Kimi Antonelli Takes Pole for Belgian Grand Prix; Russell to Start P3
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix with a lap of 1:44.361, while teammate George Russell qualified fourth but will start third due to a McLaren grid penalty.
- 1:44.361
- Under 0.3 seconds
- 1:44.869
- P3 (after McLaren penalty)
What Happened
Mercedes-AMG Petronas enjoyed a strong Saturday at Spa-Francorchamps, with Kimi Antonelli taking pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix and George Russell qualifying fourth, promoted to third on the grid due to a 10-place penalty for Lando Norris's McLaren. After a difficult Friday, both drivers improved in FP3, with Antonelli fastest and Russell fourth. Qualifying saw the team overcome initial balance issues as track temperatures dropped, allowing Antonelli to post a 1:44.361 on his final Q3 lap, 0.3 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen. Russell's best lap was 1:44.869, but he continues to suffer from unexplained deployment losses into the final chicane.
“It's great to be on pole position, especially at a track where I struggled last year. Q1 was quite tricky with the changing wind conditions, but we kept making progress throughout the session. The car felt really strong in Q3, and I was happy with my final lap as I managed to put everything together. Pole on Saturday is a great result, but the points are scored tomorrow. A good start will be cruci”
“I felt satisfied with my last lap in Q3 today and felt like it might have been good enough for the front row. I've been struggling for the last couple of races with my pace and we're all working hard to try and find a solution. The positive news is that we still have a solid starting position in P3 and, as Kimi showed by taking pole position, the car is quick. Anything can happen here at Spa and u”
“At the beginning of Q3 we hadn't quite managed to put our lap together. We were overheating the tyres too much... Once we were able to get the tyres into a better window though, both drivers were able to put in good laps. For Kimi that was enough to take pole position and for George P4, which becomes P3 on tomorrow's grid.”
1:44.361seconds
Kimi Antonelli's final Q3 lap, 0.3 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen.
Previously from Mercedes-Benz
In Friday's practice, Antonelli topped FP2 after a difficult FP1, while Russell struggled for pace. Today, Antonelli secured pole and Russell will start P3 after a McLaren penalty.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Mercedes-Benz's official releases.
Why this matters
This qualifying result positions Mercedes strongly for Sunday's race after a challenging Friday. Antonelli's first pole of the season demonstrates the team's ability to bounce back, while Russell's P3 start keeps both cars in contention for valuable constructor points. The long straights at Spa mean overtaking is likely, so tire management and race pace will be critical.
Terms in This Story
- Pole position
- The first starting position on the grid, awarded to the driver with the fastest qualifying time.
- Q3
- The final segment of qualifying, where the top 10 drivers compete for the best starting positions.
- Grid penalty
- A sanction that moves a driver down the starting grid, often for causing a collision or using too many engine parts.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.