late Anthoine Hubert and Dilano van 't Hoff.

As a close friend of Hubert and his family, Pierre Gasly has been at the forefront of the commemorations each season in Belgium. The Frenchman laid flowers at the top of Raidillon before taking the paddock on a run around the circuit in his memory.

Many of the grid donned 'Racing for Anthoine' shirts for their lap of Spa on foot, with Gasly thanking everyone for the continued support in remembering the two immensely talented drivers.

World Cup excitement at its peak

The climax of the World Cup coincided with the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, with kick-off not long after the chequered flag. Whilst F1’s host nation wasn’t involved in Sunday’s final, a few of the drivers made sure their countries were repped ahead of the showdown.

On Thursday's Media Day, proud Argentinian Franco Colapinto was in his element with his Messi jersey on and the semi-final victory fresh in memory. He and Lewis Hamilton were spotted catching up on the previous evening’s action – though Hamilton was likely ruminating over where it all went wrong rather than sharing Colapinto’s enthusiasm.

Fernando Alonso also had football on the brain throughout the duration of the weekend. Ahead of Aston Martin’s appearance on the Fan Stage, the Spaniard put in a performance that we can only assume was a last-ditch attempt to make the starting line-up in New York – enjoying some smooth keepy-uppies before heading out on stage.

By Sunday morning, the paddock was buzzing – and not just for the Grand Prix action. Colapinto and Carlos Sainz both entered the paddock proudly repping their nations with their football shirts, before quickly switching back into race mode.

Sainz admitted he’d likely be mid-flight during the game, but we hope both him and Alonso managed to catch the game, as Ferran Torres' 106th minute winner gave Spain their second World Cup crown.

It was disappointment for Colapinto, but he took to Instagram to give his appreciation to his hero Lionel Messi in what was likely his final World Cup game.

Kimi chaos

It was a pretty perfect weekend for the Antonelli at Spa-Francorchamps as he extended his lead in the championship, but the Italian couldn't help making himself the centre of attention online too.

Firstly, during his interview after taking another pole position, the Mercedes man was told that both Lando Norris and Verstappen were half-Belgian, with fans really enjoying the pure confusion on Antonelli's face...

Next up, Antonelli had a wholesome surprise for his father's birthday, gifting him a lovely cake and singing for him on Saturday.

However, not even Kimi's dad is safe from some teenage mischief, as the 19-year-old caught him unaware by slamming a pie in his face – hopefully Antonelli's pole position made up for all the mess he caused.

All was forgiven on Sunday as the Italian delivered his first win at the famous Spa circuit, much to delight of dad, who enjoyed every minute of the podium celebrations – it's been a stellar season so far for the Antonelli family.

The Incredible Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg hasn't had the best time with reliability this season, with yet more issues during Qualifying this weekend causing his Audi to stop halfway through his lap.

The German hopped out of the car on the steep part of Spa, quickly realising that it was beginning to roll down the track. Fortunately, Hulkenberg lived up to his nickname, using his strength to stop his R26 from freewheeling down to Pouhon – Hulk strength from the man himself.

Royal Cooldown room

The post-race Cooldown room is a sacred space for the podium-sitters to catch their breath, enjoy watching back the race highlights, and have a little natter about how things went down. The trio certainly enjoyed the debrief, as their reaction to the incident between Leclerc and Oscar Piastri proved meme-worthy!

Sunday also had a rather unexpected fourth member join in the chit-chat – Prince Philippe of Belgium joined Antonelli, Leclerc, and Verstappen for an extra-special behind-the-scenes experience for his home race weekend.

He would’ve been pretty chuffed at the exclusive moment – but likely even more so when Verstappen told the Prince that Spa-Francorchamps is his favourite circuit on the calendar – high praise indeed from the four-time World Champion!

Lewis paddock transport

Hamilton is no stranger to turning heads in the paddock, from his designer fits to whizzing between the garages on his scooter week in, week out.

So, you’d be forgiven for doing a double take when the Ferrari man glided through the paddock on a skateboard instead – which, to be fair, is still much more sedate than his water-based activities during the break between Silverstone and Spa.

What mode of paddock transport will we see next from the Briton?

Superpowered Helmets

Spa-Francorchamps is a gorgeous venue and a particular favourite for the drivers, so it's no surprise that a few decided to mark the weekend with a special helmet. Esteban Ocon showed his marvellous Spider-Man-inspired lid to Spider-Man himself.

Tom Holland was a big fan of the Frenchman's red helmet, featuring plenty of spider webs for the release of the new movie, with the big Marvel fan gifting the British actor a replica one too.

Hulkenberg kept his special design simple for Spa, a race that will have plenty of German fans in attendance, with his red and silver-chrome lid resembling almost an inverse of his standard helmet.

Meanwhile, Verstappen brought back his 'Orange Lion' helmet from Austria for yet another race featuring plenty of the famous Orange Army.