SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, July 19 — Championship leader Kimi Antonelli roared to pole position for Mercedes yesterday when he beat Red Bull’s four-time champion Max Verstappen in the final seconds of Belgian Grand Prix qualifying.

The 19-year-old Italian clocked a superbly-executed best lap in one minute and 44.361 seconds to outpace the Dutchman by 0.317sec with defending champion Lando Norris third for McLaren.

Norris has a 10-place grid penalty for today’s race after taking a new engine.

It was Antonelli’s sixth pole this year and extended Mercedes run to 10 consecutive poles this season. His success came with the biggest pole-winning margin of the season.“Let’s go man,” cried Antonelli on team radio. “Let’s go!”

Reminded it was his father Marco’s birthday, he added: “Happy birthday, Dad.”

In his on-track interview, the Italian said he was happy with his display.

“The last lap was good. It was a nice lap. It was very clean, so very happy,” he said.

“Tomorrow is another day, with Max starting next to me it will be important to get a good start and be ahead into Turn 5.”

George Russell was fourth for Mercedes ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who had crashed earlier in the day, with Oscar Piastri seventh in the second McLaren.

Racing Bull’s’ rookie Arvid Lindblad was eighth ahead of Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar, in the second Red Bull, who also faces a penalty and will start from the back of the grid.

Verstappen admitted that his pace, to secure a front-row spot, was down to assistance he received from team-mate Hadjar offering a slip-steaming ‘tow’ on his laps.

“I wouldn’t be here without that,” the Dutchman said.