George Russell, Mercedes driver and one of the contenders for the Formula One World Championship title, withdrew from the main Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday after his car went off into the gravel area on the opening lap, following a collision with Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton's car. Russell started from third on the grid but dropped to sixth after losing several places on the straight. In his attempt to return to the competition, the Briton ran alongside his former teammate Hamilton, and there was contact between them. Russell's car got stuck in the gravel, so he got out and walked away, while Hamilton continued the race with the safety car coming out, and race stewards began investigating the incident. Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader who holds a 25-point advantage over his Mercedes teammate Russell and his closest rivals in the standings after nine rounds, started from first place and led the race from the start.