Oscar Piastri Secures Dominant Pole for Belgian GP Sprint Race at Spa
Author: Zamal Uddin
Keywords used: Oscar Piastri Belgian GP 2025, F1 Sprint Race Spa, Piastri Pole Position, McLaren F1 2025, Verstappen vs Piastri, Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying Results
Date: July 25, 2025
Location: Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
Rising Australian star Oscar Piastri delivered a phenomenal lap at Spa-Francorchamps to clinch pole position for the Belgian GP Sprint Race. In a dominant display of skill and pace, the McLaren driver topped the charts with a time 0.477 seconds faster than Red Bull's Max Verstappen, and 0.618 seconds clear of teammate Lando Norris.
This performance further solidifies Piastri’s lead in the 2025 F1 World Championship standings, where he currently holds an 8-point advantage over Norris.
Piastri’s Brilliant Lap at Spa
Despite a scare in Q2 after a lap was deleted for track limits at Raidillon, Piastri bounced back with what he called "a mega lap" during the final run.
“A little scare in Q2 with the deletion, but overall, the car was handling great today. It’s a real joy to drive here at Spa,” said Piastri, who described Spa as one of his favourite circuits.
His strongest sector was the technical sector two, where he outpaced Norris by 0.298 seconds. What makes this lap more impressive is that McLaren’s new low-drag rear wing allowed Piastri to maintain competitive straight-line speed, losing just 0.095s to Verstappen in sector one, while actually gaining 0.125s in sector three.
Belgian GP Sprint Qualifying Top 10 Results
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Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
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Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
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Lando Norris (McLaren)
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Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
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Esteban Ocon (Haas)
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Carlos Sainz (Williams)
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Oliver Bearman (Haas)
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Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
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Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
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Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
Verstappen Focuses on Race Setup
Despite being beaten to pole, Verstappen played down the impact:
“When you're half a second behind, I don’t think top speed is the issue. We did what we could, and I’m happy with P2 between two McLarens.”
Frustration for Ferrari and Mercedes
The session didn’t go well for Ferrari or Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton made two critical errors—one at Stavelot and another spin at the final chicane—which led to a disappointing P18 start.
“It’s massively frustrating,” Hamilton admitted, adding that he’s been struggling all year with the car’s braking behavior, especially with engine braking.
George Russell, meanwhile, qualified 13th, possibly due to car damage after running through gravel caused by Kimi Antonelli’s off-track moment.
Can Piastri Convert Pole into Sprint Victory?
Piastri now heads into the Belgian GP sprint race (Saturday, 11:00 BST) with momentum and confidence. But with the long run from Eau Rouge to Les Combes, Verstappen may still pose a serious first-lap threat.
What’s Next?
The main Belgian Grand Prix 2025 race starts at 14:00 BST on Sunday, with live commentary available on BBC Radio and live text updates on BBC Sport.
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