Belgian Grand Prix qualifying sees Antonelli take pole position

By Daniel Foster — 18 July 2026 — 4 min read

Kimi Antonelli secured pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix, marking his sixth pole of the season. The Mercedes driver’s final lap in qualifying was enough to place him ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Antonelli’s fastest lap was recorded at 1 minute, 44.361 seconds, putting him three-tenths of a second clear of Verstappen. Verstappen, a four-time champion, benefited from a tow from his teammate Isack Hadjar during his final lap attempt. Norris initially held the fastest time after the first runs in Q3 but ultimately could not surpass Antonelli’s performance.

Norris will face a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his power unit components allocation, which will see him drop to P13 for the race. Hadjar, who qualified 10th, will also start from the back of the field due to a 20-place grid penalty, promoting other drivers.

Qualifying Session Details

The qualifying session saw Antonelli take some time to find his rhythm. However, his decisive final effort proved to be the difference. Small margins separated many of the top qualifiers, with Oscar Piastri taking P7, followed by Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad, and Gabriel Bortoleto in P9.

Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson narrowly missed out on a spot in Q3, finishing just 0.038 seconds behind Bortoleto. Lawson will line up ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly (12th) and Franco Colapinto (13th). Nico Hulkenberg of Audi managed P14, with his session concluding due to a hydraulic leak that caused a brief delay to the start of Q3.

Ollie Bearman finished P16 behind Carlos Sainz. The second Williams car, driven by Alex Albon, did not make it out of Q1 and will start from P17. He was positioned just ahead of Esteban Ocon, who experienced an early exit on the 10th anniversary of his F1 debut.

Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, both driving for Cadillac, qualified in P19 and P20, respectively. The Aston Martin pair of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will occupy the back row, though they, like Hadjar, will also start the Grand Prix with significant grid penalties.

Q1 Highlights and Penalties

Teams and drivers had a limited time to prepare for qualifying after an earlier FP3 session. Ferrari, in particular, was under pressure to repair Lewis Hamilton’s car after he damaged the rear in a crash. Fortunately, they were able to make the necessary changes to the suspension, floor, and rear wing before qualifying began.

As Q1 commenced, the Cadillac pair and Stroll were among the first cars on the track. These three drivers had not progressed to Q2 in the current season, indicating their eagerness to maximize track time. The Spa-Francorchamps circuit is known for having the longest lap on the calendar, leading many drivers to initially remain in their garages to optimize their two flying laps.

Traffic increased around the 14-minute mark, and Perez’s early benchmark time was quickly surpassed. With all drivers on soft tyres, Verstappen initially topped the timesheets with a time of 1 minute, 45.930 seconds. Antonelli was unable to match this on his first attempt, with Lindblad coming closest to Verstappen in the early stages.

Hadjar, who faces a 20-place grid penalty for the race, then positioned himself behind the leading Red Bull. Norris, also facing a grid penalty regardless of his qualifying result, subsequently claimed the top spot. Drivers then returned to the pits for final adjustments.

Those at risk of elimination, including Colapinto, Ocon, Perez, Bottas, Alonso, and Stroll, sought significant improvements. While Norris, Verstappen, and Hadjar felt secure enough not to complete another lap, Colapinto was the only driver to climb into the top-16, moving up to P13. This pushed Albon down to P17. Albon’s Q1 exit marked his sixth in 10 rounds. Ocon, the two Cadillacs, and the two Aston Martins were also eliminated in Q1. Alonso, who qualified 21st, will be relegated to the back of the grid due to a penalty for changing multiple power unit elements.

Antonelli’s performance has been strong throughout the weekend, having topped Friday practice. His sixth pole position in 10 races this year highlights his consistent form. On his cool-down lap, Antonelli extended well wishes to his father, Marco, who was celebrating his 61st birthday.

Red Bull utilized Hadjar to provide Verstappen with a slipstream on the long flat-out section leading to the final chicane. Hadjar has a 30-place grid penalty for taking a new engine, exceeding his allowance for the year. Verstappen acknowledged the assistance, stating it was crucial for his P2 finish. Norris and McLaren had not anticipated such a strong performance at Spa, expecting to remain the fourth-fastest team. However, the car performed well, and Norris was notably competitive, being 0.215 seconds quicker than Piastri despite not completing a second lap. Norris will start the race from 13th position.

Source: formula1.com