Antonelli takes Belgium pole from Verstappen

Antonelli takes Belgium pole from VerstappenImage source, ReutersImage caption, Kimi Antonelli leads his Mercedes team-mate George Russell by 25 points in the drivers' championshipByAndrew BensonF1 Correspondent at Spa-FrancorchampsPublished4 minutes ago2 CommentsMercedes' Kimi Antonelli took a scintillating pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix, leaving team-mate and title rival George Russell trailing in fourth, more than 0.5 seconds adrift.The Italian, who leads the championship from Russell by 25 points, beat Red Bull's Max Verstappen by 0.317secs, even though the four-time champion had the help of a tow from team-mate Isack Hadjar.McLaren's Lando Norris was an impressive third, 0.440secs back, despite bailing on his final lap, but the world champion has a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his allowance of engine parts.Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were fifth and sixth, ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri and the upgraded Racing Bull of British rookie Arvid Lindblad.More to followBelgian Grand Prix19 July at 14:00 BSTListen on SoundsLive commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2; live text updates on BBC Sport website and appFull coverage guideRelated topicsFormula 1More on this storyAndrew Benson Q&A: Send us your questionsPublished4 hours ago