{"id":14855,"date":"2025-07-25T17:16:54","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T17:16:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/?p=14855"},"modified":"2025-07-25T17:16:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T17:16:54","slug":"belgian-gp-oscar-piastri-beats-max-verstappen-to-sprint-pole-by-just-under-half-a-second","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/belgian-gp-oscar-piastri-beats-max-verstappen-to-sprint-pole-by-just-under-half-a-second\/","title":{"rendered":"BELGIAN GP \u2013 Oscar Piastri beats Max Verstappen to sprint pole by just under half a second"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oscar Piastri has beaten Max Verstappen by just under half a second to take sprint pole at the Belgian Grand Prix. The Australian set a 40.510 on his final attempt to put himself comfortably ahead of the Red Bull, who failed to take pole in any format at Spa since 2020.<\/p>\n

Piastri topped FP1 Friday in the Arden Forest as he looks to fight back after his teammate took two victories in the last double header before the first summer break. But it wasn\u2019t perfect as he only just made it into SQ3 after his time was deleted for track limits after going wide at Eau Rouge \/ Raidillon on his first attempt in SQ1.<\/p>\n

The current championship leader was left frustrated at Silverstone after a mistake and the following penalty, effectively handing teammate Lando Norris the win. But he had looked the quickest driver all day, and he delivered on his potential with impressive effect.<\/p>\n

The strength of McLaren at Spa is unusual as the circuit’s nature between the long straights and fast following corners normally means compromise. But the team have brought a new rear, more-efficient wing, which the team says produces less drag for the same amount of downforce.<\/p>\n

A beautifully timed lap put him fastest while Verstappen managed to split the McLaren\u2019s as he went a tenth and a half ahead of Norris. Piastri\u2019s pole makes him the third different driver this season from the three sprints to take pole. But he will need to be wary of Verstappen in the first sector.<\/p>\n

Piastri said, “It was a good lap. A little scare in Q2 with the lap deletion but the car has been mega all day. When the car’s handling as well as it has been today, it’s a real pleasure.”<\/p>\n

Norris said, “Not quick enough, I guess. It wasn’t the cleanest of laps but still quite a big gap to the top. Not too disappointed. It’s third, it’s for the sprint, but some things to work on.”<\/p>\n

Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari fourth, a tenth and a half behind Norris, but there was disappointment for teammate Lewis Hamilton. The five-time and last year’s race winner at Spa spun at the Bus Stop chicane (Turn Eighteen-Nineteen) on his final attempt in SQ1, which meant he was unable to improve and was knocked out in the first session of sprint qualifying.<\/p>\n

Ferrari will be disappointed with sprint qualifying; they had gone into the weekend under pressure with questions about their season, as the new rear suspension was primarily aimed at allowing them to run the floor lower, thus unlocking performance, but it didn\u2019t allow for greater gains.<\/p>\n

Hamilton said he thought it was “the first time in my career” he had spun in such a way. This appeared to be a reference to the fact that he has been complaining about the way the Ferrari behaves under braking, particularly in the way it uses engine braking that he is not used to, all season.<\/p>\n

Asked if the new suspension made the car feel more drivable, he shook his head. He added: “I’m massively frustrated. A lot of work has gone in and to be there is not really great, and hopefully tomorrow will be better.”<\/p>\n

Leclerc was just under three-tenths faster than the Haas of Esteban Ocon who used the team’s recent upgrades to good effect, as he was nearly two tenths ahead of Carlos Sainz while Ollie Bearman was nearly a tenth off the Spaniard. Pierre Gasly was eighth going just over a hundredth faster than Isack Hadjar and Gabriel Bortoletto to complete the top ten.<\/p>\n

Laim Lawson was fastest of those knocked out in SQ2, the Racing Bull\u2019s driver missing out four hundredths as the pole sitter just hung on to his place inside the top ten, after Piastri had his fastest time deleted for track limits. He was a tenth and a half ahead of Yuki Tsunoda.<\/p>\n

George Russell put his Mercedes thirteenth a tenth and a half behind Tsunoda as the team looked to struggle. After the session, Russell said he suspected he had damaged the car running through the gravel left by Antonelli’s high-speed spin at Stavelot during SQ1.<\/p>\n

The two Aston Martins completed the SQ2 drop zone,\u00a0\u00a0 Fernando Alonso nearly four tenths faster than teammate Lance Stroll.<\/p>\n

Alex Albon was fastest of those knocked out in SQ1 the Williams missing out by four hundredths as he went half a hundredth ahead of Nico Hulkenberg, the star of Silverstone, brought back to reality with an early exit. Hamilton\u2019s problems left him nearly two tenths behind the Sauber as he was a tenth and a half ahead of Franco Colapinto, with Antonelli completing the field.<\/p>\n

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