Qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps is done and the grid is locked, so the guesswork is over ahead of Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix. Kimi Antonelli grabbed pole with a lap of 1:44.361, beating Max Verstappen by three tenths, as The Race reports. It's a big result for the young Mercedes driver, who lost a likely win at Silverstone a fortnight ago and now starts the penultimate race before the summer break from the front.
Verstappen lines up alongside him on the front row, and he had some help getting there. Isack Hadjar gave the Red Bull a tow on his final flying lap, which Formula 1's qualifying report credits with hauling Verstappen up to second. Hadjar himself won't be anywhere near the sharp end, because an engine change drops him all the way to 21st.
There's trouble further back for two of the pre-weekend favourites. Lewis Hamilton crashed his Ferrari in practice at the Fagnes chicane and the team rebuilt the car against the clock, leaving him compromised and only fifth on the grid. Lando Norris qualified third fastest but takes a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his power unit allocation, so he starts 13th, per Sky Sports. For a McLaren team that was tipped to fight for the title, starting outside the top ten on a power track stings.
The Full Starting Grid
This is how every car lines up for Sunday, with the order confirmed by Crash.net and cross-checked against the Motorsport.com grid:
- 1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), on pole
- 2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 3. George Russell (Mercedes)
- 4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- 5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- 6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- 7. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
- 8. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
- 9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
- 10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- 11. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
- 12. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
- 13. Lando Norris (McLaren), after a 10-place penalty
- 14. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- 15. Oliver Bearman (Haas)
- 16. Alex Albon (Williams)
- 17. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
- 18. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
- 19. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
- 20. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), after an engine penalty
- 21. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), after an engine penalty
- 22. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), after an engine penalty
Norris, Stroll, Hadjar, and Alonso all took power unit penalties this weekend, which is what scrambles the back half of the order and lifts drivers like Russell, Leclerc, and Piastri a spot or two higher than their raw qualifying pace put them.
When The Race Starts And How To Watch
Lights out is on Sunday, July 19th, at 3:00 PM local time in Belgium (CEST). That's 9:00 AM on the US East Coast and 2:00 PM in the UK, per The Race's weekend schedule. Pre-race build-up starts a little over an hour before the green flag, so early risers stateside will want the coffee going by around 7:50 AM ET.
If you're watching in the States, Apple TV is the home of F1 in the US now, so every session streams there, including Sunday's race, again per The Race. A subscription runs $12.99 a month with a seven-day free trial, and it carries English and Spanish commentary.
Across the pond, nothing changes. Sky Sports keeps its exclusive UK rights, with the race live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. If you don't subscribe, Channel 4 carries free-to-air highlights after the fact, so you're not shut out entirely.
What To Expect On Sunday
Spa is one of the most power-hungry circuits on the calendar, all long straights and full-throttle stretches through the Ardennes forest. Under the 2026 rules, with their bigger electric deployment and a near even split between petrol and battery, engine quality matters more than ever, and Mercedes has looked like the class of the field all year. Seeing Antonelli and Russell start first and third fits that pattern.
The obvious question is whether Verstappen can turn that front-row slot into a win, or at least deny Antonelli. The long run down to Les Combes gives him a real slipstreaming shot at Turn 5 on the opening lap, and he rarely needs a second invitation. Behind them, a recovering Norris and Hamilton both have work to do on a track where overtaking is possible but never guaranteed.
So who are you backing at Spa? Does Antonelli convert this pole into the win that got away at Silverstone, or does Verstappen pounce into Turn 5 and lead them into the forest? How far can Norris and Hamilton realistically climb from deep in the pack?
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