Live: Teen sensation Antonelli looking to extend F1 lead in Belgian GP

Lando Norris was very sharp yesterday, finishing third in qualifying, but will start from 13th today due to a grid penalty received for fitting an upgraded power electronics unit, taking him over the three changes allowed for the season.

“I would’ve loved to start in P3, cause I think P3 is a good place to start with such a long rundown to turn five,” Norris said pre-race today.

“But we’ll take it on the chin and still excited for today, we can still have fun, still put some good overtakes in, and I think we can still get a good result today.

“I don’t know how far up the order we can get, but we’re optimistic.”

Drivers love Spa.

It’s such a picturesque, dramatic setting, allowing for some serious drama and chopping and changing in positions amongst the trees.

Here’s what Oscar Piastri has to say about the track, where he won one of his seven GPs in 2025.

“There’s a lot of cool stuff about it,” Piastri said. 

“The location is pretty unique – in the middle of the forest, a lot of elevation change, a lot of unique corners as well, maybe some of them aren’t quite they used to be this year, but it’s just an awesome track. 

“Overtaking usually has been pretty good here.”

Oscar Piastri starts in sixth today, and speaking pre-race, says he has realistic expectations for what he can achieve in Belgium, with championship-leading Mercedes pair Kimi Antonelli and George Russell in another league at the moment.

“I think hopefully with Ferrari we can do something and with Max as well, we’ll have to wait and see,” Piastri said.

“We’re in a different category to Mercedes at the moment, but we’ll see what we can do.

“The first lap could be interesting so hopefully we can get involved.”

It’s looking pretty overcast and nippy in Belgium at the moment, with temperatures hovering in the mid-teens.

There is the slight chance of showers, but things should stay dry.

But as we know, things can change pretty quickly at Spa.

And there are some pretty ominous clouds hanging on the horizon.

44 7.004km laps of madness await at Spa.

Featuring the iconic Eau Rouge corner early in the circuit, this is traditionally a track that sees plenty of overtaking and jostling for position, set to one of the most evocative backdrops in the entirety of the F1 world.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli clinched his fifth pole of the season yesterday and dedicated it to his father, Marco, who was celebrating his 62nd birthday.

“Let’s go, man, let’s go,” he said over the radio. “Happy birthday Dad.”

With AP

Lando Norris finished third in qualifying yesterday, but a 10-place grid penalty means the McLaren driver will start in 13th.

Norris is paying the price for poor reliability earlier in the season of the electronics which manage his car’s hybrid power systems.

Fitting an upgraded power electronics unit supplied by Mercedes with what McLaren called “a series of reliability fixes” took Norris over his allowance of three for the season and triggered the penalty.

Norris lost two of the units to failures, including a breakdown which left him unable to start the Chinese Grand Prix.

McLaren said it picked Belgium to use the new unit because it’s relatively easy to overtake at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, meaning Norris has a better chance of making up at least some of the places he’ll lose.

Norris is fifth in the standings, 82 points off leader Kimi Antonelli.

Things haven’t been straightforward for Oscar Piastri in 2026.

After seven GP triumphs in 2025, the Australian has made the podium just twice in nine attempts so far this season, having failed to start in consecutive races to start the year.

Spa might be as good a track as any to rediscover some form.

He, of course, claimed victory in Belgium last year, finishing ahead of teammate Lando Norris to become the first McLaren driver since 2012 to win the Grand Prix.

1.  Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 179pts
2. George Russell (Mercedes) 154pts
3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 147pts
4.  Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 108pts
5. Lando Norris (McLaren) 97pts
6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 82pts
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 76pts
8. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) 52pts
9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 42pts
10. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) 39pts
11. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) 20pts
12. Oliver Bearman (Haas) 18pts
13. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) 18pts
14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) 6pts
15. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Williams) 6pts
16. Alexander Albon (Williams) 5pts
17. Esteban Ocon (Haas) 3pts
18. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 1pt
19. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) 0pts
20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) 0pts
21. Sergio Perez (Cadilac) 0pts
22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 0pts

Teen sensation Kimi Antonelli overcame a clever piece of teamwork from Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar to claim pole, while Oscar Piastri finished in seventh but will start today’s race in sixth with teammate Lando Norris serving a grid penalty.

Norris was demoted from third to 13th due to McLaren replacing an electric part in his car.

The Belgian GP begins at 3pm local time, which is:

• 11pm AEST (NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, ACT)
• 10:30pm ACST (South Australia, Northern Territory)
• 9pm AWST (Western Australia)

Good evening everyone and welcome to ABC Sport’s online coverage of the Belgian Grand Prix.

Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is one of the most iconic tracks in the F1 world, forested and evocative, and featuring the famous Le Raidillon de l’Eau Rouge turns.

We have 44 laps of madness ahead of us, with Kimi Antonelli looking to continue his remarkable rise from pole position and Oscar Piastri in need of something special to defend his Belgian triumph from last year.

My name’s Henry, and in the absence of our F1 MVP Mick Doyle, I look forward to guiding you through all the action.