ANTONELLI TAKES BELGIAN GP POLE FROM VERSTAPPEN

Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, finishing ahead of Max Verstappen by 0.317 seconds. The Mercedes driver, who leads the championship by 25 points, recorded his sixth pole position in ten races this season. Verstappen received assistance from Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar, who provided a slipstream on the final straight despite facing a 30-place grid penalty. Antonelli's team-mate George Russell qualified fourth, more than 0.5 seconds behind pole position.

Lando Norris of McLaren claimed third place, 0.440 seconds adrift of Antonelli, despite abandoning his final qualifying lap. Norris will start 13th on the grid owing to a 10-place penalty for exceeding his engine allocation. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth and sixth respectively, with McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Racing Bull's Arvid Lindblad completing the top eight. Norris reported that McLaren had not anticipated competitive performance at Spa but found the car well-suited to the circuit throughout the weekend.

Verstappen acknowledged the strategic assistance from Hadjar, stating that without the tow he would have qualified significantly lower. He described Red Bull's execution as a team effort and noted his intention to remain mindful of Hadjar's position during Sunday's race. Antonelli dedicated his pole position achievement to his father Marco on his 61st birthday.