Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position for the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix with a stunning final flyer, beating Max Verstappen by 0.317 seconds.
Antonelli snatched the top spot from Verstappen in the closing moments of Q3 with a lap time of 1:44.361 after a competitive qualifying session at Spa-Francorchamps that swung repeatedly between McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.
Lando Norris set the early tone in Q1 with a 1:45.865, edging Verstappen by just 0.065 seconds, while Isack Hadjar impressed in third and Antonelli sat further back in the early order before the field began to sort itself out over the first runs.
Norris, Verstappen and Hadjar all chose not to complete a second attempt in Q1, trusting their times and leaving the rest of the grid to fight the elimination battle.
Further down the order, six drivers faced elimination starting with Alex Albon whose Williams team radio heard a sympathetic James Vowles tell him “we just need to give you a better car” after his sixth Q1 exit in ten rounds.
Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez were also knocked out, while Aston Martin had a particularly painful session as Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll ended up at the back of the order in 21st and 22nd.
With Q2 underway, the competitive picture began to crystallise in earnest. Kimi Antonelli bounced back with a 1:45.142 to go fastest and announce that Mercedes had serious one-lap speed in hand.
Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton followed him at the sharp end of the timesheets, while Max Verstappen went only fifth with a 1:45.589 before electing to stay in the garage for the closing runs.
Gabriel Bortoleto delivered a last minute push to take tenth, relegating Liam Lawson to the drop zone by 0.038s. The Racing Bulls driver was joined by Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto, Nico Hülkenberg, Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman.
By the time Q3 began, the stage was set for a tactical battle and Red Bull’s calculation was perhaps the most audacious of all.
With Hadjar already condemned to start from the back regardless of his qualifying result, the team elected to use the young Frenchman as a tow for Verstappen through Spa’s predominantly flat-out final sector into the last chicane.
Verstappen initially responded with a 1:44.984 thanks to Hadjar’s tow, but Antonelli, Leclerc and Norris all improved on that benchmark, with Norris taking provisional pole with a 1:44.801 and appearing to have done enough at that moment.
However, the session changed shape when Oscar Piastri ran wide at Stavelot and threw gravel onto the circuit, forcing a red flag. This meant the grid would get one last meaningful attempt to settle pole and the top ten, turning the restart into a single-lap all-or-nothing contest.
On the decisive final runs, Red Bull tried once more to pull off an advantage by using Hadjar’s tow which immediately vaulted Verstappen to the top of the order and for a moment it seemed as if the Dutchman might have done enough to secure F1 Belgian GP pole position.
However, Antonelli responded with the fastest lap of the weekend, a 1:44.361 that put him more than three tenths clear of Verstappen, marking the Italian’s sixth pole position of the 2026 season.
Norris, meanwhile, settled for third after his final attempt to challenge for the top spot was ruined by a dip into the gravel at the Fagnes Chicane. However, the solid qualifying effort credited to recent McLaren upgrades was watered down by a 10-place grid penalty for taking an additional battery.
George Russell placed fourth, just ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who were separated by only 0.002 seconds in fifth and sixth.
Oscar Piastri finished seventh, followed by Arvid Lindblad, Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar who took tenth after not setting a time but faces a 30-place grid drop.
