Belgian GP: Piastri survives scare to secure Spa sprint pole as Hamilton hits new low

Oliver Harden 25 Jul 2025 4:31 PM

Oscar Piastri punches the air as he eyes the camera in parc ferme at Spa

Oscar Piastri has claimed pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race at Spa

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri has claimed pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race at Spa.

The Australian clocked a fastest lap of 1:40.510 in SQ3 in Belgium, going 0.477s faster than Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. Piastri’s McLaren team-mate Lando Norris will start third.

Belgian Grand Prix 2025: SQ1

Bright-blue skies greeted the drivers at the start of sprint qualifying, with drivers obligated to use the medium tyres in SQ1 and SQ2 under the rules of the alternative format.

Verstappen was slightly delayed due to an issue with the rear-right of his Red Bull, with an army of mechanics spotted paying close attention to the World Champion’s car.

Meanwhile, Hulkenberg was noted for an unsafe release after entering the pit lane directly in front of Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls car.

However, the stewards saw no grounds for an investigation.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli had a wide moment on his first flying lap of the session, spinning at Stavelot and kicking up a large cloud of dust in front of his Mercedes team-mate George Russell.

Antonelli safely rejoined but left a large amount of gravel on the track in the process.

“Argh, lost a *** load of time with that gravel,” Russell reported over team radio.

That did not stop Russell setting the early pace in SQ1 before the McLarens of Piastri and Norris established their superiority by taking turns at the top of the timesheet.

Verstappen managed to split the McLaren pair with his first flying lap of the session, albeit with a 0.274s deficit to Piastri. The top three all opted to sit out the second runs.

Stavelot also proved tricky for Lewis Hamilton, with the Ferrari driver catching a snap on entry to the corner, leaving him 16th after the first runs.

Hamilton suffered another moment at the end of his final effort, locking up his rears under braking and spinning at the Bus Stop chicane, with the yellow flags compromising the laps of a number of drivers behind.

Antonelli, in P20, was left to bemoan a lack of grip over team radio.

Eliminated: Alex Albon (16th), Nico Hulkenberg (17th), Lewis Hamilton (18th), Franco Colapinto (19th), Andrea Kimi Antonelli (20th)

Belgian Grand Prix 2025: SQ2

The start of SQ2 was slightly delayed as the gravel kicked up by Antonelli was cleared away.

Piastri and Norris were the only drivers to take to the track across the opening minutes of SQ2 as medium tyres remained the order of the day.

Piastri initially came out on top of the private duel, outpacing his team-mate by 0.446s before his time was deleted for exceeding track limits at Raidillon, leaving him without a lap on the board.

Verstappen and Leclerc both came through in succession to better Norris’s time, the Red Bull driver 0.203s quicker than the last remaining Ferrari.

Piastri got a lap in to go marginally faster than Norris in third.

However, the rapidly improving track conditions saw Isack Hadjar, Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon all snatch third in quick succession as the McLarens tumbled down the order.

Norris was down in 11th as he came to complete his lap, but a fine effort saw him leap up the order and reclaim top spot from Verstappen.

Instead it was Piastri, down in 10th, clinging on to his place in SQ3.

He ended the session just 0.041s faster than 11th-placed Lawson as Yuki Tsunoda and George Russell became the latest big names to fall.

Eliminated: Liam Lawson (11th), Yuki Tsunoda (12th), George Russell (13th), Fernando Alonso (14th), Lance Stroll (15th)

Belgian Grand Prix 2025: SQ3

The red-striped soft tyres finally entered the fray in SQ3, with the start of the session slightly delayed once again.

The teams and drivers were all happy to allow the clock to tick down, with the first cars emerging from the pit lane with less than four minutes of the session remaining.

Verstappen set the fastest first sector of all in the slippery Red Bull, with the higher-downforce McLarens finding most of their time in the high-speed sweeps of the middle sector so far.

Verstappen bettered Norris’s time before Piastri crossed the line to establish a 0.477s advantage over the Red Bull.

Leclerc claimed fourth with Esteban Ocon an impressive fifth for Haas.

Carlos Sainz crossed the line sixth for Williams with Oliver Bearman, Pierre Gasly, Isack Hadjar and Gabriel Bortoleto completing the top 10.

Belgian Grand Prix sprint qualifying: Provisional grid

1. Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:40.510
2. Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:40.987
3. Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:41.128
4. Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:41.278
5. Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:41.565
6. Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:41.761
7. Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:41.857
8. Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:41.959
9. Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:41.971
10. Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | 1:42.176
11. Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:42.169
12. Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | 1:42.184
13. George Russell | Mercedes | 1:42.330
14. Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:42.453
15. Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:42.832
16. Alex Albon | Williams | 1:43.212
17. Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | 1:43.217
18. Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:43.408
19. Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:43.587
20. Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:45.394