Belgian GP: Kimi Antonelli expects Max Verstappen challenge ‘not easy’ in Spa-Francorchamps race start duel | F1 News

Kimi Antonelli admits Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix starts with Max Verstappen on the front row “will not be straightforward” at a track where holding pole position has often proved a poisoned chalice.

Mercedes’ world championship-leading driver produced one of his most impressive qualifying performances of 2026 at Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday to claim his sixth pole position in 10 races.

Antonelli pipped Red Bull’s Verstappen by three tenths of a second at the head of the grid and his advantage over Mercedes team-mate George Russell – who moved up to third courtesy of Lando Norris’ engine penalty – by a full half a second.

And while Antonelli, who was also fastest in the final two practice sessions, is now the overwhelming favorite to win the inevitable 44-lap grand prix and extend his 25-point title lead, he knows he must first navigate a race start at a venue where none of the last four pole sitters have won.

“It’s not going to be straightforward with Max by my side,” Antonelli said.

“It’s important to get a good start and then go ahead in turn five.”

Why starting first can be a disadvantage for Antonelli

Although the distance from the front-row position to the first corner, La Source, is particularly short in Belgium, it is the long 1.25-mile uphill turn five – the next significant braking zone at Les Combes – that traditionally makes the leading driver particularly vulnerable.

That essentially flat-out run allowed the chase car to stay close through Eau Rouge and Raidillon to gain a top-speed-boosting slipstream down the Kemmel Straight, possibly creating an overtaking move on the approach to the Les Combes chicane.

In fact, the race lead has changed hands early in each of the past three years at that point on the circuit.

VJ won last season’s Oscar Piastri after passing McLaren teammate Norris on the first racing lap, while polesitting Charles Leclerc overtook Lewis Hamilton on the third lap in 2024. In 2023, Sergio Perez Pollmann passed Leclerc on the first lap.

“Pole here is great for Saturday but I’m not sure I want to go through Eau Rouge for the first time,” said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. Sky Sports F1 After qualifying.

“They’re going to be breathing down (Antonelli’s) neck.”

But can Antonelli be defeated even if he loses the lead at the beginning?

However, Antonelli’s incredible pace on this weekend’s lap of Belgium through the Ardennes Forest, any chance of his rivals having the speed and car to deny the Italian a first win at Spa, looks anything but straightforward.

Still, since a stunning run of five consecutive race wins between March and early June, the 19-year-old has gone three races without a win, failing to score points in those two events in a spell of Mercedes reliability misfortune that saw his championship lead shrink from 68 to just 25 points.

But Antonelli is optimistic that he is in good shape to try to step it up again in Sunday’s race.

“We try to get off to a good start and then Pace (Friday) seemed to be in a good place,” he said Sky Sports F1.

“Obviously, the dig(radiation) is big, especially on this track where the left-hand side is struggling a lot. But we try to get a good start and then hopefully we get good speed and try the distance.”

How do Verstappen and Russell rate their chances of winning?

Meanwhile, Verstappen started on the front row for the third time this season.

After a difficult Silverstone weekend, which ended with the Dutchman flying off the road and beaching himself in a gravel trap, Red Bull has enjoyed an improved performance in Belgium so far.

However, Verstappen was adamant that he would not have qualified as high as second had he not benefited from a tow at the end of Q3 from team-mate Issac Hajjar.

Given Antonelli’s dominance in qualifying, Verstappen does not expect to challenge the Mercedes driver for the win no matter what happens.

Asked what would happen if he took the lead from Antonelli on the first lap, the three-time Belgian GP winner said: Sky Sports F1: “He would guide me to the straight path.

“We’re three-tenths down in the quay with a massive tow. So it’s six-tenths down in the quay, realistically. It’s not a race fight.”

He instead predicted his race would be about “looking in the mirror” with Russell in the second Mercedes, and the two Ferraris of Leclerc and Hamilton directly behind him as potential rivals for at least second place.

Russell continued to experience what he described as a mysterious straight-line motion deficit But his team-mate will be hoping for a repeat of his better result on Sunday compared to qualifying from Silverstone a fortnight ago.

He said: “Anything can happen but the truth is fighting against my team-mate, who is such an incredible driver and doing such a great job at the moment, is a tall order at the best of times but I feel confident I can achieve it.

“But when it feels like you’re fighting with someone behind you, it’s a challenge. But we had problems at Silverstone and finished P2 on the podium so I’m praying… I’ll try to bear the pain of this problem tomorrow and hope for a great result and try to find a solution next week (in Hungary).”

Sky Sports F1’s Belgian GP schedule

Sunday 19 July
7.30am: F3 Feature Race
9am: F2 Feature Race
10.45am: Porsche Supercup
12.30pm: Belgian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday
2pm: Belgian Grand Prix
4pm: Belgian GP reaction: checkered flag

*Also on Sky Sports main events

The legendary Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps has Sunday’s race at 2pm (made up from 12.30pm), live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – no contract, cancel anytime