Antonelli braced for Verstappen start duel at Belgian GP
Kimi Antonelli starts the Belgian Grand Prix 2026 from pole alongside Max Verstappen and admits the Spa-Francorchamps race start will not be straightforward. The Mercedes championship leader beat Verstappen by three tenths in qualifying and must survive the long run to Les Combes if he is to convert pole into victory.
Key Takeaways
- Antonelli claimed his sixth pole in 10 races, beating Verstappen by 0.317 seconds at Spa.
- The Italian called a front-row start beside Verstappen "not going to be straightforward."
- None of the last four Spa polesitters have gone on to win the race.
- Verstappen said Mercedes pace means he does not expect a race fight for the win.
- Antonelli leads the championship by 25 points after recent Mercedes reliability setbacks.
Mercedes star Kimi Antonelli heads into Sunday's race at Spa-Francorchamps as the clear favourite after a dominant qualifying display. Yet the 19-year-old is under no illusions about the challenge waiting on the front row, as covered in our Celebrity Breaking News coverage of the weekend.
According to Sky Sports, Antonelli said: "With Max next to me it's not going to be straightforward. It's going to be important to get a good start and then be ahead into Turn Five."
Why is pole at Spa so hard to convert?
Spa's short run to La Source is only the first test. The real danger comes on the long, largely flat-out climb through Eau Rouge and Raidillon to Les Combes, where a chasing car can use the slipstream down the Kemmel Straight.
That pattern has defined recent races: Oscar Piastri passed Lando Norris on lap one last year, Lewis Hamilton overtook polesitter Charles Leclerc in 2024, and Sergio Perez did the same to Leclerc in 2023. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff warned rivals would be "breathing up" Antonelli's neck through Eau Rouge.
How big was Antonelli's qualifying advantage?
Antonelli's pole lap of 1:44.361 left Verstappen 0.317 seconds behind, the largest pole margin of the 2026 season, The Guardian reported. Verstappen still needed a tow from Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar and admitted that without it he could have slipped as low as sixth.
George Russell starts third after Norris's 10-place engine penalty, half a second off his teammate and still fighting a straight-line speed deficit. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton line up fourth and fifth for Ferrari.
Can Verstappen still spoil Antonelli's race?
Verstappen starts on the front row for only the third time this season after a difficult Silverstone. Even so, the three-time Belgian GP winner played down his chances of denying Antonelli.
"He would just pass me on the straights," Verstappen told Sky Sports F1. "We are three tenths down in quali with a massive tow. So that's six tenths down in quali, realistically. It's not a fight in the race."
Antonelli has gone three races without a win after five victories in a row earlier in the year, with reliability issues cutting his title lead from 68 to 25 points. He still expects strong race pace if he clears the start cleanly over the 44-lap Belgian Grand Prix.