Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli stormed to pole position for the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, his sixth ahead of Round 10 this season, his first at the legendary circuit on Saturday.
Italian racer Andrea Kimi Antonelli continues to consolidate his outstanding run of form with Mercedes at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, claiming pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix.
The first leg of the final double-header before the summer shutdown has not gone smoothly for the Brackley team; nonetheless, they will start the race from pole position tomorrow.
The 19-year-old Italian set a flying lap time of 1:44.361s in qualifying, becoming the 2026 poleman on Belgian soil.
"Pole on Saturday is a great result, but the points are scored tomorrow," Antonelli said. "A good start will be crucial, especially with the long run to Turn 5, so our focus is on finishing the job in the race.
"Tyre degradation is expected to be high, so we'll analyse everything carefully this evening to make sure we're in the best possible position for the Grand Prix."
Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen locked the front row, taking the checkered flag just three tenths of a second behind Antonelli, recording a 1:44.678s lap time with Red Bull Racing.
In a team effort, Verstappen's teammate Isack Hadjar, who received a ten-place grid penalty for allocating additional PU elements, gave the Dutchman a tow twice in Q3.
“Isack did an amazing job in Q3 providing a tow in the final sector. That’s the reason I’m on the front row. It worked out well. It was close, but I trust him”, Verstappen remarked.
“Tomorrow I’ll probably have to look in my mirrors, but today’s result was really good, despite lacking top speed. We’re not on the pace of Kimi, but the way we pulled today off as a team is great.”
The McLaren of Lando Norris qualified third, but due to a ten-place grid penalty for exceeding power unit allocation (4) this weekend, he will drop down to 13th on the grid.
As a result, Antonelli's teammate George Russell was promoted to P3, lining up side by side with Scuderia Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in the second row.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton shares the third row with Oscar Piastri.
The Racing Bulls delivered consistent pace throughout qualifying, with Arvid Lindblad advancing to Q3 and ending P8 just under three tenths from P4. After penalties, he will start the race at P7.
Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto, Lindblad's teammate, Liam Lawson, and Alpine's Pierre Gasly complete the top 10.
Despite struggling with car balance and tire management, Mercedes is in a strong position to aim for the podium on Sunday.
Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team Trackside Engineering Director, outlined: "George continued to suffer from poor deployment into the final chicane, which ultimately cost him a position on the grid tomorrow; P3 is a strong effort considering that.
"Kimi meanwhile put together a nice sequence of new tyre runs; he was finding time with each set and put together a very impressive lap on the final run to secure pole."
Discussing the circuit challenges, Shovlin asserted: "This is a track where the long straights will make overtaking relatively easy, so race pace is going to be vital. The key to unlocking that is looking after the tyres well."
The always-changing weather conditions in the Ardennes forest could play a key role, as seen today with track and ambient temperatures defying tire management.