Kimi Antonelli raced to an emphatic pole position for Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix to leave his world championship rivals trailing in his wake.
The 19-year-old Mercedes F1 driver headed into qualifying as the man to beat after topping two of the three practice sessions in Spa-Francorchamps and he delivered on his status with a brilliant lap.
Antonelli saved his very best to last to see off Red Bull driver Max Verstappen by 0.317 seconds.
Lando Norris qualified third, four tenths down on Antonelli, but the world champion w
Follow live F1 updates from the Belgian Grand Prix with The Independent.
F1 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- The Belgian GP on Sunday starts at 2pm (BST)
- Kimi Antonelli will start on pole; Verstappen 2nd; Russell 3rd
- Lewis Hamilton crashed at the end of final practice in Spa
- Antonelli has a 25-point lead to George Russell in the world championship
What time is the race on Sunday?
16:59 , Kieran Jackson
The Belgian Grand Prix starts at 2pm (BST) at Spa-Francorchamps.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur:
05:00 , Kieran Jackson
“We have slightly mixed feelings after this session, as we knew before the weekend that this track would be quite difficult for us, although overall, I think our performance was decent.
“If you consider that Verstappen benefited from a slipstream and Charles had to deal with the yellow flag situation in which he probably lost one place, I’d say it wasn’t a bad session for us. As for Lewis, the team did a great job to get the car fixed in time after his crash.
“It’s never ideal to go into quali like this but he has had good pace all weekend.Now focus on ourselves, knowing there is a long race ahead of us tomorrow. We made a good step forward after FP3 and will fight, knowing we always perform a bit better in the race. It will be difficult for all the teams to decide the best way to deploy energy to either defend or attack.”
Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack:
03:00 , Kieran Jackson
“It's another tough Saturday, but we know this is our situation and we just focused on delivering a well-executed Qualifying session. Tyre preparation was good for both Lance and Fernando, and they both placed their cars well to pick up a tow on their best laps.
“With our current performance level, it won't be an easy race, but we will focus to extract what we can tomorrow. Just one more race and then we can focus on Budapest.”
Fernando Alonso after qualifying P21:
01:00 , Kieran Jackson
“It was difficult out there today in Qualifying, but it’s as we expected. We still try to do our best and this has been the case over the last ten races for us. We will make sure we maximise everything tomorrow and continue learning what we can to find every bit of performance. Tomorrow will be about doing everything we can at the highest level.”
Charles Leclerc after qualifying:
23:00 , Kieran Jackson
“I was very satisfied with my first lap in Q3, while on my second lap I lost some time by lifting when I saw the yellow flag being waved at the pit lane for Isack (Hadjar). There may have been a few hundredths to gain there, but there wasn’t much more to extract from our car today.
“Our pace overall looks quite solid, even if our competitors are performing at a very high level and there is still a significant gap to them. We will see what we can bring home tomorrow. This track doesn’t really suit the characteristics of our car, so it could be challenging to overtake and defend during the race, especially in the straight lines.
“We will push to gain some positions at the start and take it from there. A podium would be a good result for us.”
Kimi Antonelli surges to dominant Belgium GP pole position as Lewis Hamilton struggles
21:00 , Kieran Jackson
Kimi Antonelli raced to an emphatic pole position for Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix to leave his world championship rivals trailing in his wake.
The 19-year-old Mercedes F1 driver headed into qualifying as the man to beat after topping two of the three practice sessions in Spa-Francorchamps and he delivered on his status with a brilliant lap.
Antonelli saved his very best to last to see off Red Bull driver Max Verstappen by 0.317 seconds.
Lando Norris qualified third, four tenths down on Antonelli, but the world champion will line up from 13th as he serves a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his allocated number of engine parts.
Antonelli surges to dominant Belgium GP pole position as Hamilton struggles
Lewis Hamilton, who will start P5:
20:00 , Kieran Jackson
“Mercedes are very very fast, they’re just the quickest team in qualifying.
“Definitely think we can go forward tomorrow, we’ll definitely try our best.”
George Russell, who will start P3:
19:00 , Kieran Jackson
On why he’s losing pace in the straights: “We thought it was driving style, we're finally concludes it's not. We've changed everything, four-tenths in the straights in Q3. Frustrating, every single lap, I've seen five-tenths.
“The team are working so hard to understand what it is, we saw it as early as Austria, we always thought there was a reason, we thought we found the problem at Silverstone, I thought it was the driving style, changed, it's not.”
On race: “Anything can happen but truth is, battling against my teammate at the best of times is a tall order. When you feel like you're battling with one hand behind your back, it's a challenge. I pray I'm going to endure the pain of this issue tomorrow and try and get a great result.”
What is the starting grid on Sunday?
18:00 , Kieran Jackson
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 (Racing Bulls)
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
11. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
12. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
13. Lando Norris (McLaren) *
14. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
15. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
16. Alex Albon (Williams)
17. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
18. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
19. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
20. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)*
21. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)**
22. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)***
*Norris and Stroll have a 10-place grid penalty and will start in 13th
**Hadjar has a 30-place grid penalty and will start in 21st
***Alonso had a 20-place grid penalty and will start 22nd
Lando Norris, who qualified P3:
16:51 , Kieran Jackson
“We’ve not changed anything, nice to be standing here, not nice knowing I have to go 10 places back. We made the most of it, still a very good qualifying. I performed well all weekend so far and we can have a good race tomorrow.
“The car is performing well, there’s plenty of opportunities, a long race, put on a bit of a show for you.”
Norris will start P12...
Max Verstappen, who qualified P2:
16:35 , Kieran Jackson
“Tow was definitely helping me, wouldn’t be standing here. Isack did a really good job in the final sector.
“For sure tomorrow, I’ll be looking in my mirrors, the car has honestly been quite decent. We are happy of course to be on the front row.
Kimi Antonelli after claiming his sixth pole of 2026:
16:22 , Kieran Jackson
“Great to be on pole, was a not very straightforward session, we were able to improve lap by lap and bring home pole. Tomorrow is another day, Max starting next to me, important to get a good start.
“The last lap was good, I improved a lot. Very clean.”
“Good start, we try our best to maximise the performance. It’s going to be fun tomorrow.”
TOP-10 IN QUALIFYING
16:14 , Kieran Jackson
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3. Lando Norris (McLaren)*
4. George Russell (Mercedes)
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
8. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
9. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
10. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)**
*Norris has a 10-place grid penalty and will start in 12th
**Hadjar will start at the back of the grid
Kimi Antonelli on pole position
16:11 , Kieran Jackson
Verstappen had pole for a few seconds - until Antonelli overtook him by three-tenths!
Lando Norris has to settle for third in the end having aborted his second lap, with George Russell in fourth.
5-10: Leclerc, Hamilton, Piastri, Lindblad, Bortoleto, Hadjar
“Let’s go man,” says Antonelli.
Out now
16:08 , Kieran Jackson
Warm-up laps done, here we go!
Q3 back undeway
16:04 , Kieran Jackson
Gravel cleared, we’re back underway.
When will they head out for lap No 2?
RED FLAG
15:58 , Kieran Jackson
Bit odd. No obvious incident on track.
Maybe gravel on track from Piastri’s brief run-in?
Still, session stopped with 6:06 left.
Norris on provisional pole
15:56 , Kieran Jackson
Wow! Where has that come from?
Lando Norris on provisional P1 (though he does have a 10-place grid penalty), with Antonelli 0.039 secs off in second and Leclerc in third - also within a tenth.
4-10: Verstappen, Hamilton, Russell, Piastri, Lindblad, Bortoleto, Hadjar
They will go again though...
Q3 underway
15:53 , Kieran Jackson
Here we go then - can anyone stop Antonelli?
10 drivers involved: Antonelli, Russell, Verstappen, Hadjar, Norris, Piastri, Hamilton, Leclerc, Lindblad, Bortoleto
Out in Q2
15:45 , Kieran Jackson
11. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
12. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
13. Franco Colapinto (Alpine0
14. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
15. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
16. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
Lawson out
15:44 , Kieran Jackson
It’s not to be for Liam Lawson - but his RB teammate Arvid Lindblad is through!
Nico Hulkenberg has stopped out on track, too... start of Q3 will be delayed.
Bottom-six (11-16) and out in Q2: Lawson, Gasly, Colapinto, Hulkenberg, Sainz, Bearman
Antonelli quickest by 0.255 secs in that session - can anyone stop him for pole in Q3?
Antonelli quickest so far in Q2
15:36 , Kieran Jackson
Antonelli two-tenths quicker than Leclerc in second.
At the bottom, no major shocks - can Liam Lawson find a route out?
11-16: Lawson, Gasly, Hulkenberg, Colapinto, Sainz, Bearman
4:00 to go in Q2...
Q2 underway
15:32 , Kieran Jackson
15 minutes this time - who will make the top-10 shootout?
Out in Q1
15:32 , Kieran Jackson
17) Alex Albon (Williams)
18) Esteban Ocon (Haas)
19) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
20) Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
21) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
22) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
Alex Albon out in Q1
15:19 , Kieran Jackson
A blow for the Williams driver, who misses out by 0.007 secs!
Bottom-six and out in Q1 (17-22): Albon, Ocon, Bottas, Perez, Alonso, Stroll
Usual procedure for Aston Martin ansd Cadillac.
Top-3: Norris, Verstappen, Hadjar
Verstappen top early on
15:13 , Kieran Jackson
They’ve taken their time to leave the pit-lane but they’re all out there now, with 10 minutes left in Q1.
Verstappen quickest early on with Arvid Lindblad just two-tenths behind in second.
Qualifying underway
15:01 , Kieran Jackson
Q1 is a go then at Spa-Francorchamps - 18 minutes where we will lose the slowest six drivers from the rest of qualifying.
And - most unusually in the Ardennes forest - it is bright sunshine!
Qualifying in Belgium
14:55 , Kieran Jackson
So, who you got today?
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli is the favourite - and with good reason - but can George Russell find some much-needed pace?
Ferrari look the next best bet and you can never rule out Max Verstappen!
Hamilton UPDATE
14:48 , Kieran Jackson
Good news, Lewis fans.
Ferrari’s car is all fixed and ready for qualifying after that crash in FP3 - well done to the Scuderia pit-crew.
Odds for qualifying
14:40 , Kieran Jackson
Unsurprisingly, Kimi Antonelli leads the way.
- Kimi Antonelli - 4/9
- Max Verstappen - 9/2
- George Russell - 9/1
- Lando Norris - 10/1
- Lewis Hamilton - 16/1
- Charles Leclerc - 18/1
- Oscar Piastri - 25/1
Max Verstappen after Friday practice:
14:33 , Kieran Jackson
"It has been all right for me, didn't have big problems, the car has been in quite a good window. You see the real gap but it is nothing shocking, it is expected.
"It is just a bit of a tough track with the energy management, seems like we're a bit slow on the straight compared to some of our competitors, but balance-wise it was OK."
Verstappen did finish top in FP1...
Top-10 - driver standings:
14:20 , Kieran Jackson
Antonelli’s lead is 25 points.
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 179 points
2. George Russell (Mercedes) - 154 points
3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 147 points
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 108 points
5. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 97 points
6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 82 points
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 76 points
8. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 52 points
9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 42 points
10. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 39 points
Lando Norris after Friday practice:
14:08 , Kieran Jackson
"P1 not great. P2 a little bit happier, I am still not very happy with the car, it is still very difficult to drive but we seemed a bit closer, but we are always pretty close on Friday in practice, I think we just show more pace than our competitors.
“We shouldn't expect anything differently from normal."
Lewis Hamilton after Friday practice:
14:00 , Kieran Jackson
"Spa is still amazing to drive," said the 41-year-old. "Through corners is great, it's just on the straights the engine dies. I don't know what they're going to do to fix that in the future - the engine should just keep pulling.
"We are pretty much there in the [deployment] window, I don't think we're down on the straights, it's just the middle sector is looking a little slow for us but we will hopefully make a step overnight.
"It feels a little downforce-related. The balance is good in general but you'd have more load on the car if you could. But then you need the speed on the straights. We will do a deep dive to figure out how we can figure out how to pick up the middle sector and not lose."
Kimi Antonelli after going quickest in Friday practice:
13:49 , Kieran Jackson
“Was a massive turnaround with the car, because P1 we struggled a lot.
"It was a good change but of course a lot of work to do because Red Bull is quick, McLaren was up there. Long run felt very strong as well."
Wolff's reaction to Antonelli in FP3
13:38 , Kieran Jackson
We think Toto liked Kimi's lap #F1 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/Qkj47h5laZ
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 18, 2026
Constructor standings ahead of Spa
13:30 , Kieran Jackson
1. Mercedes - 333 points
2. Ferrari - 255 points
3. McLaren - 179 points
4. Red Bull - 128 points
5. Alpine - 60 points
6. Racing Bulls - 59 points
7. Haas - 21 points
8. Williams - 11 points
9. Audi - 6 points
10. Aston Martin - 1 point
11. Cadillac - 0 points
More on Hamilton's crash
13:20 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton will face a race against time to take part in qualifying for tomorrow’s Belgian Grand Prix after he crashed out of final practice.
In the final seconds on the concluding session at Spa-Francorchamps, Hamilton lost control of his Ferrari on the exit of Fagnes, racing through the gravel with the rear of his car thudding into the barrier.
“I have destroyed the car, mate,” said Hamilton as he came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the track.
Lewis Hamilton leaves Ferrari with major repair job after crash at Belgian GP
Top-10 in FP3
13:12 , Kieran Jackson
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 1:45.990
2. Lando Norris (McLaren)
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
4. George Russell (Mercedes)
5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
8. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
9. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
10. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
Top-10 - driver standings:
12:58 , Kieran Jackson
Antonelli’s lead is 25 points.
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 179 points
2. George Russell (Mercedes) - 154 points
3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 147 points
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 108 points
5. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 97 points
6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 82 points
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 76 points
8. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 52 points
9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 42 points
10. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 39 points
Lewis Hamilton crashes at end of practice
12:50 , Kieran Jackson
Pushing and pushing, Hamilton smashed into the tyre barrier in the middle sector of a lap at Spa-Francorchamps.
It’s a big two hours ahead for the Ferrari mechanics as they look to get the car ready for qualifying now.
Hamilton: "I've destroyed the car mate, sorry.”
Hamilton finds the barriers 💥 Here's what happened 👇#F1 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/FeNgjTo1Js
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 18, 2026
What time is qualifying?
12:44 , Kieran Jackson
Qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix starts at 3pm (BST).
Kimi Antonelli is the favourite.
F1 Belgian GP 2026
12:42 , Kieran Jackson
Formula 1 returns to the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit for the Belgian Grand Prix and round 10 of the 2026 season.
Kimi Antonelli endured a frustrating race last time out at Silverstone, finishing outside the points, but he still has a healthy lead of 25 points to Mercedes teammate George Russell in the championship standings.
Charles Leclerc secured his first win of the season for Ferrari at the British GP, ahead of Russell in seecond and Lewis Hamilton in third. Hamilton trails Russell by just seven points in the championship leaderboard as he eyes a record-breaking eighth world championship.
Lando Norris finished just off the podium in Silverstone and missed out on a win in Belgium last year to McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
