Antonelli denies Red Bull's tow game to storm to Belgian GP pole

Lando Norris topped Q1 with the fastest time of the session, although the McLaren driver is set to serve a 10-place grid penalty for Sunday's race, effectively ruling him out of pole position. Max Verstappen finished second, with Isack Hadjar just behind in third. George Russell took fourth, beating his teammate for the first time this weekend, while Kimi Antonelli struggled by comparison and could only manage eighth.

Oliver Bearman scraped through to Q2 in 15th as the final driver to advance. Eliminated in Q1 were Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez and both Aston Martin drivers, with Lance Stroll ending the session last and more than 4.3 seconds off the pace.

Q2 saw Kimi Antonelli produce a stunning lap to reclaim top spot with a 1:45.142, finishing almost three tenths clear of second-placed Charles Leclerc. Lando Norris was third ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, while Arvid Lindblad impressed again in sixth, ahead of Oscar Piastri and George Russell, who continued to struggle compared to his teammate. Isack Hadjar also progressed in ninth, with Gabriel Bortoleto putting Audi into Q3 as the final qualifier.

Knocked out in Q2 were Liam Lawson, both Alpine drivers Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, Nico Hulkenberg, Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman.

The opening runs in Q3 saw Norris unexpectedly take provisional pole, with Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc both less than a tenth behind. Max Verstappen followed in fourth after benefiting from a tow provided by his teammate, while Lewis Hamilton went fifth and George Russell could only manage sixth.

Following a brief red flag caused by gravel dragged onto the track by Oscar Piastri, forcing the marshals to clear the circuit, the field headed out for their final runs. Max Verstappen was the first to cross the line and, once again benefiting from a tow from his teammate, moved into second. Kimi Antonelli then secured pole position with a 1:44.361, while George Russell finished fourth, ahead of Charles Leclerc in fifth and Lewis Hamilton in sixth.