Oscar Piastri rebounded from a near elimination in SQ2 to claim a dominant F1 Belgian GP Sprint pole, outpacing Max Verstappen by nearly half a second while McLaren teammate Lando Norris took third.
The Formula 1 Sprint Qualifying session held on Friday afternoon amid swirling clouds and unpredictable weather presented a dramatic spectacle and a testament to why qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps remains a true test of driver and machine.
F1 championship leader Oscar Piastri started off his weekend topping the timesheets in practice, indicating the strong pace that McLaren had managed to extract from the car for Spa’s sweeping, high-speed profile.
That promise materialized in qualifying, though not without its tense moments, as the three-phase Sprint Qualifying format delivered one of the most unpredictable and competitive grids of the season.
The first segment, SQ1, started with drama as last year’s winner at Spa Lewis Hamilton made an early error at Turn 14 costing him precious time.
The seven-time world champion later attempted to recover on his second run, only to spin out at the final chicane and was eliminated in 18th place, leaving him to start from a dismal grid spot for Saturday’s sprint race.
Mercedes also suffered early woes after rookie Kimi Antonelli spun into the gravel on his opening lap in SQ1. The slide flat-spotted his tires and ensured his session was effectively over, winding up at the bottom of the timesheets.
Other SQ1 casualties included Nico Hulkenberg, Alex Albon, and Franco Colapinto as the early cull opened the door for midfield drivers and less-fancied teams to take advantage.
Full 2025 F1 Belgian Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying Results
The second phase, SQ2, produced perhaps the biggest scare of the afternoon for Oscar Piastri. On his first attempt in the 10-minute segment, the Australian clocked a fast lap only to see it wiped off the board for exceeding track limits at the notorious Raidillon, at the crest of the famous Eau Rouge.
With the clock ticking down, Piastri was forced to regroup and delivered just enough on his next effort—his 1:42.169 put him only 0.041s clear of elimination and narrowly into the final 10 that would contest pole in SQ3.
Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson ended up 11th, joined by Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda, Mercedes’ George Russell and both Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
The shootout of SQ3 revolved entirely around Piastri’s fightback and the mounting challenge from Red Bull and his own McLaren teammate.
Switching from the medium tires mandated for the first two segments to the soft compounds for the final 8-minute dash, strategy played as much drama as circuit prowess.
As the clock wound down, Piastri exploited the aerodynamic and mechanical sweet spot of the McLaren that both he and the car had found throughout the day and lined up a single, crucial flying lap of 1m40.510s, ultimately securing pole position.
READ MORE:
F1 driver net worth 2025: The 12 richest drivers on the grid
Most F1 race wins: Formula 1 Drivers with most victories in F1 history
Piastri’s run through the sector-two Fagnes and Stavelot corners was impeccable—circuit data later revealed that he gained nearly four-tenths over Verstappen alone in this very part of the lap
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen pushed his Red Bull to the limits, working with a lower-downforce setup intended to maximize straight-line speed—reportedly hitting 345.3kph versus Piastri’s 341.4kph—but the Dutchman struggled to match the McLaren’s edge through the sweeps and direction changes of sector two, settling for second.
Lando Norris qualified third after an afternoon of tactical intrigue and missed opportunity. Early on Norris had set the fastest lap in SQ2 and looked a favorite for F1 Belgian GP Sprint pole, but the mechanics of traffic and tire preparation complicated his final dash.
In a maneuver noted by analysts, Red Bull’s pit wall released Verstappen just after Norris left the pit, slotting him neatly in front and forcing Norris to push his out-lap harder to avoid giving Verstappen a slipstream advantage.
Behind the headline acts, Charles Leclerc qualified fourth for Ferrari, 0.768s off the benchmark while Esteban Ocon stunned the paddock by putting his Haas in fifth.
Williams’ Carlos Sainz secured sixth followed by Haas rookie Oliver Bearman while Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, and Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto completed the top ten.
