Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli Takes Pole at Belgian GP Qualifying

He is back in the championship fight. Kimi Antonelli (19) stormed to pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix (Sunday, 3 PM; Sky and RTL), setting the fastest time ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen (28) and McLaren's Lando Norris (26).

In a curious twist, world champion Norris finished third in qualifying but will start only 13th on Sunday.

Norris Penalty Shakes Up Grid

The Briton must revert to his fourth control unit before the race in Belgium — exceeding the allowed three. For the unauthorized part swap, he receives a ten-place grid penalty from the FIA's rule enforcers.

The lucky beneficiary: Antonelli's Mercedes teammate George Russell (28). The Silver Arrow star once again could not keep up with the Italian, finishing half a second (!) slower on the seven-kilometer circuit. Worlds apart? Galaxies in Formula 1.

Antonelli in a League of His Own

The Italian drove in his own world during Spa qualifying. Although Verstappen received a tow from teammate Isack Hadjar on the long straight, the Dutchman could not threaten Antonelli. The young driver held an advantage of over 0.3 seconds over the four-time world champion from Red Bull.

Hülkenberg's Disappointment

For Nico Hülkenberg (38), it was — once again — a disappointing qualifying. The German set only the 14th-fastest time (0.6 seconds slower than teammate Gabriel Bortoleto), but will start 12th due to penalties for Norris and Hadjar. The Brazilian, unlike Hülkenberg, made it into the final qualifying segment.

However, Hülkenberg had to stop his car on the way back to the garage due to a hydraulic issue. Whether this is related to his poor performance is currently unknown. In the internal qualifying duel with Bortoleto, the score stands at 5-5 after ten time trials.

Starting Grid: Belgian Grand Prix

| Position | Driver | |----------|--------| | 1. | Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) | | 2. | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) | | 3. | George Russell (Mercedes) | | 4. | Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) | | 5. | Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) | | 6. | Oscar Piastri (McLaren) | | 7. | Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) | | 8. | Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) | | 9. | Liam Lawson (Red Bull) | | 10. | Pierre Gasly (Alpine) | | 11. | Franco Colapinto (Alpine) | | 12. | Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) | | 13. | Lando Norris (McLaren) – Grid penalty | | 14. | Carlos Sainz (Williams) | | 15. | Oliver Bearman (Haas) | | 16. | Alexander Albon (Williams) | | 17. | Esteban Ocon (Haas) | | 18. | Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) | | 19. | Sergio Perez (Cadillac) | | 20. | Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – Grid penalty | | 21. | Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – Grid penalty | | 22. | Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – Grid penalty |