Belgian Grand Prix starting grid in full after qualifying at Spa

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli is on pole for the Belgian Grand Prix after a stunning lap in the final session of qualifying.

Lando Norris had been at the top of the qualifying sheet prior to the red flag being waved by the stewards when Oscar Piastri dipped his tyre into the gravel, which resulted in the track being covered in it, so there was a stoppage to clean it to ensure the safety of the drivers.

Antonelli would claim the fastest lap with a time of 1:44.361, to help put him in a fine position to get his world championship title fight back on track as he claimed his sixth pole position of the season.

Max Verstappen was not far behind in second position as he finished with a time of 1:44.678, with the Dutchman getting a helping hand from his team-mate Isack Hadjar in the final round of qualifying.

Hadjar, who has a grid penalty, gave him a tow in order to help the Red Bull driven by the four-time World Champion finish as high up the grid as possible.

The current world championship title holder Lando Norris will start from 13th on the grid despite coming third in qualifying, due to having taken a 10-place grid penalty.

Antonelli's Mercedes team-mate and title rival George Russell will now start the race from third, while the other driver aiming to be in this conversation, Lewis Hamilton, will start from fifth.

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (3) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB22 Red Bull Ford on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium

F1 starting grid: 2026 Belgian Grand Prix

• * grid penalty

1) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 1:44.361

2) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 1:44.678

3) Lando Norris (McLaren) - 1:44.801*

4) George Russell (Mercedes) - 1:44.869

5) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 1:44.893

6) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 1:44.895

7) Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 1:45.016

8) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) - 1:45.143

9) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) - 1:45.628

10) Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) - no time*

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11) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)

12) Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

13) Franco Colapinto (Alpine)

14) Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)

15) Carlos Sainz (Williams)

16) Oliver Bearman (Haas)

17) Alexander Albon (Williams)

18) Esteban Ocon (Haas)

19) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)

20) Sergio Perez (Cadillac)

21) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)*

22) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)*

Five things to know before Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix

• The Belgian Grand Prix will see the red lights go out so the action can begin at Spa at 2pm British Standard Time, with this being a start time of 3pm local time.
• Weather for the Belgian Grand Prix has historically been hard to predict, as there is always a possibility of a rain shower that can spring up while the nearby Ardennes Forest can keep moisture in the area when it is wet. At the time of writing the current forecast suggests that the heatwave sweeping across Europe could come to an end just in time for the event, with there being a significant chance of rain predicted for the race.
• The Belgian Grand Prix will comprise 44 laps, which is the least number of laps of any of the races on the 2026 calendar, with the next shortest being Las Vegas and Saudi Arabia; however, the latter was cancelled this season due to the conflict that broke out between the United States and Iran.
• Hamilton can equal Michael Schumacher’s record of six wins at this Grand Prix circuit, with the Ferrari driver well in the fight for this race as he will start from the grid, with a win being the desired result to help close the gap on Antonelli in the drivers’ championship.
• Antonelli will be aiming to maintain his fine pole position conversion rate as he has won 80% of the Grand Prix's this season in which he has started the race from the front, the only time this has not occured was last time out when Charles Leclerc claimed the victory at Silverstone.