Belgian Grand Prix Grid Walk: Kimi Antonelli in charge. The Duracell championship continues...

Antonelli has suffered from poor reliability at recent races, dropping points at two of the last three due to technical gremlins. But he’s been sensational so far at Spa-Francorchamps and continues to dominate his more established teammate, beating George Russell by half a second during qualifying. 

With Russell in P3 and still struggling on the straights, it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to challenge. Max Verstappen also qualified three tenths back in second, despite teammate Isack Hadjar giving him a big tow—and Ferrari failed to capitalize on the SF26’s underlying pace in qualifying (no surprises there). 

Actually, it was McLaren that were surprisingly quick. However, they gave Lando Norris a new power unit, dropping him from P3 to P13 off the race start. Provided he can defend down the Kemmel Straight, all this leaves our polesitter with a glorious opportunity to bounce back from a disaster at Silverstone. 

Of course, Spa remains a very demanding circuit. Antonelli can’t take anything for granted around this punishing, power-hungry race track. He does have a firm grasp on battery deployment, though. The youngster has been able to maintain speed better than anyone and this could be pivotal by the checkered flag. 

If it seems like I’m being negative about Antonelli’s competitors, it’s on purpose! Verstappen got the absolute most out of his sh!tbox Red Bull, which no longer features the macarena rear wing. The suggestion being that it destabilized his car, causing him to spin at both the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone. 

Verstappen already admitted that he’s unlikely to be a threat, he’ll be looking in his mirrors. Unless Russell has found some kind of setup miracle overnight, he doesn’t have the pace either. He’s losing time hand over fist from turns 14-18. Antonelli, meanwhile, has found a way of keeping the hammer down through the last sector. 

Ferrari have already had tyre problems this weekend, narrowly avoiding a penalty for failing to send them to Pirelli for review. They suffered big time with wear in Austria as well, so they’ll need a major turnaround to compete. Equally, Norris must be regretting taking an engine penalty. He’s quick but now out of position. 

Really, early deployment is the only chance Antonelli’s rivals have to pass him and take track position. But this isn’t Monaco. Located deep inside the Ardennes, Spa is a vast circuit that gives drivers ample opportunity to overtake. Antonelli will get the chance to yo-yo repass. So he’s the nailed-on favorite, no doubt. 

There may be a familiar look to the front of the grid, but there are several jokers in the pack that could still spice up the grand prix. Behind the Ferraris in P5 & P6, Oscar Piastri could be vulnerable to a red-hot Arvid Lindblad, driving a heavily upgraded Racing Bulls in P8. 

Gabriel Bortoleto continues to impress, taking P9 after a point-scoring finish at Silverstone. He’ll have Liam Lawson and the two Alpines behind him on the periphery of the points, as well as Norris. The British-Belgian’s charge through the field will be one of the stories of the race. Definitely one to watch! 

Hadjar, who’s looked closer to Verstappen recently, had to play sidekick in qualifying after taking an engine penalty himself. He doesn’t seem that confident of a fightback, probably due to the scale of the task ahead. Let’s see if he can get back into the points. 

Further back, Williams and Haas are still mired in the lower midfield. Haas are said to be eyeing Leonardo Fornaroli and Rafael Camara as replacements for Esteban Ocon. After ten years in F1, his time is running out. For their part, Aston Martin are bringing upgrades in Hungary, but Spa will be a write-off. They're six seconds off the pace. 

Depressingly, this weekend has already shown the shortcomings of the current F1 regulations. Many drivers are out of battery by the end of the lap. The Bus Stop chicane used to be about the last of the late brakers, now it’s a bloody battery recharge spot! 

As such, Spa is normally about 1-2 stop tyre management and navigating Belgium's summer weather. In today’s race, it’s more likely going to be about battery management. Just like at Silverstone, where Antonelli stormed past Hamilton on the back straight, timing deployment will be key. Tragic, but that's the reality of modern F1. 

Setting aside the debacle around today’s rules for a moment, the one thing we can really celebrate is the meteoric rise of Antonelli. Last year, he was visibly upset about mistakes made in his debut campaign. Fast-forward just one year and he’s dominating. Success is no longer a surprise, it’s an expectation. 

To quote Toto Wolff: "he's born to do this.” Antonelli’s absolutely flying. The Italian has arrived plugged in, Russell is still playing catch-up. If he keeps his cool, he’s got the pace to win, regardless of who pulls an overtake. Only reliability can stop him now. With Lady Luck on his side, win number six could well be in the offing.