Antonelli storms to Belgian GP pole with Russell in fourth

Antonelli is without a win since the Monaco Grand Prix on June 7, a streak of three races, but he will begin Sunday’s 44-lap race as the favourite to build on his 25-point championship lead over George Russell.

Russell will start only third on another sobering afternoon for the British driver, who has spent much of a season he began as the bookmakers’ title tip in his team-mate’s shadow.

Russell qualified fourth, half-a-second behind Antonelli in the same machinery, but he is upgraded one place because of Norris’s grid sanction. Charles Leclerc is bumped up to fourth, a place clear of Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton. Norris finished the opening Q3 laps with an advantage of 0.039sec over Antonelli.

The climax to qualifying was then put on pause from seven minutes after Oscar Piastri kicked up gravel a the 14th corner. But when the running re-started Antonelli could not be caught. Hamilton’s participation had been in major doubt after he crashed out of final practice and sustained significant damage to the rear of his Ferrari.

Hamilton’s mechanics had two hours to fix a machine described as “destroyed” by the seven-time world champion. And they succeeded to allow him a shot at disturbing Antonelli. However, he was unable to lay a glove on the Italian teenager, who romped to his sixth pole of the season.

Hamilton finished 0.534s behind the man he trails by 32 points in the championship standings. The opening phase of qualifying had an all-too-predictable feel about it, with Williams’ Alex Albon, Haas’ Esteban Ocon, Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez and the hapless Aston Martin duo of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll all eliminated.

Aston Martin are due to deliver a much-needed upgrade at the next weekend’s race in Hungary to salvage an utterly demoralising season. Double world champion Alonso, who is without a win in 13 years, and 11 days shy of his 45th birthday, finished two seconds slower than Perez in 20th and five seconds off Antonelli’s Q1 pace.