Kimi Antonelli takes Belgian Grand Prix pole with 0.317s margin over Verstappen
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli secured his sixth pole of the season at Spa-Francorchamps, beating Max Verstappen by 0.317 seconds. Lando Norris qualified third but drops to 13th with a grid penalty.
Qualifying session
Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix with a lap of 1:44.361, beating Max Verstappen by 0.317 seconds. The Italian, driving for Mercedes, claimed his sixth pole of the season, extending his championship lead. Red Bull attempted to use a tow strategy, with Isack Hadjar giving Verstappen a slipstream on the long Kemmel straight, but Antonelli's pace proved too strong. Lando Norris took third for McLaren, 0.440 seconds off pole, but abandoned his final flying lap. The world champion carries a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his engine parts allowance and will start 13th.
- Antonelli
- 0 s
- Verstappen
- 0.317 s
- Norris
- 0.44 s
Front-runners and championship
Antonelli leads the drivers' standings with 179 points, 25 ahead of teammate George Russell (154). Lewis Hamilton is third on 147, followed by Charles Leclerc (108), Norris (97), Oscar Piastri (82) and Verstappen (76). Russell qualified fourth, more than half a second behind Antonelli, while Ferrari's Leclerc and Hamilton were fifth and sixth. Piastri took seventh and British rookie Arvid Lindblad impressed with eighth for Racing Bull, benefiting from the team's recent upgrade package.
- Antonelli
- 179 pts
- Russell
- 154 pts
- Hamilton
- 147 pts
- Leclerc
- 108 pts
- Norris
- 97 pts
- Piastri
- 82 pts
- Verstappen
- 76 pts
Midfield battles and technical issues
Gabriel Bortoleto squeezed into Q3 in tenth and will start eighth after penalties for Hadjar and Norris. The Brazilian's Audi teammate Nico Hülkenberg had a difficult session: a hydraulic leak forced him to stop on track during Q2, causing a red-flag delay, and he qualified 14th. Carlos Sainz reached Q2 and set the 15th fastest time, while Fernando Alonso was 21st, ahead of Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll. Both Spanish drivers are expected to take grid penalties for component changes.
Race context and history
The 44-lap Belgian Grand Prix begins Sunday at 15:00 local time. Last year Norris took pole in 1:40.562 and Antonelli set the fastest race lap at 1:44.861. Verstappen won the sprint event and Piastri claimed victory in the main race. At Spa-Francorchamps, Michael Schumacher holds the record with six wins, while Hamilton has six poles and five victories. Verstappen has three wins at the circuit, all consecutive from 2021 to 2023.
