Antonelli Beats Verstappen to Belgian Grand Prix Pole
Antonelli’s 1:44.361 lap gave Mercedes its sixth pole of the season and left Verstappen 0.317 seconds behind.
- On Saturday, July 18, 2026, Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps with a 1:44.361 lap, finishing 0.317 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen to claim his sixth pole of the season.
- Red Bull utilized Isack Hadjar to provide a slipstream tow for Max Verstappen during the final Q3 session, a tactical maneuver designed to boost performance while Hadjar prepares to start from the back due to power-unit penalties.
- Lando Norris, McLaren driver, qualified third yet will start Sunday's race from 13th position after receiving a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his engine part allocation, significantly reshuffling the Belgian Grand Prix starting order.
- Briefly red-flagged after Oscar Piastri kicked up gravel at Stavelot, the session allowed Lewis Hamilton to qualify sixth in his Ferrari after mechanics repaired a machine described as "destroyed" by the seven-time champion.
- Racing begins at 1400 on Sunday, with Kimi Antonelli seeking to extend his 25-point championship lead over Mercedes teammate George Russell, who starts third on the grid following the redistribution caused by multiple power-unit penalties.
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The twelfth race of Franco Colapinto in this year is played in the Argentine morning of this Sunday; Andrea Kimi Antonelli, from Mercedes, will start in the first place
Antonelli takes Belgian GP pole
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium — Formula One leader Kimi Antonelli celebrated his father's birthday by taking pole position for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix with Red Bull's Max Verstappen alongside on the front row and Mercedes teammate and title rival George Russell right…
After a few races where Kimi Antonelli was unlucky, the young Italian is back on top. In qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, he was faster than four-time world champion Max Verstappen and won the first starting position ahead of today's race, which you can follow on Kanal A and VOYO. We start with the studio work at 14:30.
On the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the Mercedes driver scored with his second consecutive win in the qualifying test (the previous one had been in Silverstone).
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