Oscar Piastri has convincingly secured pole position for the sprint race of the Belgian Grand Prix. The McLaren driver was a full four-tenths faster than Max Verstappen, who will start alongside him on the front row. However, despite this impressive gap, the Australian knows he needs to keep a close eye on his mirrors during the short race.
The sprint race at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps could easily become a thrilling showdown between Verstappen and Piastri. The Red Bull driver starts in second place, and knowing the Dutchman, he will not be satisfied with that position. Behind them, two more contenders for the podium are lined up. Lando Norris starts in third place and hopes to achieve a double result for McLaren with Piastri, but Charles Leclerc is also eyeing a strong result from P4.
The surprises on the grid mainly come from the midfield. Esteban Ocon starts in fifth place in the Haas, with Carlos Sainz in the Williams alongside him on the grid. Oliver Bearman also made an impression. The young Brit qualified in seventh place, narrowly ahead of Pierre Gasly (P8).
Hamilton a major disappointment
Not everyone had a successful sprint qualification, as Yuki Tsunoda only managed to secure twelfth place. Mercedes also had little to celebrate yesterday. George Russell could only manage the thirteenth fastest time, while Kimi Antonelli will start from the back of the field.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment is Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion spun during qualifying and has to make do with the eighteenth starting position. A comeback will be difficult in the short sprint race, but with Hamilton, you never know.
The lights go out in the Ardennes for the sprint race at 12:00 UTC.
