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Kimi Antonelli takes Belgian GP pole at Spa-Francorchamps with 1:44.361; Lando Norris starts 13th after grid penalty

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli claimed his sixth Formula 1 pole position of the 2026 season at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium on July 18, beating Red Bull's Max Verstappen by 0.317 seconds; Lando Norris of McLaren qualified P3 but was given a grid penalty and will start 13th when the Belgian Grand Prix runs on July 19

Sports· active How Life Changes ·5 takes · ·rbtfl upd Jul 20, 2026
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Summary

Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes took pole position for the 2026 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium on July 18, posting a lap of 1:44.361 in the final Q3 run to beat Red Bull's Max Verstappen by 0.317 seconds. It was Antonelli's sixth pole of the 2026 season. McLaren's Lando Norris had set the pace in Q1 with a 1:45.865, edging Verstappen by 0.065 seconds, but abandoned his final Q3 attempt after going off into the gravel at Turn 13 and was subsequently given a grid penalty, dropping him from his qualifying position to 13th on the grid. The Belgian Grand Prix race runs on July 19.

The split

UK coverage (Sky Sports) led with Norris's penalty as the headline result alongside Antonelli's pole, reflecting the British driver's prominence for UK audiences. The official FIA and Formula 1 releases focused on Antonelli's commanding final lap and the Mercedes performance, consistent with the championship narrative of Mercedes challenging Red Bull. Motorsport wire services (Racing News 365) published full qualifying results without editorial framing.

By the numbers

  • 1:44.361, Antonelli's pole lap time
  • 0.317 seconds, Antonelli's margin over Verstappen
  • 6, Antonelli's pole positions in the 2026 F1 season
  • 13, Norris's grid position after penalty (from P3 qualifying)
  • 10, the Belgian GP's position in the 2026 F1 season calendar

Why it matters

Antonelli's sixth pole of 2026 extends Mercedes' resurgence at the top of qualifying, with the Italian driver matching or surpassing Verstappen's one-lap pace across the season. Norris starting 13th, rather than P3, materially changes the midfield dynamics of the race and weakens McLaren's chances of scoring a podium at Spa, where overtaking is historically difficult.

What to watch

  • The Belgian Grand Prix race result on July 19, and whether Antonelli converts pole to victory
  • Whether Norris can recover from 13th place at Spa, given the circuit's limited overtaking zones
  • Verstappen's response from P2 at a track where Red Bull has historically been strong

The briefing, by email