Belgian Grand Prix: Who takes pole position at Spa? Update: Kimi Antonelli has taken pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix.
Just two races remain ahead of Formula 1’s August shutdown, this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix and the Hungarian Grand Prix next week.
Who will take pole position at historic Spa-Francorchamps?
Max Verstappen topped the timing sheets in the first hour of practice on Friday, ahead of the Ferrari duo of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. But Drivers’ Championship leader Kimi Antonelli struck back in the second hour of practice, leading the way with a lap time of 1:45.944, ahead of Lando Norris and Verstappen. Hamilton and Isack Hadjar rounded out the top five in FP2.
But later today, following the third hour of practice, the lap times will count for real. Follow along with us here at SB Nation as we track qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. The session begins at 10:00 a.m. Eastern, so check back early and often. And you can also join the conversation at the brand new F1 Feed, here at SB Nation.
Belgian Grand Prix provisional grid
Here is the provisional starting grid for the 2026 F1 Belgian Grand Prix, which will be filled in throughout the session. It is worth noting that Norris will take a ten-place grid penalty as McLaren has fitted his MCL40 with a new power electronics unit, the fourth of the season and one more than the three allowed under the rules. Hadjar is also going to start at the back of the grid as Red Bull installed several new components over the season allowance, adding up to a 30-place penalty and a back-of-the-grid start.
Update: So although Norris qualified 3rd, he will start 13th.
Row
Position
Driver
Team
Position
Driver
Team
Row 1 1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 2 Max Verstappen Red Bull Row 2 3 Lando Norris McLaren 4 George Russell Mercedes Row 3 5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 6 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Row 4 7 Oscar Piastri McLaren 8 Arvid Lindblad VCARB Row 5 9 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 10 Isack Hadjar Red Bull Row 6 11 Liam Lawson VCARB 12 Pierre Gasly Alpine Row 7 13 Franco Colapinto Alpine 14 Nico Hülkenberg Audi Row 8 15 Carlos Sainz Williams 16 Oliver Bearman Haas Row 9 17 Alexander Albon Williams 18 Esteban Ocon Haas Row 10 19 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 20 Sergio Pérez Cadillac Row 11 21 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 22 Lance Stroll Aston Martin
What happened in qualifying?
Here is how the qualifying hour unfolded. All updates are in Eastern time.
11:11: It’s Antonelli, as he nips Verstappen for pole. Norris bailed out of his final effort.
11:04: Red flag at Spa to clear gravel off the track, ahead of the final runs. But Norris tops the timing sheet after the opening efforts.
Look for Hadjar to give Verstappen a tow again, as he did on the first attempt.
10:51: Q3 is underway with 13 minutes on the clock. Pit lane roars to life with Lindblad leading a group of cars out that includes both McLarens and both Red Bulls.
10:44: Antonelli, Leclerc, Norris, Hamilton, Verstappen, Lindblad, Piastri, Russell, Hadjar, and Bortoleto are the ten drivers in the hunt for pole position, and advanced to Q3 in that order. Remember, however, that Norris and Hadjar are facing grid penalties, so the best Norris can start is P11. Hadjar’s penalty is sending him to the back of the grid.
10:42: Lawson, Gasly, Colapinto, Hülkenberg, Sainz, and Bearman are out in Q2.
10:34: The Ferraris are next, and Leclerc slots in second, with Hamilton fourth.
Antonelli, Leclerc, Norris, Hamilton, Verstappen, Lindblad, Piastri, Russell, Hadjar, and Bortoleto are the top ten right now. Lawson, Gasly, Hülkenberg, Colapinto, Sainz, and Bearman are in the drop zone.
10:32: Verstappen jumps to second, with Lindblad third and Piastri fourth, all of which shuffles Russell down to P5.
Russell then drops to P6 when Norris jumps to P2.
10:31: Antonelli sets the early benchmark with a 1:45.142, followed by Russell more than a half-second behind him.
10:26: Q2 is underway, but the track is quiet for now.
10:20: Norris, Verstappen, Hadjar, Hamilton, Russell, Lindblad, Leclerc, Antonelli, Piastri, Lawson, Bortoleto, Gasly, Colapinto, Hülkenberg, Sainz, and Bearman are the drivers moving on to Q2, in that order.
10:19: Albon, Ocon, Bottas, Pérez, Alonso, and Stroll are the six drivers out in Q1.
10:14: Four minutes are left, and the drivers are rolling out for their final push laps.
10:11: Seven minutes remain in Q1. Norris is at the top of the board, followed by Verstappen, Hadjar, Lindblad, and Antonelli.
Colapinto, Ocon, Pérez, Bottas, Alonso, and Stroll are the six in the drop zone. Hülkenberg sits 15th, and Albon in 16th.
10:05: Hamilton is on the track, as the Ferrari mechanics got the job done.
10:04: The clock hits 15 minutes and the rest of the grid roars to life.
10:01: Green light at Spa, and 18 minutes to lose the six slowest drivers. Stroll, Bottas, and Pérez are the three drivers on the grid. Stroll and Alonso each face a ten-place grid penalty, but they were more than a second behind the Cadillacs during practice.
9:57: Qualifying is set to begin in just a few minutes.
The final hour of practice was more of the same at Spa.
Antonelli topped the timing sheets ahead of Norris, finishing more than one-tenth ahead of the McLaren driver. But the biggest story might have been the shunt from Hamilton, as the Ferrari driver found the barrier at Turn 13, in a crash similar to the one Pierre Gasly suffered during FP2:
The mechanics at Ferrari now face a race against the clock to get his car ready for qualifying.
Here are the full results from FP3 at the Belgian Grand Prix:
#Belgian #Grand #Prix #takes #pole #position #Spa
Update: Kimi Antonelli has taken pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix.
Just two races remain ahead of Formula 1’s August shutdown, this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix and the Hungarian Grand Prix next week.
Who will take pole position at historic Spa-Francorchamps?
Max Verstappen topped the timing sheets in the first hour of practice on Friday, ahead of the Ferrari duo of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. But Drivers’ Championship leader Kimi Antonelli struck back in the second hour of practice, leading the way with a lap time of 1:45.944, ahead of Lando Norris and Verstappen. Hamilton and Isack Hadjar rounded out the top five in FP2.
But later today, following the third hour of practice, the lap times will count for real. Follow along with us here at SB Nation as we track qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. The session begins at 10:00 a.m. Eastern, so check back early and often. And you can also join the conversation at the brand new F1 Feed, here at SB Nation.
Belgian Grand Prix provisional grid
Here is the provisional starting grid for the 2026 F1 Belgian Grand Prix, which will be filled in throughout the session. It is worth noting that Norris will take a ten-place grid penalty as McLaren has fitted his MCL40 with a new power electronics unit, the fourth of the season and one more than the three allowed under the rules. Hadjar is also going to start at the back of the grid as Red Bull installed several new components over the season allowance, adding up to a 30-place penalty and a back-of-the-grid start.
Update: So although Norris qualified 3rd, he will start 13th.
Row | Position | Driver | Team | Position | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Row 1 | 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| Row 2 | 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 4 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| Row 3 | 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari |
| Row 4 | 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 8 | Arvid Lindblad | VCARB |
| Row 5 | 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 10 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull |
| Row 6 | 11 | Liam Lawson | VCARB | 12 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
| Row 7 | 13 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 14 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi |
| Row 8 | 15 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 16 | Oliver Bearman | Haas |
| Row 9 | 17 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 18 | Esteban Ocon | Haas |
| Row 10 | 19 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 20 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac |
| Row 11 | 21 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 22 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
What happened in qualifying?
Here is how the qualifying hour unfolded. All updates are in Eastern time.
11:11: It’s Antonelli, as he nips Verstappen for pole. Norris bailed out of his final effort.
11:04: Red flag at Spa to clear gravel off the track, ahead of the final runs. But Norris tops the timing sheet after the opening efforts.
Look for Hadjar to give Verstappen a tow again, as he did on the first attempt.
10:51: Q3 is underway with 13 minutes on the clock. Pit lane roars to life with Lindblad leading a group of cars out that includes both McLarens and both Red Bulls.
10:44: Antonelli, Leclerc, Norris, Hamilton, Verstappen, Lindblad, Piastri, Russell, Hadjar, and Bortoleto are the ten drivers in the hunt for pole position, and advanced to Q3 in that order. Remember, however, that Norris and Hadjar are facing grid penalties, so the best Norris can start is P11. Hadjar’s penalty is sending him to the back of the grid.
10:42: Lawson, Gasly, Colapinto, Hülkenberg, Sainz, and Bearman are out in Q2.
10:34: The Ferraris are next, and Leclerc slots in second, with Hamilton fourth.
Antonelli, Leclerc, Norris, Hamilton, Verstappen, Lindblad, Piastri, Russell, Hadjar, and Bortoleto are the top ten right now. Lawson, Gasly, Hülkenberg, Colapinto, Sainz, and Bearman are in the drop zone.
10:32: Verstappen jumps to second, with Lindblad third and Piastri fourth, all of which shuffles Russell down to P5.
Russell then drops to P6 when Norris jumps to P2.
10:31: Antonelli sets the early benchmark with a 1:45.142, followed by Russell more than a half-second behind him.
10:26: Q2 is underway, but the track is quiet for now.
10:20: Norris, Verstappen, Hadjar, Hamilton, Russell, Lindblad, Leclerc, Antonelli, Piastri, Lawson, Bortoleto, Gasly, Colapinto, Hülkenberg, Sainz, and Bearman are the drivers moving on to Q2, in that order.
10:19: Albon, Ocon, Bottas, Pérez, Alonso, and Stroll are the six drivers out in Q1.
10:14: Four minutes are left, and the drivers are rolling out for their final push laps.
10:11: Seven minutes remain in Q1. Norris is at the top of the board, followed by Verstappen, Hadjar, Lindblad, and Antonelli.
Colapinto, Ocon, Pérez, Bottas, Alonso, and Stroll are the six in the drop zone. Hülkenberg sits 15th, and Albon in 16th.
10:05: Hamilton is on the track, as the Ferrari mechanics got the job done.
10:04: The clock hits 15 minutes and the rest of the grid roars to life.
10:01: Green light at Spa, and 18 minutes to lose the six slowest drivers. Stroll, Bottas, and Pérez are the three drivers on the grid. Stroll and Alonso each face a ten-place grid penalty, but they were more than a second behind the Cadillacs during practice.
9:57: Qualifying is set to begin in just a few minutes.
The final hour of practice was more of the same at Spa.
Antonelli topped the timing sheets ahead of Norris, finishing more than one-tenth ahead of the McLaren driver. But the biggest story might have been the shunt from Hamilton, as the Ferrari driver found the barrier at Turn 13, in a crash similar to the one Pierre Gasly suffered during FP2:
The mechanics at Ferrari now face a race against the clock to get his car ready for qualifying.
Here are the full results from FP3 at the Belgian Grand Prix:
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