Oscar Piastri claimed an impressive pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix Sprint at Spa-Francorchamps, finishing nearly half a second ahead of his closest rival. Max Verstappen placed second, splitting the two McLarens, while Lando Norris settled for third. Piastri, eager to bounce back after a controversial penalty at Silverstone, showed strong form throughout the day, topping the practice session and then dominating the final SQ3 lap to grab pole. This marks Piastri as the third different Sprint pole-sitter this season.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was the team’s best performer in fourth, but teammate Lewis Hamilton had a disastrous session. A spin on his final lap in SQ1 left Hamilton down in 18th place on the grid. His Ferrari appeared to lock up unexpectedly at the Bus Stop chicane, potentially due to a technical fault, though Hamilton stopped short of blaming the car outright. Mercedes also faced a tough outing, with George Russell qualifying 13th and rookie Kimi Antonelli in last after an early spin into the gravel.
Several midfield teams capitalized on the big teams’ struggles. Haas had a standout performance with Esteban Ocon qualifying fifth and Oliver Bearman seventh. Carlos Sainz took sixth for Williams, while the rest of the top ten featured Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls), and Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), reflecting an unexpected shake-up in the Sprint grid. Notably, Alex Albon, Nico Hulkenberg, and Franco Colapinto also dropped out early, unable to progress beyond SQ1.
Piastri’s pole lap was nearly half a second faster than Verstappen’s, and more than six-tenths clear of Norris. Despite a scare in SQ2 due to a lap deletion for track limits, Piastri regained control in SQ3 with a blistering 1:40.510 lap. He expressed satisfaction with the car and credited his love for the Spa circuit as motivation. Norris acknowledged he lacked pace but was focused on improving for the next session. Verstappen, meanwhile, had adopted a low-downforce setup to help with straight-line speed but admitted McLaren had the clear edge.
The Belgian Grand Prix Sprint will award points to the top eight finishers, with Piastri starting in the best position to strengthen his lead over Norris in the championship. The Sprint starts at 11am on Saturday, followed by the main qualifying session later in the day. Fans can catch all the action live on Sky Sports F1, with extensive coverage planned across the weekend, including support races and post-session analysis. As the 2025 season resumes with this Sprint weekend, Spa’s demanding layout and unpredictable conditions are likely to keep the drama high.
About the Author
