Antonelli takes Spa pole but expects 'not straightforward' Verstappen fight

Kimi Antonelli will start Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix from pole position after beating Max Verstappen to the top of the timesheets in qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps, but the Mercedes driver has played down his favourite tag ahead of the race.

Antonelli, the championship leader, set his sixth pole in 10 races this season, finishing three tenths of a second clear of Verstappen's Red Bull. George Russell, who was promoted to third after Lando Norris picked up an engine penalty, was a further half a second adrift of his team-mate. Antonelli had already topped the final two practice sessions.

"With Max next to me it's not going to be straightforward," Antonelli said. "It's going to be important to get a good start and then be ahead into Turn Five." The caution is grounded in recent history at Spa: none of the last four polesitters at the circuit has gone on to win the race.

Why the run to Les Combes matters

The front row is separated from La Source by only a short distance, but the decisive moment is likely to come on the long uphill run that follows. The flat-out stretch through Eau Rouge and Raidillon allows the chasing car to stay in touch and pick up a slipstream down the Kemmel Straight, bringing the Les Combes chicane into play as an overtaking opportunity. The lead has changed hands at that point of the circuit in each of the last three editions of the race.

• Antonelli starts from pole for Mercedes, with Verstappen alongside on the front row
• Russell lines up third for Mercedes after Norris' engine penalty
• Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton fill the third row for Ferrari
• The race is scheduled for 44 laps at Spa-Francorchamps
• Antonelli arrives with a 25-point lead in the championship

What's next

Antonelli remains the obvious favourite given his qualifying margin, but the start and the opening lap will shape how the race unfolds. A clean getaway and an early hold of the lead would let him manage the grand prix from the front and protect his championship advantage; losing out into Les Combes would hand Verstappen the kind of track position that has so often proved decisive at Spa.