Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli took a scintillating pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix, leaving team-mate and title rival George Russell trailing in fourth, more than 0.5 seconds adrift.
The Italian, who leads the championship from Russell by 25 points, beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 0.317secs, even though the four-time champion had the help of a tow from team-mate Isack Hadjar.
McLaren’s Lando Norris was an impressive third, 0.440secs back, despite bailing on his final lap, but the world champion has a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his allowance of engine parts.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were fifth and sixth, ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and the upgraded Racing Bull of British rookie Arvid Lindblad.
More to follow
