Kimi Antonelli expects Ferrari to be one of Mercedes' biggest challengers at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix after their strong performance at Silverstone.

Charles Leclerc won the British Grand Prix last time out, while his Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton finished third at his home track.

While Antonelli still leads the drivers' championship by 25 points and Mercedes sit 78 ahead of Ferrari in the constructors' standings, the Italian has reason for concern in Belgium.

No constructor has achieved more victories (14), pole positions (13) or podium finishes (42) at Spa-Francorchamps than Ferrari. McLaren are the only team that can draw level with the Italian outfit for both victories (13) and pole positions (12) here.

And, with the Scuderia averaging 28.33 points per race, this is the highest points-per-grand prix average in Ferrari's Formula One history.

The top contenders may not give too much thought to Lando Norris, however, after the McLaren driver took a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding power unit element limits.

Antonelli expects Mercedes to be competitive at Spa, but he does not think the Silver Arrows will have it all their own way.

"Our car has been up there in every race so I expect it to be strong," said Antonelli, who did not finish in the points at Silverstone.

"But Ferrari were very fast at Silverstone so I expect them to be up there, especially in qualifying, where they always find something.

"And you can never write off Red Bull or McLaren.

"[Silverstone] was a very strong weekend overall, so that was the positive – we were up there in all sessions, the pace was good and the momentum was still up there, despite the difficulties.

"On my side, I just need to deliver. Maximise everything in my control, the rest... I cannot do much about it.

"Of course it is frustrating, but this is motorsport, things like these happen."

DRIVERS TO WATCH

Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes

Antonelli has claimed five pole positions in F1. One more would see him surpass Giuseppe Farina (five) as the Italian driver with the third-most poles in the history of the sport.

However, after scoring 156 points across the opening six grands prix of the season, Antonelli has managed just 23 since the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

Seven drivers have scored more points over the last three races: George Russell (66), Hamilton (57), Norris (39), Max Verstappen (33), Leclerc (33), Isack Hadjar (26) and Oscar Piastri (24).

Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari

Hamilton has finished on the podium in four of the last five races, failing only in Austria (fifth).

That matches the number of podium finishes he recorded across his previous 40 grands prix.

Ferrari have recorded eight podium finishes in 2026, one more than across the entirety of last season (seven), and Hamilton's recent resurgence in form has seen him move just 32 points behind Antonelli in the championship race.

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Drivers'

1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 179

2. George Russell (Mercedes) – 154

3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 147

4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 108

5. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 97

Constructors'

1. Mercedes – 333

2. Ferrari – 255

3. McLaren – 179

4. Red Bull – 128

5. Alpine – 60