Championship leader Kimi Antonelli snatched pole position for Mercedes at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday, beating Red Bull’s four-time champion Max Verstappen in the final seconds of qualifying. The 19-year-old Italian delivered a best lap of 1:44.361 to take the top spot by 0.317 seconds, while defending champion Lando Norris qualified third for McLaren but will serve a 10-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race after taking a new engine.
The result marked Antonelli’s sixth pole of the season and extended Mercedes’ run to 10 consecutive poles this year. It also came with the biggest pole-winning margin of the season, underlining the strength of Antonelli’s final lap when it mattered most.
Antonelli celebrated the moment over team radio, shouting: “Let’s go man. Let’s go!” Reminded it was his father Marco’s birthday, he added: “Happy birthday, Dad.” In his on-track interview, Antonelli said: “The last lap was good. It was a nice lap. It was very clean, so very happy.” Looking ahead to the start, he added: “Tomorrow is another day, with Max starting next to me it will be important to get a good start and be ahead into Turn 5.”
Qualifying result: Antonelli leads Mercedes’ latest front-row fight
Behind Antonelli and Verstappen, Norris took third for McLaren, though his 10-place penalty will reshape the starting order. George Russell qualified fourth for Mercedes, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in fifth and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in sixth. Oscar Piastri was seventh in the second McLaren.
Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad impressed again to qualify eighth, finishing ahead of Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto in ninth and Isack Hadjar in 10th in the second Red Bull. Hadjar also faces a penalty and will start from the back of the grid.
Verstappen said his front-row pace was helped by support from his team-mate, explaining that Hadjar provided a slipstreaming ‘tow’ on his laps. “I wouldn’t be here without that,” Verstappen said. “It was a definite help for me. If not, I would be like P6. Today, knowing he is to start at the back of the grid, Isack did a really good job giving me a tow.”
The qualifying sessions unfolded in dry conditions. Valtteri Bottas was first out in Q1 for Cadillac as the field began its runs, including Hamilton, who had hit the barriers in his Ferrari at the end of final free practice earlier in the day. Verstappen was the first of the front-runners to set a push lap, posting 1:45.930, which the report described as an impressive start and beyond Antonelli’s immediate response. Lindblad and Hadjar briefly went second before Norris moved ahead with a 1:45.865.
The fastest three then sat out the second runs in Q1, while Hamilton climbed to fourth in his rebuilt Ferrari. Eliminated in Q1 were both Aston Martins, both Cadillacs, Esteban Ocon of Haas and Williams’ Alex Albon.
Q2 began with Franco Colapinto leading out, and once the flying laps started Antonelli again showed strong pace. The session ended with Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls, both Alpines, Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg—who suffered a hydraulics leak—Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman of Haas all knocked out. Lindblad’s progress continued as he advanced to Q3 in sixth in his upgraded Racing Bulls car, ahead of Piastri and Russell.
What it means for Sunday: penalties and a crucial start
With Antonelli and Verstappen set to line up alongside each other, the pole-sitter highlighted the importance of the getaway and being ahead into Turn 5. However, the grid will be affected by penalties, most notably Norris’ 10-place drop after taking a new engine, and Hadjar’s penalty that will send him to the back.
For Mercedes, Antonelli’s pole continues a dominant qualifying streak this season, while Verstappen’s front-row result keeps Red Bull in the fight at the sharp end. With several key drivers impacted by penalties, Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix start is set to carry added significance as the field sorts itself out from the opening laps.
