Antonelli seals Spa pole ahead of Verstappen but expects tough start

Kimi Antonelli claimed his sixth pole position of the Formula 1 season at Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday, beating Max Verstappen by three tenths of a second, but the Mercedes driver played down the idea that the Belgian Grand Prix will be straightforward.

Antonelli, who leads the championship by 25 points, had already topped the final two practice sessions before carrying that form into qualifying. Team-mate George Russell will line up third, half a second off the pole time, having moved up a place after Lando Norris was hit with an engine penalty.

Why the start is the danger zone

Spa's layout makes pole a fragile advantage. The short run to La Source is followed by the long uphill drag through Eau Rouge and Raidillon onto the Kemmel Straight, where the chasing car can sit in the slipstream and launch an attack into the Les Combes chicane. The lead has changed hands at that point in each of the last three races at the circuit, and none of the last four polesitters has gone on to win.

Antonelli acknowledged that having Verstappen alongside him would make the opening phase difficult, describing it as "not going to be straightforward" and stressing the importance of a clean getaway to be ahead into Turn Five.

The front of the grid

• Pole: Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
• Second: Max Verstappen (Red Bull), three tenths adrift
• Third: George Russell (Mercedes), promoted after Lando Norris's engine penalty
• Fourth and fifth: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
• Race distance: 44 laps around Spa-Francorchamps

Oscar Piastri, who starts sixth for McLaren, won last season's race after passing team-mate Norris on the opening lap in wet conditions. Antonelli will be aiming to extend his title lead on Sunday, while Verstappen will be looking to use the long run to Les Combes to turn a front-row start into an early lead.