F1 Today | Antonelli takes dominant Spa pole as 'Red Bull identifies Lambiase's successor

Kimi Antonelli produced another exceptional qualifying display at Spa to secure his sixth pole position of the season. After a relatively quiet start in Q1, where he finished eighth, the Mercedes driver made a huge step forward in Q2, setting the fastest time of the session by almost three tenths over Charles Leclerc to establish himself as the favourite for pole.

Antonelli carried that momentum into the decisive Q3 shootout. Although Lando Norris initially held provisional pole after the opening runs, the Italian responded when it mattered most, delivering a stunning final lap of 1:44.361 to reclaim the top spot. His effort proved comfortably enough to beat Max Verstappen, who benefited from a tow provided by his teammate, and Norris, sealing another dominant pole position.

Behind the front three, George Russell qualified fourth despite continuing to struggle with straight-line speed, while Charles Leclerc completed the top five ahead of Lewis Hamilton

According to De Telegraaf, Red Bull has internally chosen Gianpiero Lambiase's long-term successor, with Tom Hart set to become Verstappen's future race engineer. Although Hart had been expected to leave for Williams next season to take up the same role alongside Alex Albon, he will now remain with the Milton Keynes-based team instead.

Currently serving as Verstappen's performance engineer while also working with Isack Hadjar, Hart is expected to gradually transition into the race engineer position. As part of that process, he is likely to take over communications on several occasions later this season to ensure a smooth handover before officially replacing Lambiase next year.

Verstappen had previously indicated that Red Bull already had an internal candidate lined up for the role, suggesting the transition would happen progressively rather than immediately. With Lambiase remaining in place for the time being, the Dutchman is expected to continue working alongside his long-time race engineer before the responsibilities are gradually passed on to Hart.