Antonelli secures pole position for Belgian Grand Prix qualifying

By Priya Nair — 18 July 2026 — 4 min read

Antonelli claims pole in Belgium

Kimi Antonelli secured pole position during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, delivering a final lap that surpassed Max Verstappen. This marks Antonelli’s sixth pole position of the season. The Mercedes driver’s final effort was recorded at 1 minute, 44.361 seconds, placing him three-tenths of a second ahead of Verstappen.

Antonelli faced competition from Verstappen and Lando Norris throughout the session. Norris initially set the fastest time in the final qualifying segment, Q3, but was unable to maintain that position. Norris will face a 10-place grid penalty due to exceeding his power unit component allocation, which will see him start from P13.

The qualifying session saw tight margins among the top contenders. George Russell, Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton followed Norris in the standings. Oscar Piastri secured P7, ahead of Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad, with Gabriel Bortoleto in P9. Isack Hadjar qualified 10th but will drop to the back of the field due to a 20-place grid penalty, benefiting drivers behind him.

Qualifying session details

The Q1 segment saw Norris emerge as the quickest, followed by the Red Bull duo. Lewis Hamilton’s car required significant repairs after damage sustained in an earlier practice session, but the team successfully made the necessary changes before qualifying began. The Spa-Francorchamps circuit, known for its long lap, led many drivers to delay their initial runs to optimize their two flying laps.

Verstappen initially topped the timesheets with a time of 1 minute, 45.930 seconds, a benchmark that Antonelli could not match on his first attempt. Lindblad of Racing Bulls was the closest to Verstappen in the early stages. Hadjar, who also faces a substantial grid penalty, then positioned himself behind the lead Red Bull before Norris took the top spot.

Drivers in the elimination zone, including Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Fernando Alonso, and Lance Stroll, returned to the pits for their final attempts. Colapinto was the only driver to climb into the top 16, moving to P13. Alex Albon of Williams was knocked out in Q1, marking his sixth Q1 exit in 10 rounds. Ocon also had an early exit on the 10th anniversary of his F1 debut. The Cadillac pair of Bottas and Perez, and the Aston Martin duo of Alonso and Stroll, also failed to progress, with Alonso facing a penalty for power unit element changes.

In Q2, Antonelli regained his pace after a less impactful Q1, posting a lap of 1 minute, 45.142 seconds. Russell, however, struggled in this segment. Leclerc took P2 for Ferrari, while Lindblad delivered a strong performance in his upgraded car to secure P6. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Colapinto were eliminated in Q2, finishing 12th and 13th respectively. Liam Lawson narrowly missed out on a spot in Q3. Nico Hulkenberg of Audi was knocked out in 14th after experiencing a hydraulic leak, which caused a delay to the start of Q3. Carlos Sainz and Ollie Bearman also failed to advance.

Final battle for pole

The start of Q3 was briefly delayed. Hadjar provided a slipstream to Verstappen, giving the Red Bull driver an early advantage. However, Antonelli then claimed a provisional pole position, only to be surpassed by Norris, whose time of 1 minute, 44.801 seconds was the quickest of the weekend at that point. The session was temporarily halted to clear gravel from the track.

In the decisive final laps, Antonelli, Verstappen, Russell, and Lindblad all started their laps with high speed. Verstappen’s attempt was affected by a close moment with Hadjar, who was attempting to provide another tow. Ultimately, Antonelli secured pole position by 0.317 seconds over Verstappen, with Norris finishing in P3. Russell followed, ahead of the Ferraris of Leclerc and Hamilton, who were separated by a minimal margin. Piastri, Lindblad, Bortoleto, and Hadjar completed the top 10, with most set to gain a position on the grid due to Norris’ penalty. Hadjar will start from the back of the grid due to power unit element changes.

Antonelli expressed satisfaction with his pole position, noting the changing track conditions throughout the session. He will start the Belgian Grand Prix alongside Max Verstappen.

Source: formula1.com