ANTONELLI TAKES SPA POLE WITH MASTERFUL LAP AS VERSTAPPEN AND FERRARI CHASE
Kimi Antonelli delivered another outstanding performance at Spa-Francorchamps by taking pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix after a brilliant final lap in qualifying. The Mercedes driver produced a stunning 1:44.361 to beat Max Verstappen by three tenths, securing his sixth pole position of the 2026 season.
The Italian driver was in control throughout the session and confirmed Mercedes’ impressive pace shown during practice. Verstappen finished second after benefiting from a strong slipstream provided by Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar, while Lando Norris completed the top three. However, the McLaren driver will start much further back on the grid due to his 10-place penalty for changing his power electronics unit.
Ferrari showed promising pace but could not challenge for pole position. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth and sixth, although Leclerc was left frustrated by a late yellow flag situation that prevented him from improving his final lap.
Mercedes entered qualifying as the team to beat after dominating much of the weekend so far. Antonelli appeared particularly confident, immediately becoming one of the favourites for pole position.
However, the Italian did not immediately top the timesheets in Q1. Max Verstappen initially set the benchmark, before Lando Norris improved the time by six hundredths of a second. Despite his strong pace, Norris knew his qualifying position would not fully represent his race starting place because of his grid penalty.
Q1 ended with Norris fastest ahead of Verstappen and Hadjar. Lewis Hamilton impressed by recovering after his FP3 crash, with Ferrari mechanics managing to repair his damaged SF-26 in time for qualifying. The seven-time world champion finished fourth, while Leclerc ended the session seventh.
Several drivers were eliminated, including Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
Antonelli immediately responded in Q2, setting the fastest lap and beating Charles Leclerc by around two tenths. The Ferrari driver showed stronger performance compared with earlier sessions and appeared more comfortable with the SF-26.
Norris and Hamilton also remained competitive, while Verstappen could only manage fifth at that stage. Ferrari continued to show good pace through the corners but still appeared to lose performance on Spa’s long straights.
Leclerc returned to the track on used tyres during the final moments of the session but was unable to improve. Meanwhile, Nico Hülkenberg suffered a late reliability issue with his Audi and stopped on track, preventing him from progressing to Q3.
Alongside Hülkenberg, Liam Lawson, Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto, Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman were eliminated. Gabriel Bortoleto impressed by reaching the final qualifying session.
The final part of qualifying began with Norris immediately showing strong pace, taking provisional pole by just 39 thousandths of a second over Antonelli. Leclerc also impressed with the third-fastest time after the first runs, confirming Ferrari’s improved performance.
Verstappen was fourth, followed by Hamilton, before the session was interrupted by a red flag. Oscar Piastri had gone wide at Turn 14 and brought gravel onto the track, forcing race control to stop the session briefly.
Everything was decided in the final minutes. Antonelli produced a sensational lap around Spa-Francorchamps, setting a 1:44.361 and taking his sixth pole position of the season.
Verstappen finished second, helped by the slipstream from teammate Hadjar, while Norris ended qualifying third despite making a mistake during his final attempt. George Russell completed the second Mercedes’ strong performance with fourth place.
Ferrari secured fifth and sixth with Leclerc and Hamilton, ahead of Piastri’s McLaren. Arvid Lindblad, Gabriel Bortoleto and Hadjar completed the top ten.
A late controversy affected Leclerc’s final attempt, as Hadjar was stopped in the pit lane for routine checks and caused a yellow flag situation. Although the yellow flag only applied to the pit lane, it disrupted Leclerc’s preparation and prevented him from completing a stronger final lap.
Share this content:
