Lando Norris, who maybe didn’t have the Sprint qualifying or race that he would’ve hoped for, has sprung back to take a well-deserved pole position ahead of the Belgium Grand Prix. His teammate and Championship leader Oscar Piastri will be starting alongside him in P2, while Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen make up the second row. Below is the full qualifying report.
Q1 Report:
Norris set the fastest lap in Q1, which will give him some motivation in the upcoming qualifying sessions. Piastri was behind, with Verstappen in third. However, some more unexpected drivers slotted in behind them. Isack Hadjar put in a good lap to go fourth, with Bearman soaring to fifth at the last moment. They’ll be hoping to continue the momentum all the way to Q3. Mercedes, on the other hand, have had another disappointing qualifying, as Antonelli got eliminated in Q1. Lewis Hamilton also had yet another frustrating qualifying, as he put together a fast enough lap to get out of the bottom five, only to find that his time was deleted due to track limits. As a result, the Ferrari driver will not be continuing to Q2.
All five drivers eliminated are Lewis Hamilton, Franco Colapinto, Kimi Antonelli, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll.
Q2 Report:
Once again the two McLaren cars go fastest, this time with Piastri on top. Verstappen is still keeping them on their toes, however, with the Red Bull driver going third fastest. The four-time World Champion’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda has also made it to Q3 after going third fastest. It’s been a good qualifying all-round for Red Bull, after both Racing Bulls drivers will also be continuing to the top-ten shootout. Gabriel Bortoleto also will make another Q3 appearance, the Sauber rookie having been strong all through qualifying, though his teammate Hulkenberg has been eliminated.
The drivers who will not be going on to Q3 are Esteban Ocon, Ollie Bearman, Pierre Gasly, Nico Hulkenberg, and Carlos Sainz.
Q3 Report:
By the end of Q3, it was Lando Norris in the McLaren that earned pole position ahead of his teammate for the Grand Prix on Sunday. Behind the pair, it was a more surprising result, as Charles put his Ferrari on the second row ahead of Max Verstappen. Alex Albon put in an impressive lap in the final moments to get P5, while George Russell could only manage sixth. Yuki Tsunoda put the second Red Bull in seventh place on the grid, and Hadjar, Lawson, and Bortoleto round out the top ten.
The Grand Prix tomorrow will not be one to miss, as the start will certainly be exciting. No one will want to miss the two McLaren cars battling for first through the first corners, plus we’ll be watching to see what Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen can achieve from third and fourth respectively.
