Lando Norris led the charge for McLaren, securing a front-row lockout and preventing his teammate Oscar Piastri from claiming pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix. Despite Piastri’s strong showing in qualifying for the Sprint race, Norris outshone him ahead of the main event at Spa-Francorchamps.
Norris now has an advantageous position to close the gap on Piastri in the championship, following his recent victory at Silverstone. However, Piastri, as seen in the Sprint race, may struggle to maintain his lead on the first lap due to the challenging flat-out section after the initial corner.
Expressing disappointment at missing out on pole position, Piastri contrasted with Charles Leclerc, who was pleased with his unexpected high qualifying position for Ferrari, a team struggling for pace.
On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton faced another challenging session, failing to advance from the bottom five in qualifying for the second time this weekend due to a track limits violation. As a result, the seven-time Formula 1 champion will start the race from 16th on the grid.
The qualifying session had a chaotic start as Nico Hulkenberg collided with Lance Stroll while attempting to join the pit lane queue, causing damage to both cars. Aston Martin had a difficult session, with Stroll finishing last and Alonso just above him. Kimi Antonelli also struggled, finishing in 18th place.
Despite starting from the back in Q1, Franco Colapinto managed to climb to 17th place, while Gabriel Bortoleto benefited from Hamilton’s penalty, progressing to the top 10. Hulkenberg qualified 14th, aiming for a strong performance to secure more points, while Carlos Sainz trailed behind in the session.
The thrilling qualifying session saw Bortoleto securing 10th place on the grid, with Haas, Pierre Gasly, and Alpine’s drivers failing to advance to Q3. Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda impressed by qualifying seventh, with Max Verstappen ahead in fourth place, followed by George Russell and an outstanding performance from Alexander Albon in fifth place.
Formula 1 fans can catch all the action live with Sky’s Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle, offering access to practice, qualifying, and races, along with a range of TV channels and subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.
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