– Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) knows how to prepare the perfect birthday present. Just in time for his father Marco’s 62nd birthday, the championship leader gifted him the pole position at the Formula 1 race in Belgium (follow live here in the ticker) – it is the sixth for the 19-year-old this season.
Read more Formula 1 Live Ticker: Next Pole for Antonelli and Mercedes
The Italian needed 1:44.361 minutes for his fastest lap and was thus three tenths of a second faster than the rest. This time, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) led the rest, who, however, received support from his teammate Isack Hadjar and was pulled by him in the last sector.
Third place went to McLaren driver Lando Norris, who was still leading after the first Q3 attempt but made a mistake in turn 13 during the second run and had to settle for third place, which due to his ten-place penalty will become a 13th starting position.
Instead, George Russell moves up to third position, who was once again blown away by his teammate by half a second. The Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were among the defeated in qualifying with positions five and six, just like Oscar Piastri (McLaren), who did not get beyond seventh place.
Best of the Rest was Arvid Lindblad (8th/Racing Bulls) ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto (9th), who brought Audi into Q3. His teammate Nico Hülkenberg failed as 14th in Q2 and retired with a hydraulic leak.
On the topic:
Result: Qualifying GP Belgium
Starting grid
F1 ticker: Paddock live with Ruben Zimmermann
F1 show: Livestream on YouTube and Twitch (9 PM)
What happened in Q1?
The joke was quickly told in our editorial office: “If Aston Martin finds two seconds with the update, they are still last.” Indeed, Aston Martin’s pace was again alarming and the statement therefore true.
Cadillac has pulled far ahead of the team relying on the car update in Hungary and the engine update in Zandvoort. This time, the Americans were only 0.022 seconds behind the car ahead, with Esteban Ocon already falling significantly behind his teammate.
Basically, it was about who would be eliminated alongside the two backmarker teams between Williams and Haas – and both parted amicably. However, it was close: Alexander Albon was just 0.007 seconds behind Oliver Bearman, who just made the cut.
At the top, Lando Norris (McLaren) took the best time in 1:45.865 minutes ahead of the two Red Bulls of Max Verstappen (+0.065) and Isack Hadjar (+0.197). Lewis Hamilton, whose Ferrari was repaired in time for the start of Q1, was fourth.
Eliminated: 17. Alexander Albon (Williams), 18. Esteban Ocon (Haas), 19. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac), 20. Sergio Perez (Cadillac), 21. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and 22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin).
What happened in Q2?
Since all eight top cars easily reached the next round, it was basically only about who from the rest would make the jump into the top 10. With Arvid Lindblad, who temporarily drove in fourth place in the improved Racing Bulls, the first logical candidate was found.
Sainz and Bearman had no chance in their cars, and the two Alpines were also not fast enough. In the end, it was decided between Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) and Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) in the last attempt. Lawson crossed the line and missed the Brazilian’s time by 0.038 seconds.
And Nico Hülkenberg? He was six tenths slower than his teammate but also seemed to have a technical problem. At least he had to stop his car on the inlap with a hydraulic leak.
The best time in Q2 went to Kimi Antonelli in 1:45.142 minutes ahead of Charles Leclerc, who was already 0.255 seconds behind, and Norris.
Eliminated: 11. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), 12. Pierre Gasly (Alpine), 13. Franco Colapinto (Alpine), 14. Nico Hülkenberg (Audi), 15. Carlos Sainz (Williams) and 16. Oliver Bearman (Haas).
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What happened in Q3?
First, there was the big surprise by Lando Norris, who set himself in first place on the first attempt and also undercut Antonelli’s time by 0.039 seconds. Behind him lurked Leclerc, Verstappen, and Hamilton, while Russell was initially only sixth.
But before the second and decisive attempts were made, the race control first stopped the session: As in the second practice on Friday, the track had to be cleaned of gravel in turn 14, which Oscar Piastri had deposited there this time.
When it started again, Max Verstappen went ahead. Ahead of him was teammate Hadjar, who, due to an engine penalty, had no role in the result anyway. Therefore, the Frenchman was there to give Verstappen a slipstream in the last sector, which initially put him in first place.
But Antonelli was able to counter immediately and lowered the best time by three tenths. Russell did not manage that: He had to settle behind Norris in fourth place, while the Ferraris remained behind.
But what about Norris? Could he improve again like in the first attempt? No! A driving error in turn 13 robbed him of all chances, although the Briton never really had a chance at pole anyway, as he has to drop ten places due to an engine change. The same thing happened to the McLaren driver as previously to Pierre Gasly and Lewis Hamilton – but he did not crash.
Why was Russell so clearly beaten again?
That Antonelli is ahead of Russell is nothing new this season, but the half-second gap the Italian imposed on his teammate this time was the biggest this season. This also surprises Mercedes, even though Antonelli was “really good” again according to Toto Wolff.
“George loses two and a half tenths in the corners and loses two and a half tenths on the straights,” Wolff says on Sky and suspects the engine: “It’s so complex with the power units that we can’t exactly explain where the deficit on the straights comes from.”
At least Antonelli has a new engine in Spa, while Russell’s is somewhat older. “That’s an explanation,” says Wolff, “but we have to get to the bottom of it.”
Why was Charles Leclerc confused?
The Ferrari driver was just 0.024 seconds behind George Russell, and he could have easily made up that time if he had not voluntarily lifted off the throttle unnecessarily. But the reason for this is curious: Leclerc thought a yellow flag would be waved and lifted. But that was not necessary.
“There was a marshal in the pit lane waving a yellow flag. Apparently, it applied to Isack in the pit lane and not to the track,” he explains after the session. “The marshal was standing pretty centrally, so I thought I’d ease off a bit.”
“And I think I was maybe three or four hundredths ahead, which probably would have been enough to beat George,” says Leclerc. “But there just wasn’t much more in the car today.”
What’s next at the Belgian Grand Prix
At 9 PM, Kevin Scheuren and Stefan Ehlen will start their YouTube analysis. As always, channel members can ask their questions live. (Here is the link to the Formel1.de YouTube channel!)
On Sunday, the race start in Spa-Francorchamps is scheduled for 3 PM. At 8 PM, the livestream with Kevin Scheuren and Stefan Ehlen will run to finish just in time before the start of the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina.
All information about streams and TV broadcasts in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland can be found in our current overview. Details about the weather forecast are available in our preview.
After Spa, it continues directly with the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring (July 24 to 26). Then follows the summer break with three race-free weekends in a row. (Here is the link to the 2026 Formula 1 calendar!)
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