Oscar Piastri Powers To Sprint Pole With Record-Breaking Lap At Belgian GP
Championship leader Oscar Piastri stormed to pole position for Saturday's sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix with a record-breaking lap that left Red Bull's Max Verstappen trailing by nearly half a second.
The 24-year-old McLaren driver delivered a searing 1:40.510 lap on Friday, finishing 0.477 seconds clear of Verstappen. The result strengthens Piastri's lead in the drivers' championship, which now stands at eight points over teammate Lando Norris heading into the sprint.
Piastri's dominant performance also ensured both McLarens will start near the front, with Norris qualifying third, six-tenths behind the Australian. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took fourth, followed by Haas driver Esteban Ocon and Carlos Sainz, now racing for Williams. Haas's Oliver Bearman continued his impressive form by slotting into seventh.
Pierre Gasly qualified eighth for Alpine, just ahead of Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar and Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton had a session to forget, spinning his Ferrari in SQ1 and finishing a lowly 18th. A mechanical issue thwarted any recovery attempt as he lost control at both Stavelot and the final chicane.
His pole position puts him in a strong position to extend his title lead in Saturday's sprint at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
Verstappen, competing in his first race weekend since the departure of Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, was pleased with his second-place finish despite the gap to Piastri.
The sprint qualifying session began in bright and breezy conditions at Spa, with early drama as Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli spun off at Stavelot and Hamilton's Ferrari slid off at the same corner before limping through another off at the chicane.
Piastri initially led in SQ2 before his lap was deleted for exceeding track limits at Raidillon. Norris temporarily took the top spot before a frantic final run saw Piastri recover and just make it through to SQ3 in 10th place.
He then unleashed a phenomenal final lap to seize sprint pole in the dying seconds.
(with AFP inputs)
view comments
First Published:
July 25, 2025, 23:06 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Gambhir, Stokes differ on 'ridiculous' injury replacement player debate; last hour drama on day 5
Manchester: England captain Ben Stokes and India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Sunday expressed contrasting views on the use of injury replacements in Test cricket, with the former dismissing the debate as "ridiculous". The question on the subject was asked in the light of injury to Rishabh Pant in the Manchester Test where he batted despite a broken foot. However, he was in no position to keep wickets and Dhruv Jurel stood behind the stumps to cover for Pant. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Technology Digital Marketing Healthcare Others Product Management Management Cybersecurity Project Management Public Policy Finance MCA CXO others Leadership Artificial Intelligence Data Analytics healthcare Data Science PGDM Design Thinking MBA Operations Management Data Science Degree Skills you'll gain: Duration: 12 Weeks MIT xPRO CERT-MIT XPRO Building AI Prod India Starts on undefined Get Details "I think it is absolutely ridiculous there is a conversation around an injury replacement. There would be too many loopholes for a team to go through. You pick an 11 for the game, injuries are part of it. I think that conversation should be shut down," said Stokes. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Mountain Gear for Extreme Conditions Trek Kit India Learn More Undo Gambhir, however, is all for the injury substitute. A concussion substitute was introduced in the wake of Australian opener Phil Hughes' untimely death in 2014 after being hit on the head but there is no such provision in case of any other serious injury. Live Events "Absolutely, I'm all for it, if the umpires and the match referee sees and feels that there's a major injury. It's very important to have this rule, where you can get a substitute. That is, if it's very visible, there's nothing wrong in doing that. Especially in a series like this, where it's been such a closely fought series, in the previous 3 Test matches," Gambhir said. "Imagine if we would have had to play with 10 people, 10 men against 11. How unfortunate would this be for us." Tensions over not calling off the game before start of mandatory overs Stokes wanted to shake hands when 15 overs were left in the game and the only possible result was a draw. However, India did not accept the offer as Jadeja and Washington were closing on hundreds after batting for more than two sessions. The decision did not sit well with the England camp. "We took the game as far as we could with our frontline bowlers to think we have a real chance of winning it. As soon as it got to the point where a draw was inevitable I was never going to risk any of my frontline bowlers with the short turnaround. "The only other person who has got some bowling workload into them was Harry Brook (laughs) but I did have to tell him, don't do anything stupid." Gambhir had an entirely different take on the developments of the last hour. "If someone is batting on 90 and the other one is batting on 85, don't they deserve a hundred? Would they have walked off if someone from England's side would have been batting on 90 or 85? ," Gambhir asked. "If someone has the opportunity to get his first Test hundred, won't you allow him to do it? They weathered the storm. It's up to them. "If they want to play that way, that's up to them. I've got nothing more to say. I think both those guys deserved a hundred, and fortunately they got it," he added.
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Belgian Grand Prix 2025: McLaren's Oscar Piastri wins, teammate Lando Norris comes second
Oscar Piastri won the Belgian Grand Prix 2025. The McLaren driver managed to beat teammate Lando Norris after rain delayed the start of the final day. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was in the third spot. Max Verstappen from Red Bull and Russell from Mercedes rounded off the Top 5, ESPN reported. This was Piastri's sixth win of the season. Belgian Grand Prix 2025: McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri won the event.(AFP) How Oscar Piastri won Belgian Grand Prix 2025 Rain had delayed the start of the F1 race at the Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday afternoon by 90 minutes. Norris had led the pack into Turn 1 after several laps behind the safety car, but Piastri soon showed why pole position is often seen as a curse of sorts at Spa-Francorchamps. He followed Norris through Turn 1. Afterwards, Piastri used the long run up via the famous Eau Rouge corner to position himself ahead. On Saturday, Piastri had started on pole position but lost the lead to Max Verstappen at the same spot on the opening lap, ESPN said. Piastri maintained his lead for the entirety of the event. The main lineup of the racers remained constant, with the exception of George Russell overtaking Alex Albon for the fifth spot. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton started in the 16th spot. He then managed to race ahead to the 13th position by the end of lap nine. The seven-time world champion moved ahead from the pit lane to finish seventh, The Mirror reported. As for Norris, he gambled on hard tyres when the F1 track dried while everyone else was going for mediums. While he managed to put up a stiff fight against Piastri, the Australian racer had created a large enough gap to ensure his rival's charge would not bear fruit. Also read: Ben Askren recovers after lung transplant, thanks Jake Paul, Jorge Masvidal for their support Belgian Grand Prix top 10 1) Piastri 2) Norris 3) Leclerc 4) Verstappen 5) Russell 6) Albon 7) Hamilton 8) Lawson 9) Bortoleto 10) Gasly Also read: Motor racing-Scarred Norris has a nose for success What Lando Norris said about Oscar Piastri's win Lando Norris stated that Piastri's win was a 'great result' for McLaren. Talking about his second-place finish, the British racer said, 'Shoulda, woulda, coulda. Oscar deserved it. I'm sure he would have made a couple of mistakes too, and I'll review my own. Great result for the team, our first 1-2 here in many years and a deserved result for the team and Oscar,' as quoted by the BBC. FAQs Who won the Belgian Grand Prix? McLaren's Oscar Piastri won the event. Who came in second at the Belgian Grand Prix 2025? Lando Norris achieved the second position. How many F1 races has Oscar Piastri won this season? The Belgian Grand Prix was his sixth win of the season.
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Padraig Harrington claims Senior Open for third major title
Ireland's Padraig Harrington carded a 3-under 67 to finish at 16-under 264 and claim the ISPS Handa Senior Open at Berkshire, England on Sunday. HT Image The victory marks Harrington's second major win in four weeks and makes him only the fifth player to win The Open and the Senior Open. "You want to do things that stand out, and having won a real Open, coming out, winning the Senior Open ... it adds a validation," Harrington said. "... I'm kind of on a high of winning, but then there will be that deep sense of satisfaction knowing that you've done both." Harrington won The Open in 2007 and 2008, and was on the cusp of winning the Senior Open in consecutive years. He finished second in 2022 and 2023, losing the latter in a playoff, before breaking through this year. The Dublin native entered the day with a two-shot lead, but never got complacent. "I don't want to relax, that has cost me in the past," Harrington said. "... I get ahead of myself, and you know, sometimes when it's an easy shot, easy tee shot, I can lose focus. "So I want to stay hyped up. And to be honest, I think today, because I wasn't comfortable with my swing, I never let my guard down. I was always into it and focused all day." Harrington, 53, started Sunday with an eagle on No. 1. He also tallied three birdies and two bogeys on the day, beating out Denmark's Thomas Bjorn and Justin Leonard, who finished at 13 under. Bjorn rolled in four birdies from No. 9 to No. 14, threatening Harrington's lead. He then bogeyed on 16, putting Harrington out of reach and finishing at 3-under 67. Leonard notched four birdies and two bogeys on the day for a 2-under 68. He carded 5-under 65 on Friday and Saturday. "It wasn't quite as sharp as I was the last couple days. You know, just not able to really hit it close enough to putt pressure," Leonard said. "I felt like if I could have been 3- or 4-under on the front nine, then, you know, we're kind of neck and neck." Scott Hend (65) finished fourth at 12 under, while fellow Australian Cameron Percy (65) and South Africa's Ernie Els (66) tied for fifth at 11 under. --Field Level Media
