Belgian GP: Norris edges Piastri in thrilling pole shootout

Lando Norris bounced back from sprint disappointment to secure pole position for Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, leading a dominant McLaren front row in a thrilling qualifying showdown at Spa-Francorchamps.

After Norris finished third earlier in the day in the sprint event, the Briton delivered a stunning lap in Q3 to take his fourth pole of the season – and his first ever at Spa.

The result sets up a tantalizing intra-team duel with teammate Oscar Piastri on Sunday with the pair locked in a fierce title fight.

• Belgian Grand Prix - Qualifying results

Q3: Norris Hits Back

Norris set the pace early in the top-10 shootout with a blistering 1m40.562s lap, nearly two tenths clear of Piastri and half a second up on Max Verstappen, who struggled with grip on a used set of soft tyres. It was the only time anyone improved on their Q2 effort in the first Q3 runs.

When it came time for the second run, Verstappen’s bid to recover faltered immediately with a dramatic slide out of La Source, leaving the Red Bull star unable to better his earlier lap.

He was narrowly beaten to third by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who edged Verstappen by just 0.003s.

Piastri had one last chance to topple his team-mate, but a minor improvement wasn’t enough, his lap falling a tenth short, handing pole to Norris by 0.064s and guaranteeing a McLaren 1-2 on the grid.

Behind the top four, Williams’ Alex Albon produced one of his finest qualifying displays, putting his FW47 into fifth ahead of George Russell’s Mercedes. Russell couldn’t replicate his Q2 time, while Albon delivered a strong final sector to leap ahead.

Yuki Tsunoda impressed for Red Bull with seventh – his best result since stepping up to the senior team – while Racing Bulls rookies Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson locked out the fourth row. Gabriel Bortoleto continued his standout rookie campaign for Sauber by rounding out the top 10.

Q2: Tight Margins, Big Exits

Piastri once again led the way in Q2, setting a 1m40.626s that kept him on top for the rest of the session, with Norris just 0.089s back. Verstappen, meanwhile, conceded over three tenths and appeared off the ultimate pace.

A flurry of late improvements shuffled the order, but not enough to save several notable names. Esteban Ocon narrowly missed out on Q3 by just 0.020s, while Pierre Gasly's initial recovery drive was undone by others going faster late on.

Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg and Williams’ Carlos Sainz also failed to progress, with rookie Oliver Bearman suffering a wild moment at Pouhon that forced him to abort his flyer. He couldn’t recover on his final attempt and exited in 12th.

Q1: Track Limits Drama for Hamilton

The opening session saw chaos from the outset, including a pitlane incident involving Hülkenberg and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. The German’s car made contact in the busy queue, damaging his front wing and drawing a summons from the stewards for an unsafe release.

As track conditions rapidly improved, early benchmark times were soon swept aside. Norris and Piastri went out on used softs but later switched to fresh tyres to post top-three times alongside Verstappen.

Lewis Hamilton looked to have clawed his way out of the drop zone with a last-gasp lap, only to see it deleted for narrowly exceeding track limits at Raidillon. It marked his second Q1 elimination of the weekend, leaving him a frustrated 16th on the grid and promoting Bortoleto to Q2.

With McLaren locking out the front row and both drivers level on poles in 2025, Spa is set for a showdown between Norris and Piastri that could prove pivotal in the title race. Behind them, Verstappen and Leclerc will be lurking, desperate to spoil the party.

But on a track where anything can happen, especially with unpredictable Ardennes weather on the horizon, the stage is set for a Grand Prix rich in intrigue, tension, and opportunity.

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