Updated

Updated · Motorsport.com · Jul 18

Antonelli Takes Belgian GP Provisional Pole in 1m44.840s as Norris, Hadjar Face Grid Penalties

Updated

Updated · Motorsport.com · Jul 18

Antonelli Takes Belgian GP Provisional Pole in 1m44.840s as Norris, Hadjar Face Grid Penalties

Q: Can a rookie win the F1 title with an engine Mercedes has already stopped developing?

Yes — and Kimi Antonelli is already showing how. The key point is that the premise is shaky. The broader reporting provided here does not support the idea that Mercedes is racing with an engine it has simply abandoned. Mercedes has had reliability concerns, including battery-related failures, and there are references to shifting some focus toward 2027. But the supplied material also says Mercedes is still working on reliability fixes and is not the manufacturer barred from further development under the 2026 framework. On performance, Antonelli’s case is strong. The 19-year-old rookie leads the championship on 131 points, 40 clear of George Russell, and has won five races in a row. He has now added pole at Spa, underlining that this is not a one-off run of form but a sustained title campaign. If a rookie is leading by that margin in the fastest or one of the fastest cars, the title is plainly realistic. The bigger threat to Antonelli is not his rookie status but whether Mercedes can keep the car reliable and competitive over the full season. Spa qualifying again showed Ferrari and others are close, while Mercedes has already had mechanical scares this year. So the answer is yes: a rookie can win the F1 title in these circumstances. But based on the information available, it is more accurate to say Antonelli is contending with a Mercedes package still being refined, not with an engine program that has been fully stopped.

3 articles · Updated · Motorsport.com · Jul 18

Antonelli put Mercedes on provisional pole at Spa with a 1m44.840s Q3 lap, edging Norris by 0.039s and Leclerc by 0.053s.
Norris briefly went fastest at 1m44.801s before Antonelli responded, while Verstappen's 1m44.984s tow-assisted run left him fourth.
Qualifying was interrupted by a red flag after Piastri dipped into the gravel at Stavelot, scattering debris onto the circuit; he still reached Q3 but was only seventh on his first run.
Norris and Hadjar are set to drop out of the top 10 because of penalties, reshaping the grid despite their pace in qualifying.
Earlier sessions underlined the tight fight at Spa: Antonelli also led Q2, while Albon, Ocon, Bottas, Perez, Alonso and Stroll fell in Q1.