Kimi Antonelli claimed his sixth pole position of the season by dominating qualifying for the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. The Mercedes driver set a time of 1:44.361, beating Max Verstappen (Red Bull) by 0.317 seconds and Lando Norris (McLaren) by 0.440 seconds.
The session, held on Saturday 18 July, saw Antonelli struggle initially in Q1 as changing wind conditions affected the car's balance. "Q1 I felt a bit lost because the wind picked up and the balance was a bit more on the edge," said Antonelli. "But the session came to us. I changed the front wing flap for Q2. Q3 was good — we did a decent first lap and on the second lap I found a lot of time."
Antonelli outpaced his Mercedes teammate and title rival George Russell, who could only manage fourth place, more than half a second off the pace. Russell described a "serious issue" with straight-line speed that has hampered his car since Silverstone as "impossible" to overcome against Antonelli in fair conditions.
Behind the Mercedes, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and sixth, separated by just 2 thousandths of a second (1:44.893 vs 1:44.895). Oscar Piastri (McLaren) took seventh, ahead of rookie Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) and Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi).
The starting grid will be significantly reshuffled due to penalties. Norris will drop 10 places for exceeding his power unit component allocation, as will Lance Stroll (Aston Martin). Heavier penalties apply to Fernando Alonso (20 places) and Isack Hadjar (30 places), both sent to the back of the grid for engine component changes.
"Tomorrow is another day," Antonelli reflected. "Max is starting next to me, so it's going to be important to get a good start and try to be ahead into Turn 5." The Italian is seeking his first victory since Monaco to extend his championship lead, which currently stands at 25 points over Russell.
The race is scheduled for Sunday 19 July at 13:00 local time (14:00 CEST).
Sources
- https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/articles/cp8xep2w0epo
- https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-charges-to-pole-position-in-exhilarating-belgian-gp-qualifying.zpGgC6xi6e3QnZEOmi6qS
- https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/its-going-to-be-fun-tomorrow-antonelli-revels-in-hard-fought-pole-position-for-belgian-gp.3O8zjBRt8eZX8w4IdXJ1uU
