Kimi Antonelli claimed a commanding pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix with a brilliant Spa-Francorchamps lap, while Ferrari was left frustrated after Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton encountered a yellow flag during their final Q3 attempts. The two Ferrari drivers qualified fifth and sixth respectively, despite showing stronger pace earlier in the session.
Antonelli set a 1:44.361 to take pole by 0.317 seconds from Max Verstappen, with Lando Norris third, although the McLaren driver will serve a 10-place grid penalty. Mercedes had looked highly competitive throughout the weekend, but Ferrari’s final qualifying runs were complicated by a pit-lane signal that was also visible from the circuit.
Kimi Antonelli takes Belgian GP pole in dominant Mercedes display
Kimi Antonelli’s Belgian GP pole lap left little room for debate. The Mercedes driver topped Q3 at Spa with a 1:44.361, finishing 0.317 seconds clear of Max Verstappen and 0.440 seconds ahead of Lando Norris.
The 19-year-old Italian had already led Q2 and confirmed the pace Mercedes had displayed in FP2 and FP3. At Spa-Francorchamps, the W17 appeared to be the car to beat, and Antonelli was the driver who extracted the most from it when pole position was decided.
Antonelli also comfortably outqualified Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who was fourth and more than half a second slower. The championship leader had shown speed, accuracy and confidence from the opening laps of the weekend, delivering when the pressure was at its greatest.
Max Verstappen secured a front-row start after benefiting from a tow from Isack Hadjar, while Lando Norris set the third-fastest time before the grid penalty he must take into the race. The qualifying battle took place under the additional technical demands created by the FIA’s revised energy rules at Spa, but Mercedes handled them better than anyone on Saturday.
Ferrari hindered by yellow flag on decisive Spa laps
Ferrari’s Belgian GP qualifying result was more difficult to assess. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and sixth, separated by only 0.002 seconds and both behind George Russell. That third-row result did not fully reflect their Q2 performance, when Charles Leclerc had been second behind Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton fourth.
According to the report, both SF-26 cars were affected by a misleading yellow-flag signal on their decisive laps. After providing Verstappen with a tow, Isack Hadjar abandoned his own attempt and returned to the pits. A marshal positioned at the pit-lane entry displayed a yellow flag that applied to that area, but it was also visible to drivers completing their laps on the circuit.
It remains unclear whether the signal was also displayed on the Ferrari drivers’ steering-wheel screens. If it was, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton may have been prompted to approach that section with greater caution, costing them time during the final moments of qualifying.
The incident does not necessarily mean Ferrari would have challenged Antonelli for pole. Mercedes’ advantage was more than half a second, a margin that underlined just how strong the W17 had been. However, the yellow flag may have denied Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton enough time to move ahead of Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and George Russell.
Lewis Hamilton recovers after FP3 crash as Charles Leclerc improves
Lewis Hamilton nevertheless completed an impressive qualifying session given the heavy FP3 crash that left Ferrari facing a major rebuild before the afternoon. The seven-time world champion returned to action without issue and finished only two thousandths of a second behind his team-mate.
Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, regained competitiveness after the energy-deployment problems Ferrari had encountered on the Kemmel Straight. Ferrari had arrived at the circuit mindful of the demands created by its Spa-Francorchamps expectations, and the team’s Q2 pace suggested a stronger final result was possible.
Ultimately, though, the verdict from Saturday was clear. Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes dominated Belgian GP qualifying, while Ferrari emerged with less than it appeared capable of achieving before the final and controversial Q3 runs. The Scuderia will now need to assess its race options carefully, especially with Spa’s changeable conditions still a possible factor according to the Belgian GP weather forecast.
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