Kimi Antonelli secures pole position for Belgian Grand Prix
Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes claimed pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. This marks his sixth pole position of the season. He will start alongside four-time world champion Max Verstappen on the front row.
Antonelli’s pole position comes after a strong performance in Free Practice 3 (FP3), where he was the fastest driver. He finished FP3 just over one-tenth faster than McLaren’s Lando Norris. During FP3, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton experienced a crash at the end of the session.
Qualifying Session Overview
During the qualifying session, Antonelli posted a time of 1:44.361. Verstappen secured the second spot, trailing by 0.317 seconds. Norris qualified third, 0.440 seconds behind Antonelli, but will face a grid penalty. George Russell, Antonelli’s teammate, qualified fourth, 0.5008 seconds off the pace.
Other notable qualifiers included Charles Leclerc of Ferrari in fifth, followed by his teammate Hamilton in sixth. Oscar Piastri of McLaren secured seventh, while Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls finished eighth. Gabriel Bortoleto of Audi was ninth, and Isack Hadjar of Red Bull did not set a time in the final qualifying segment.
Hadjar will serve a grid penalty this weekend due to new power unit components. Norris will also drop 10 places on the grid due to a penalty. These penalties will affect the starting positions for Sunday’s race.
Practice Session Details
In FP3, Antonelli’s quickest time was 1m 45.990s. Hamilton initially set the fastest time with a 1m 46.789s before Antonelli, Russell, and Verstappen had ventured out. Verstappen’s opening run placed him second, four tenths behind Hamilton.
The Mercedes duo appeared later in FP3, aiming to complete qualifying simulations. Antonelli then moved to the top of the timesheets, leaving Hamilton eight tenths behind. Russell, however, could only manage P4, 1.2 seconds adrift of his teammate, reporting a lack of straight-line speed.
Hadjar also encountered issues during FP3, stopping at the pit lane exit before being recovered to the garage. He later almost collided with Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin. Russell improved in the first sector during a second attempt but was slower in the remaining two sectors.
Verstappen also improved within the final 15 minutes of FP3, moving to P2 despite briefly going off track. Norris then moved ahead of both Russell and Verstappen, pushing Russell back to P4. Antonelli had to abort a flying lap after running wide at La Source and later failed to improve after a slide through the Les Combes chicane.
Race Day Outlook
Antonelli’s 1m 45.990s remained the quickest time in FP3, less than two tenths clear of Norris, followed by Verstappen and Russell. Hamilton finished FP3 in P5 but crashed on his final lap, an incident similar to Pierre Gasly’s crash in FP2. The Briton lost control at Turn 13, heading into the gravel and making contact with the barrier.
The weather forecast for the race indicates dry conditions, which suggests slippery conditions might not be a factor. However, rain is always a possibility at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The race will consist of 44 laps, with lights out scheduled for 14:00 BST.
Antonelli will be looking to secure points after a recent challenging period, following his five consecutive wins earlier in the campaign. He holds a 25-point lead over his teammate Russell in the drivers’ championship. The race build-up is set to begin at 13:00 BST.
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Source: bbc.com
