Kimi Antonelli has revealed that he was struggling to find his footing at the beginning of Saturday’s Belgian Grand Prix qualifying before recovering his confidence and producing a stunning final run to secure pole position at Spa-Francorchamps.
The Mercedes rookie headed into the session after building momentum throughout the weekend and setting the benchmark in final practice before delivering when it mattered most.
His late improvement in Q3 saw him edge out Max Verstappen and claim the top spot on the grid.
Early uncertainty turns into a perfect qualifying recovery
Despite securing pole, Antonelli revealed that the opening phase of qualifying was far from comfortable. Changing track conditions and an increase in wind made the car more difficult to handle, leaving him searching for the right balance.
"It was a weird qualifying because in Q1 I felt a bit lost, because the wind picked up a little bit and the balance was a bit more on the edge," explained the Italian.
However, as the session progressed, Antonelli and Mercedes found a stronger rhythm. The 18-year-old was able to extract more performance from the car during the decisive moments, particularly in the final part of qualifying.
"But then, obviously, the session came to us, and Q3 was good because we did a decent first lap and then, on the second lap, found a lot of time,” he added.
“But, yeah, I feel like the track was cooling down and it was helping us a little bit. It was a good lap, and now we’ll focus on tomorrow."
The pole position arrives at an important time for Antonelli, who has endured a frustrating run of results despite showing flashes of race-winning speed. Reliability issues denied him strong opportunities in Barcelona and Silverstone, where he had been closing in on Ferrari drivers before his challenges ended.
Focus shifts to converting pace into Sunday success
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had stressed before the weekend that the team needed to turn its improved performance into concrete results, especially as competition continues to intensify in both championships.
Antonelli is now hoping his qualifying advantage can translate into a clean race from the front, although he remains aware of the challenges posed by Spa’s long run from pole position into the opening corners.
The slipstream effect down the Kemmel Straight could create immediate pressure at the start.
"We’ll see tomorrow," he said. "We’ll see what the weather is going to be like.
"For sure, it’s a long run into Turn 5, and of course we’ll try to get a good start. But also, the degradation is going to be fairly big, so we’re just going to try to manage those tyres in the best way possible."
With pole secured and confidence restored, Antonelli heads into Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix aiming to convert his qualifying breakthrough into the kind of result that has so far eluded him during his debut season.
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