.png)
1 day ago
12
Key events
Kimi Antonelli’s lead in the standings looked insurmountable after Monaco, but now George Russell is potentially within one race win of wiping it out.
Russell still has ground to make up and the pre-season favourite has been honest in admitting how he has struggled to adapt to the new cars. How well he does so, at Spa and in the future, will be key to his title tilt. In Belgium he painted a picture of the task.
“It’s like if somebody asked you to draw the Mona Lisa and you’ve got the Mona Lisa next to you, do you think you could achieve it straight away?” he said. “Maybe with practice, you will. With these new power units, with these new tyres, with these new cars, I’m having to set the car up in a way that has not been suited to my driving. I’m having to drive in a way that I haven’t driven in my whole career and I’m having to adapt to this.”
There has been no enigmatic smile from Russell, rather he has been forthright all season, not hiding from the problems he is having but equally refusing to be cowed. Even when Antonelli had built that immense lead, the British driver stoically kept his head down and insisted there was still a long way to go. It is unlikely even he expected it to quite turn on a dime in three races, however.
Read Giles Richards’ full feature below.
Today’s grid, after penalties
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:44.361
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:44.678
3 George Russell Mercedes 1:44.869
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:44.893
5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:44.89
6 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:45.016
7 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 1:45.143
8 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:45.628
9 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 1:46.120
10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:46.331
11 Franco Colapinto Alpine 1:46.392
12 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 1:46.671
13 *Lando Norris McLaren 1:44.801
14 **Oliver Bearman Haas 1:46.779
15 Alexander Albon Williams 1:47.120
16 Esteban Ocon Haas 1:47.801
17 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 1:47.823
18 Sergio Pérez Cadillac 1:47.971
19 *Carlos Sainz Williams 1:46.777
20 *Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:50.177
21 †Isack Hadjar Red Bull no time
22 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:50.002
*10-place grid penalty; **20-place grid penalty; †30-place grid penalty and set no time in Q3
Preamble
The Formula One championship battle is heating up as we arrive at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit for the final double-header before the summer break and what once looked like a comfortable advantage for the Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli has quickly become one of the closest title fights of the season. His lead over his teammate, George Russell, reduced to just 25 points after a dramatic British Grand Prix.
Despite a difficult outing at Silverstone, Antonelli secured a second consecutive pole position at Spa by comfortably outpacing Max Verstappen and Russell.
Behind him, Russell’s runner-up finish at Silverstone has reignited his championship hopes, while Lewis Hamilton sits just seven points further back after another podium finish. Ferrari have also found form at the perfect time, with Charles Leclerc racing the Scuderia to a second victory in three races.
With dry weather expected at Spa, teams are likely to favour aggressive race strategies, but the 7km circuit leaves little room for mistakes. Join me for lights out at 2pm BST/3pm CEST.
