Belgian Sprint Qualifying Report

Elaina Russell
Jul 25
3 min read

Written by Elaina Russell

Mercedes hits the grid on Friday | Credit: Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, Andy Hone

Spa-Francorchamps never fails to test a Formula One driver’s mettle–and with a shorter Sprint Qualifying format and notoriously fickle Ardennes weather, Friday’s session delivered drama in all three stints.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri claimed pole for Saturday’s Sprint in a confident display of control and consistency. He edged out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by the slimmest of margins in SQ3, with teammate Lando Norris lining up just behind in third. But elsewhere, the high speed demands of Spa caught out more than a few familiar faces.

Sprint Qualifying 1 (SQ1)

Few tracks on the calendar carry the legacy and brutality of Spa. At 7.004 km, it’s the longest circuit on the calendar and rewards rhythm, risk, and precision–qualities in short supply for some drivers in SQ1.

Jolyon Palmer summed it up best on commentary:

“A long old lap to try to navigate these shorter sessions. If you make a mistake at La Source, it’s going to be a good couple of minutes before you can go again–and there’s only 12 minutes to start this thing.”

Lewis Hamilton fell victim to such a miscue. A rare lock-up and spin at the Bus Stop chicane sealed his exit in 18th, with the seven-time world champion tersely summing up his session:

“Not great, not great. Not really a lot to say.”

Kimi Antonelli flat-spotted his tyres at Stavelot–a costly error, given the limited laps in the sprint format–and dropped out alongside Hamilton.

Also out in SQ1 were Nico Hülkenberg, whose promising run of form comes to a bit of a halt, Williams’ Alexander Albon, and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, who continues to search for his first real opportunity to prove himself this season.

SQ1 Eliminations:

16. Alexander Albon

17. Nico Hülkenberg

18. Lewis Hamilton

19. Franco Colapinto

20. Kimi Antonelli

Sprint Qualifying 2 (SQ2)

Oscar Piastri warms up the Spa circuit | Credit: FIA

SQ2 was less chaotic, but no less consequential. Lando Norris–racing at yet another home venue thanks to his Belgian mother–continued to show strong pace, while both Haas drivers stunned by making it through to the next session.

Esteban Ocon and rookie Oliver Bearman delivered when it counted, as bigger names faltered. George Russell, clipped by Kimi Antonelli’s off-track excursion, limped to 13th and later said:

“We had the pace today. I ran over the gravel when Kimi went off and then after that it felt terrible so… not ideal.”

Oscar Piastri edged into SQ3 by just 0.041s, eliminating both Racing Bulls and both Aston Martins in the process.

SQ2 Eliminations:

11. Liam Lawson

12. Yuki Tsunoda

13. George Russell

14. Fernando Alonso

15. Lance Stroll

Sprint Qualifying 3 (SQ3)

Piastri celebrates his first Sprint pole of the season | Credit: Formula 1

In the final shootout, Oscar Piastri delivered a near-perfect lap to claim his first Sprint pole of the season. Max Verstappen split the McLaren pair, pushing Norris to third, but Piastri's consistency around one of F1’s trickiest tracks ultimately showed exactly why he leads the championship standings.

Charles Leclerc led the Ferrari charge in fourth, while Carlos Sainz slotted into sixth. Between them? Esteban Ocon, delivering Haas one of its best qualifying results of the year.

Bearman, Gasly, Isack Hadjar, and Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top ten–underscoring a wildly shuffled order at the sharp end.