The headline names filled the front of the Spa grid, but two of qualifying's most encouraging laps came from further down it. Arvid Lindblad put his RB into Q3 to qualify eighth, and Gabriel Bortoleto dragged his Audi into the top 10 in ninth — both first-year drivers, both into the final segment at one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar.
For Bortoleto especially it was a marker: Audi's project is still finding its level in the reshaped 2026 field, and a Q3 appearance at Spa is a genuine result for the team formerly known as Sauber. Lindblad, meanwhile, continues to make the case that Red Bull's junior pipeline still produces.
In a season defined at the top by Antonelli's rookie title charge, the class behind him is quietly building a portfolio of its own. Spa added two more names to it.