Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the Belgian GP of Formula 1 in qualifying this Saturday (18), but knows the work is far from over. With Max Verstappen alongside him on the front row of the grid, the Italian emphasized that a good start will be crucial to turning pole into victory.
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The Dutchman temporarily took the lead at Spa-Francorchamps, but the 19-year-old responded on the final lap with 1min44.361s. The result secured pole by more than 0.3 seconds over the four-time world champion, the largest gap between first and second on the grid in 2026.
After leading TL2 and TL3, the Mercedes driver confirmed favoritism, although he needed to make adjustments to the car throughout qualifying. The improvement in the second sector of the track was decisive for the lap that secured him the honor position and an opportunity to extend his championship lead.
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“It’s great to be on pole. It wasn’t a very simple session, the track changed a lot. But we managed to improve lap after lap and secure pole, which was very good. But tomorrow is another day and, obviously, I have Max starting next to me, so it will be important to make a good start and be ahead at turn 5,” he said.
About the decisive lap, Antonelli added: “The last lap was good. I improved a lot in the second sector, especially, so it was a good lap. Of course, there was still a little bit here and there. But I’m happy with that.”
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