Kimi Antonelli, who currently leads the championship, edged out Max Verstappen to claim pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix after a dramatic finale to qualifying at the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Antonelli had already shown his speed in the practice sessions, but the showdown in the final qualifying segment proved decisive. Initially, Lando Norris held a provisional pole after the first round of Q3 runs, only for both Antonelli and Verstappen to deliver faster laps that pushed the McLaren driver down the order. Verstappen’s performance was aided by a substantial slipstream effect created by his Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar, who, because of a power‑unit change, will start from the back of the grid.
Even with that assistance, Verstappen fell short of the top spot, finishing 0.317 seconds behind Antonelli. Facing the pressure of being the favourite, Antonelli produced a flawless final lap that cemented his pole. The result gives him a valuable chance to widen his 25‑point advantage over his nearest rival, George Russell, who qualified fourth and was half a second slower than his own teammate.
Norris, meanwhile, will line up 13th after receiving a ten‑place grid penalty for exceeding the allocated amount of control‑electronics usage – a component of the power unit – which promotes Russell to the third slot on the starting grid. Russell’s weekend has been puzzling. Despite his reputation for strong pace, he lost time on the long straights, a problem that may be linked to his corner‑entry technique. He will be hoping that the extended, flat‑out stretch after the first corner provides an opportunity to challenge Antonelli and Verstappen for the lead when the lights go out at 2 p.m.
on Sunday (with the build‑up broadcast from 12:30 p.m.) on Sky Sports F1. Ferrari’s prospects look less promising. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will start from fourth and fifth respectively, positions that make it difficult for the Scuderia to maintain the winning streak they have enjoyed in recent races.
Hamilton endured a heavy crash during the final practice session, but the team managed to replace his suspension, floor and gearbox in time for qualifying without compromising the car’s overall performance. British rookie Arvid Lindblad achieved his best qualifying result of the season, landing eighth and reinforcing his reputation as a rising talent. He was joined on the top ten by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in seventh and Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto in ninth. The provisional top‑ten after qualifying reads as follows: 1.
Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 3.
Lando Norris (McLaren) *penalised ten places 4. George Russell (Mercedes) 5.
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 8. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) 9.
Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) 10. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) **starts from the back due to multiple power‑unit element changes Antonelli’s championship lead has been trimmed over the last three rounds, largely because of reliability issues that have plagued his car.
Nevertheless, his blistering pace has kept him ahead of his closest challengers, Russell and Hamilton. Throughout the Spa weekend, Antonelli displayed a remarkable rhythm, only delivering his decisive lap late in the session to clinch pole. During the opening runs of Q3, Norris produced an impressive lap that beat Antonelli by a mere 0.039 seconds, briefly putting the McLaren driver on provisional pole. A red‑flag period caused by gravel on the track added tension, but the final runs saw Antonelli reclaim the top spot after a strategic front‑wing change that paid dividends.
Red Bull’s tactical use of Hadjar as a tow vehicle for Verstappen proved crucial. Knowing Hadjar would start from the back, the team instructed him to position himself directly ahead of Verstappen in the flat‑out final sector and into the last chicane, creating a powerful aerodynamic draft. The first attempt was only partially successful, but the second run allowed Verstappen to gain a substantial speed boost, moving him into contention for the front row – a result he admitted would have been impossible without the slipstream. "The tow definitely helped; without it I would probably have been around sixth place," Verstappen commented after the session.
Antonelli, however, responded with a superb lap after changing his front wing, beating the field by more than three tenths of a second. "The session was far from straightforward – the track evolved a lot – but we managed to improve lap after lap and bring the car home on pole, which feels great," he said. Norris, after over‑pushing and running wide at the Fagnes Chicane – the same spot where Hamilton and Pierre Gasly suffered major crashes in practice – aborted his final attempt but still secured third on the grid. No other driver threatened the pole battle, and Russell will likely be left pondering his pace deficit to Antonelli, a recurring theme throughout the weekend.
The Mercedes driver may have to keep an eye on the Ferraris on race day unless Antonelli makes a mistake at the front. Ferrari’s expectations for Spa, a circuit that heavily rewards engine power, may not be fully realised given their starting positions and the difficulty of extracting maximum performance from their current package.
The race weekend schedule includes: - Sunday, July 19 7:30 a.m.: F3 Feature Race - 9:00 a.m.: F2 Feature Race - 10:45 a.m.: Porsche Supercup - 12:30 p.m.: Belgian GP build‑up (Grand Prix) - 2:00 p.m.: The Belgian Grand Prix (live on Sky Sports F1) - 4:00 p.m.: Belgian GP reaction and chequered flag ceremony All events will also be available on Sky Sports Main Event and can be streamed via NOW without a contract, with the option to cancel at any time. For the best viewing experience, users are advised to use the Chrome browser for the video player.