Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix after beating Max Verstappen despite Red Bull’s coordinated slipstream strategy during qualifying.
The 19-year-old Mercedes driver produced a superb final lap at Spa-Francorchamps to finish 0.317 seconds clear of Verstappen and strengthen his Formula 1 title challenge.
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Red Bull attempted to maximise Verstappen’s pace by using team-mate Isack Hadjar to provide a slipstream through the final sector.
Hadjar remained ahead of Verstappen through the high-speed Blanchimont corners before moving aside on the run to the finish line.
Despite the tactic, Antonelli found even more pace to secure another pole position and immediately dedicated the achievement to his father, Marco, on his birthday.
“Let’s go, man, let’s go,” Antonelli said over the team radio.
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“Happy birthday, dad.”
Lando Norris set the third-fastest time for McLaren but will drop 10 places on the grid because of a penalty, promoting Mercedes team-mate George Russell to third.
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Russell admitted he is still struggling to match Antonelli’s speed, saying trying to keep pace with the Italian was like “battling with one hand behind your back” after Mercedes made further setup changes.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth and sixth respectively after the Scuderia rebuilt Hamilton’s car following his practice crash.
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