Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, posting a 1:44.361 on his final qualifying lap to beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by just under three tenths of a second, according to Mercedes-AMG F1.
Teammate George Russell will start third on the grid after Lando Norris, who qualified third fastest, received a 10-place grid penalty that drops the McLaren driver down the order. Russell had finished fourth in qualifying but moves up a spot as a result.
The pole marks a strong turnaround for Mercedes after what the team described as a less than straightforward opening day of running in Belgium. Both drivers found improvements heading into Saturday, with Antonelli topping the final practice session and Russell finishing fourth in FP3.
Qualifying itself was not without challenges. Hotter track temperatures in the early stages of the session created balance issues for the Mercedes cars, and neither driver’s pace was immediately evident. As the session progressed and track temperatures dropped, the W17 came back toward the drivers, allowing both to advance safely through each knockout round into Q3.
Both Antonelli and Russell saved their best efforts for their final laps in the top-10 shootout. Antonelli’s 1:44.361 proved untouchable, establishing a gap of nearly three tenths over Verstappen in second. Russell’s fourth-place effort was strong enough to secure a front-two-row start once Norris’s penalty is applied.
The result gives Mercedes a commanding position heading into the race, with Antonelli leading from pole and Russell alongside Verstappen on the second row. The team will look to convert the qualifying performance into a strong race result at a circuit where tire management and strategic decisions often prove decisive.