F1 Belgian GP LIVE: Qualifying updates with Piastri and Norris favourites for pole
McLaren's Piastri, who holds an eight-point lead over championship rival Lando Norris at the midway stage of the season, saw off Red Bull driver Max Verstappen at Spa-Francorchamps to take top spot.
Norris could manage only third – a distant six tenths behind team-mate Piastri – while Hamilton's troubled spell at Ferrari took another sour twist when he spun out of Q1. Norris arrived in the Ardennes with back-to-back victories but it was Piastri who was in a different league in qualifying for Saturday's 15-lap dash to the chequered flag.
The Australian will start as the overwhelming favourite to convert his pole into victory on Saturday, and in this form would appear unstoppable for Sunday's main event, too.
Pinned
What is the start time for qualifying?
Qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps gets underway at 3pm (BST).
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 12:15
Lando Norris on Spa racetrack:
"Spa is my second home grand prix, Silverstone, Belgium, Monaco. It'll make my Mum happy, this is her home race, therefore it is my home race.
'I always love it here, one thing I don't love here, the weather is even worse than the UK, which I didn't think it was possible, but it's Spa, it's one of the best tracks."
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 14:51
Charles Leclerc downbeat after sprint despite 4th place finish
'There's some learning to take away from a race like this,' Leclerc told Sky Sports F1 afterwards.
'However, it doesn't feel like we're very far off the maximum potential of the car. I don't feel like we're out of place with the set-up or anything like that.
'I don't think there's anything in the car that makes us hope that we can fight with Red Bull or McLaren, unfortunately.'
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 14:48
George Russell on his Mercedes future:
'It just comes down to yourself. You're in control of your own destiny.
'It's a bit of a unique situation that I managed by the team who I'm racing for, but that's the same for Kimi as well, and that's a position we find ourselves in both.
'It's not just the short term future of next year. There's conversations already going on for drivers for '27, '28, '29. People have always looked many years in advance.
'When I was at Williams when I signed in 2019, 2022 was always the projection for me to join [Mercedes], if that makes sense. So the situation we find ourselves in now is, I don't think it's abnormal, and from my side, there is no tension, because there's two cars to every team. I'm performing the best I've ever performed. I have the majority of the points for the team.
'So if you look at the facts, you would argue my job is safe. That's why I'm not concerned at all.'
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 14:42
F1 constructor standings after sprint
1. McLaren - 473 points
2. Ferrari - 227 points
3. Mercedes - 210 points
4. Red Bull - 180 points
5. Williams - 62 points
6. Sauber - 41 points
7. Racing Bulls - 37 points
8. Aston Martin - 36 points
9. Haas - 35 points
10. Alpine - 19 points
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 14:30
Lewis Hamilton reacts to Christian Horner's Red Bull exit: 'It was remarkable what he did'
Lewis Hamilton has paid tribute to Christian Horner after his exit from Red Bull a fortnight ago.
Horner, 51, was relieved of his duties as Red Bull team principal after 20 years in charge, in a shock announcement which sent shockwaves through the paddock.
Horner won 14 world championships in total across his two decades at the team and has been a fierce rival for Hamilton, both during his time at McLaren and at Mercedes.
Full quotes below:
Hamilton reacts to Horner's F1 exit at Red Bull: 'It was remarkable what he did'
Horner, who has been present in F1 since Hamilton's debut in 2007, lost his job as Red Bull team principal
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 14:21
EXCLUSIVE - Nico Hulkenberg: 'F1 podium talk was cold coffee – but I'm not done yet'
In modern-day Formula One, there aren't too many narratives which could have compensated for Lewis Hamilton missing out on a Silverstone podium for the first time. Nor one which sparked more acclaim than Lando Norris winning his home grand prix. Yet Nico Hulkenberg 's tense and glorious third-place finish last time out – ending the sport's longest podium-less streak, 239 races and no more – was just that.
From last on the starting grid in P19, the German driver and his Sauber team, now pivotally led by ex-Red Bull guru Jonathan Wheatley, executed every call and nailed every pit-stop in the dry-wet chaos to leapfrog 16 cars and finish on the podium, staving off Hamilton in the process.
A podium for Hulkenberg in a Sauber before Hamilton claims a podium for Ferrari? Nobody had that on their 2025 F1 bingo card.
Full interview below:
Nico Hulkenberg: 'F1 podium talk was cold coffee – but I'm not done yet'
After 239 F1 races, Hulkenberg secured a glorious first podium at Silverstone last time out. Now, the 37-year-old has his sights set on more success with Audi in 2026 and beyond. Kieran Jackson meets the impressively understated German driver
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 14:09
BELGIAN GP PREVIEW: What will Red Bull without Christian Horner look like?
On a typically sodden media day at Spa-Francorchamps, a rip-roaring old-school racetrack nestled exquisitely in the vast hills and trees of the Ardennes Forest, a new era begins in earnest for Red Bull Racing. For the first time in two decades, Christian Horner is not a presence in the 'Energy Station' motorhome on a race weekend.
The British executive's dismissal a fortnight ago, amid a divisive, chaotic and controversial 18 months, sent shockwaves up and down the paddock. F1 has not known Red Bull without Horner. He famously did not miss any of the team's 405 races and, as such, was present for all 14 world championships, 124 grand prix victories and 287 podiums. Quite the set of accolades, consigned now to a past epoch.
But the era of the team boss juggernaut – casting a dominant shadow over all facets of a racing team – is fading in Formula One.
Full preview below:
What does Red Bull Racing without Christian Horner look like?
Horner has been replaced as team principal by 48-year-old French engineer Laurent Mekies, whose technical expertise means a 'different direction' looks inevitable for Max Verstappen's outfit
Kieran Jackson at Spa-Francorchamps26 July 2025 13:54
F1 driver standings after the sprint
1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 241 points
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 232 points
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 173 points
4. George Russell (Mercedes) – 147 points
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 124 points
6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 103 points
7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 63 points
8. Alex Albon (Williams) – 46 points
9. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) - 37 points
10. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 27 points
12. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – 22 points
12. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 20 points
13. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 19 points
14. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 16 points
15. Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 16 points
16. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 12 points
17. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – 10 points
18. Ollie Bearman (Haas) – 8 points
19. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) – 4 points
20. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 0 points
21. Jack Doohan (Alpine) – 0 points
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 13:36
SPRINT RACE REPORT: Red Bull start life after Christian Horner with sprint win for Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen won the first Formula One race staged following Christian Horner 's dismissal as Red Bull team principal in Saturday's sprint race in Belgium.
Eighteen days after Horner was told his two-decade reign was over, Verstappen claimed the Red Bull 's first win of any sort since he raced to victory in Imola on 18 May.
Verstappen started second, but batted aside pole-sitter Oscar Piastri on the opening lap before keeping the world championship leader at bay.
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 13:15
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The Independent
9 minutes ago
- The Independent
Oscar Piastri ‘deserved' Belgian Grand Prix win, admits team-mate Lando Norris
Lando Norris admitted Oscar Piastri showed more commitment than him after his world championship hopes were dealt a blow as he allowed his rival to breeze past him and win Sunday's rain-hit Belgian Grand Prix. The start of the 13th round in Spa-Francorchamps was delayed by one hour and 20 minutes due to heavy rain in the Ardennes. But when it eventually got under way – following four precautionary laps behind the safety car – Norris was found wanting when a sloppy exit at the opening La Source corner provided Piastri with a race-winning opportunity too good to turn down. Despite being in Norris' spray, Piastri held his nerve and kept his foot on the accelerator at 170mph up through Eau Rouge and into Raidillon before jinking to his left and sailing clear of his McLaren team-mate on the Kemmel Straight. It was brave and superb in equal measure from Piastri but one Norris will be disappointed after seeing the his rival's championship advantage increase from nine points to 16 ahead of the final round before the summer break in Hungary next weekend. ' Oscar just did a good job, and there is nothing more to say,' said Norris. 'He committed a bit more through Eau Rouge and had the slipstream and got the run so I cannot complain. 'He did a better job at the beginning and there was nothing more I could do after that point. I would have loved to have been on top but Oscar deserved it today. And I will review my things.' At one point, there were fears the race – initially pencilled in for a start time of 3pm locally – could be abandoned after it was suspended following the formation lap due to poor visibility. Max Verstappen described the decision as 'silly' and 'too cautious'. However, there have been 49 fatalities at this track in the last 100 years – most recently Dutch 18-year-old Dilano Van 't Hoff in 2023. And race director Rui Marques could be excused for taking that grizzly statistic into his consideration. The drivers returned to their respective garages, and as the rain lashed down, memories were cast back to the event in 2021 – one which was abandoned after only two laps behind the safety car. But the grey skies parted, the sun broke through, and at 4.20pm, pole-sitter Norris emerged on track, albeit behind the safety car, to huge cheers from the record-breaking crowd. With visibility quickly improving, the safety car peeled in after four laps, and Norris bunched up the pack before attempting to put distance between himself and Piastri. The advantage was in Norris' hands with Piastri having to navigate his team-mate's rain-lashed spray. But a scrappy exit at La Source from the Briton provided Piastri with the momentum and he soared past Norris and into the lead. Piastri was 1.5 seconds quicker than Norris on the first racing lap leaving the Englishman – who arrived here hoping to claim a hat-trick of wins – facing a mammoth task. 'I knew lap one would be my best chance of winning the race,' said Piastri after he claimed his sixth win of the season so far, two more than Norris. 'I got a good exit from the first corner and lifted as little as I dared through Eau Rouge and it was enough. 'I was disappointed it was a rolling start because I thought that would take away some opportunity. But when I was that close, I knew I was going to lift a little bit less than Lando did, and then try and keep it on the track. It was lively up the hill but I managed to make it stick.'
Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Lando Norris blinked to hand advantage to Oscar Piastri in race for the F1 title - it's back to the drawing board for the Brit after Belgian Grand Prix, writes JONATHAN MCEVOY
It's back to the future for Lando Norris. A return to the psychologist's couch. And those championship-denting facts became clear out of the spray at 170mph when he lost the Belgian Grand Prix to Oscar Piastri. Just when you detect a smidgeon of a stiffening to his approach, as with his emphatic win in Austria last month, another reminder comes around the corner that McLaren have a Jackal in their team and that man exploding watermelons is Piastri, not the Briton. In a race delayed for 1hr 20min, for which the dangerous Spa-Francorchamps track was as culpable as cautious FIA officials, Norris's chance of victory lasted a handful of corners and half the Kemmel Straight. The safety car, under which the race finally started, withdrew. Norris, leading after taking pole, made a mistake at La Source, the opening corner. His wheelspin was seized on by Piastri, lying second, and he was all over his quarry as they steeplejacked the famous Eau Rouge corner and then into Raidillon. On to the straight, a fantail of water sprung from Norris's car into Piastri's face. But the Australian, seemingly unhampered by this potential disadvantage, pulled out left and made the pass stick. It was an exhibition of supreme guts. 'Lively,' smiled Piastri afterwards. 'He committed a bit more than me at Eau Rouge,' admitted Norris, the doomed runner-up. 'There was nothing I could do beyond that point.' The outcome was settled there and then, Piastri extending his championship lead to 16 points. Norris talked over the radio of a battery recharging problem. Perhaps, but it sounded too easy an excuse, a possible fact beside the point. At the deciding moment, he had blinked. Piastri had shown pluck in excelsis, and the disparity was all too predictable. On Thursday, in Norris's press dealings, you did not need to be Freud to read a vulnerability in him. That was not evident when he was in charge in Austria. His mind was laser focused then. This time he eschewed the value of 'momentum', as if running scared of it, or at least pushing it out of his mind. Well, momentum is a useful friend as Max Verstappen discovered when he won 22 of 23 races three years ago. It adds up to points at the very least. Piastri's heist gave him the right to go from intermediate tyres to slicks before Norris. Needing to try something different, Norris, alone of all the field opted for hard tyres. Piastri and the rest were on mediums. The cunning plan was that Norris could go to the end and that Piastri would need to stop. Baldrick might have dreamt it up for all it came to pass. Neither stopped again. The difference between tyre compounds is among the most overrated, over-analysed, wrongly read hokum in Formula One. Nobody knows for certain what tyre will be fastest or last longest. Most expert predictions as useful as a manifesto pledge. Anyway, Norris now has to pick himself up for Budapest next Sunday, the last stanza before the summer break. As it stands, it hard to resist the belief Piastri will claim his maiden title. His record of six wins to Norris' four buttresses this expectation. For the record, Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari, a place ahead of Max Verstappen, Red Bull's winner of the sprint race on Saturday. Elsewhere, a day of restoration for Lewis Hamilton. The rest of his weekend was dispiriting: he spun in sprint qualifying, finished it 15th, had a time deleted in qualifying proper, and started from the pits in 18th place. But, hurrah, he managed a fine seventh place, his performance echoing old virtuosities. Yes, he was powered by a new Ferrari engine, but in wet conditions he was quicksilver. He was first on to slicks and made immediate good use of them. At one point, he was one second faster than the next man. He pulled off overtakes with dexterity and looked an outside bet for a podium, which would have been his first in red. But his pace was blunted as the track dried and the race lengthened, but still an afternoon in the sun for him. As for the delay, Portuguese race director Rui Marques was, in a harsh assessment, something of a Nervous Nellie. The race could have started earlier than it did, and he deployed a safety car for too long when it eventually crawled into action. But, in fairness, Spa, an especially Eau Rouge, is a hazardous conundrum. Forty-nine fatalities in 100 years at this track attest to this. And then you add in the Ardennes' capricious weather. Not easy. In fact, Spa is the most overrated circuit in the world whatever its many disciples may contend. But that's a debate for another day. For now, all hail Oscar the brave.
Rhyl Journal
13 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Oscar Piastri breezes past Lando Norris to claim Belgian Grand Prix victory
The start of the 13th round in Spa-Francorchamps was delayed by one hour and 20 minutes due to heavy rain in the Ardennes. But when it eventually got under way – following four precautionary laps behind the safety car – Norris was found wanting when a sloppy exit at the opening La Source corner provided Piastri with a race-winning opportunity too good to turn down. OSCAR MAKES IT SIX GRAND PRIX VICTORIES THIS SEASON! 🏆#McLaren | #BelgianGP 🇧🇪 — McLaren (@McLarenF1) July 27, 2025 Despite being in Norris' spray, Piastri held his nerve and kept his foot on the accelerator at 170mph up through Eau Rouge and into Raidillon before jinking to his left and sailing clear of his McLaren team-mate on the Kemmel Straight. It was brave and superb in equal measure from Piastri but one Norris will be disappointed after seeing the his rival's championship advantage increase from nine points to 16 ahead of the final round before the summer break in Hungary next weekend. Norris crossed the line 3.4 seconds behind Piastri with Charles Leclerc third for Ferrari. Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished fourth, one place clear of Mercedes driver George Russell with Alex Albon an impressive sixth in his Williams. Lewis Hamilton started 18th and finished seventh following a string of fine moves in the early inclement conditions. .@LewisHamilton drives from the pit lane to the points in P7, amazing work! 👏 — Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) July 27, 2025 At one point, there were fears the race – initially pencilled in for a start time of 3pm locally – could be abandoned after it was suspended following the formation lap due to poor visibility. Verstappen described the decision as 'silly' and 'too cautious'. However, there have been 49 fatalities at this track in the last 100 years – most recently Dutch 18-year-old Dilano Van 't Hoff in 2023. And race director Rui Marques could be excused for taking that grizzly statistic into his consideration. The drivers returned to their respective garages, and as the rain lashed down, memories were cast back to the event in 2021 – one which was abandoned after only two laps behind the safety car. But the grey skies parted, the sun broke through, and at 16:20, pole-sitter Norris emerged on track, albeit behind the safety car, to huge cheers from the record-breaking crowd with 389,000 spectators over the last three days. With visibility quickly improving, the safety car peeled in after four laps, and Norris bunched up the pack before attempting to put distance between himself and Piastri. The advantage was in Norris's hands with Piastri having to navigate his team-mate's spray. But a scrappy exit at La Source from the Briton provided Piastri with the momentum and he soared past Norris and into the lead. Piastri was 1.5 seconds quicker than Norris on the first racing lap leaving the Englishman – who arrived here hoping to claim a hat-trick of wins – facing a mammoth and improbable task. Further back and Hamilton, armed with a new engine, passed both Carlos Sainz and Franco Colapinto in only a handful of corners before breezing clear of Nico Hulkenberg on lap eight for 14th. That became 13th a lap later following a fine move on Pierre Gasly. On lap 11, Hamilton, who had described his Q1 elimination on Saturday as 'unacceptable', was then the first of the major players to move to the slick tyres. A slingshot manouvere on Liam Lawson in the moments after he left the pits promoted him to a net seventh when it all shook out. Oscar enjoyed that one 💪#F1 #BelgianGP — Formula 1 (@F1) July 27, 2025 In came leader Piastri for dry tyres on lap 12, with Norris in on the next lap. Norris took on the hardest tyre compound – the only driver to do so – in the hope that Piastri's medium rubber would not make it to the end. But in a blow to Norris, Piastri's rubber lasted all 44 laps as he claimed his sixth win of the season – two more than the Briton – with the championship momentum swinging back to the Australian. Norris said: 'Oscar just did a good job and there is nothing more to say. He committed more through Eau Rouge and got the slipstream so there is nothing to complain about. He did a better job at the beginning and there was nothing more I could do after that point.' Piastri said: 'I knew lap one would be my best chance of winning the race. I got a good exit from the first corner and lifted as little as I dared through Eau Rouge. 'I was disappointed it was a rolling start because I thought that would take away the opportunity. But when I was that close I knew I would lift a little bit less than Lando did. It was lively up the hill, but I managed to make it stick.'
