Kimi Antonelli captured his sixth pole of the season Saturday at the Belgian Grand Prix, beating out Max Verstappen by 0.317 seconds.
It will be Verstappen's third front-row start of the season as he equalled his best qualifying performance of the year. Lando Norris, who was on provisional pole before the final Q3 laps, qualified third but will receive a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding power unit components.
Antonelli is the first Mercedes polesitter in Spa since Lewis Hamilton in 2020 and the first Italian driver to take pole at the circuit since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2009.
His 0.317-second gap to Verstappen is the largest pole margin of the season. Mercedes has now taken pole in all 10 races in 2026.
Meanwhile, Antonelli's teammate George Russell qualified fourth while Lewis Hamilton was sixth, behind Charles Leclerc in fifth. Russell will start Sunday's race 25 points behind Antonelli in the championship while Hamilton is 32 points back of the Italian.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:44.361 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:44.678 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:44.801 |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:44.869 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:44.893 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:44.895 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:45.016 |
| 8 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:45.143 |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:45.628 |
| 10 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | N/A |
| 11 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:46.120 |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:46.331 |
| 13 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:46.392 |
| 14 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:46.671 |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:46.777 |
| 16 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:46.779 |
| 17 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:47.120 |
| 18 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:47.801 |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:47.823 |
| 20 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:47.971 |
| 21 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:50.002 |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:50.177 |
Isack Hadjar gave Verstappen a tow on both his Q3 runs but did not set a representative time himself. The French driver is also slated to receive a grid penalty for Sunday's race.
Arvid Lindblad made Q3 for a third consecutive race and was the only Racing Bulls driver to make the top 10 shootout.
Liam Lawson, Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto, Nico Hulkenberg, Carlos Sainz, and Oliver Bearman were eliminated in Q2. It's the first time Lawson has failed to make Q3 since the Canadian Grand Prix.
It was once again both Cadillacs and Aston Martins eliminated in Q1 plus Haas' Esteban Ocon and Williams' Alex Albon. Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso, and Lance Stroll have yet to make it out of Q1 this year. Aston Martin were the only team that failed to break the 1:50.000 barrier this entire weekend.
