Belgian GP qualifying live updates: can Ferrari challenge Kimi Antonelli for Spa pole?. F1 Belgian GP 2026 qualifying live updates from Spa-Francorchamps.

15:45 – Good afternoon and welcome to ScuderiaFans’ live coverage of qualifying for the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix. After three long practice sessions that provided some answers while raising plenty of new questions, it is finally time to get serious at Spa-Francorchamps. There are 15 minutes to go before Q1 begins, with the battle for pole position about to get under way.

F1 Belgian GP qualifying live from Spa-Francorchamps

Qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix begins at 16:00 CET with the first elimination session, Q1. From there, the field will progress through Q2 and Q3 before the pole-sitter and the starting grid for Sunday’s race are decided.

The scheduled qualifying format lasts around 60 minutes, but Formula 1 qualifying can rarely be treated as straightforward. Any incident, red flag or interruption has the potential to extend the programme, especially at a high-speed circuit such as Spa-Francorchamps. The technical challenge at the circuit has been heightened by the FIA’s revised energy-management rules for Spa, adding another important variable to the fight for pole.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli starts as Spa pole favourite

Andrea Kimi Antonelli enters qualifying as the clear favourite after setting the fastest time in both Friday’s FP2 session and Saturday morning’s FP3. The Italian driver has once again shown strong form with this generation of Formula 1 cars, but the 2026 season has regularly delivered surprises.

In FP3, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen finished within one and a half tenths of a second of Andrea Kimi Antonelli. George Russell was fourth, more than three tenths behind his Mercedes team-mate. Lando Norris is set to serve a ten-place grid penalty, meaning his final qualifying position would not reflect his starting place for the Belgian Grand Prix.

Ferrari faces a more uncertain situation. Lewis Hamilton crashed into the barriers at the end of FP3, while Charles Leclerc finished sixth, 0.760 seconds from the fastest time after struggling to put together a completely clean lap. Ferrari will be looking for answers after a difficult Friday, despite Charles Leclerc’s measured expectations for the Spa weekend.

Will qualifying produce further surprises, or did FP3 reveal the genuine competitive order at Spa-Francorchamps? Follow our live coverage as the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix grid takes shape.