Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli delivered a stunning pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix, leaving teammate and title rival George Russell floundering in fourth, over half a second behind.
The championship leader, who holds a 25-point advantage over Russell, edged out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 0.317 seconds—despite the Dutchman receiving a blatant slipstream assist from teammate Isack Hadjar.
McLaren’s Lando Norris impressed in third, just 0.440s back, even after aborting his final flyer. However, the world champion will drop to 13th on the grid due to a 10-place engine penalty.
Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton claimed fifth and sixth, ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Racing Bulls’ rookie Arvid Lindblad in the upgraded machine.
Antonelli, dominant since Friday practice, secured his sixth pole in 10 races this season. On his cooldown lap, he dedicated the achievement to his father Marco, who turns 61 on Saturday.
Red Bull strategically used Hadjar—who has a 30-place grid penalty for engine changes—to give Verstappen a tow on the long run to the final chicane.
“It definitely helped—otherwise I’d be P6 or so,” Verstappen admitted. “Isack took one for the team. I’ll be watching my mirrors tomorrow, but front row is a solid team effort.”
Norris, who outqualified Piastri by 0.215s despite skipping a second lap, remained optimistic: “We expected to be fourth-fastest here, but the car clicked. Starting 13th is a shame, but Spa rewards overtaking—we can put on a show.”
