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Overview
- Kimi Antonelli qualified on pole at Spa-Francorchamps after Saturday's session, converting Mercedes' strong practice pace into his sixth pole of the season.
- Lando Norris received a 10-place grid penalty and will start 13th after McLaren chose to take the sanction at Spa, while Isack Hadjar and Fernando Alonso were sent to the back for component changes.
- Red Bull ran a tow tactic in qualifying with Hadjar ahead of Max Verstappen but Verstappen could not beat Antonelli, leaving Verstappen on the front row to challenge at the start.
- Practice incidents disrupted the weekend: Pierre Gasly crashed in Friday running and Lewis Hamilton had a heavy impact in third practice on Saturday, and a late yellow flag during qualifying drew public complaints from Ferrari boss Frédéric Vasseur and Charles Leclerc.
- Gabriel Bortoleto moves up to start eighth, his best grid of 2026, and Spa’s long straights mean the tow effect and the altered starting order will shape overtaking, tyre strategy, and how teams plan their first laps.