Lando Norris takes back third place (Lap 4/15)
Piastri can’t quite squeeze past Verstappen out in front but Norris takes back third place from Leclerc, cruising past on the Kemmel Straight!
The McLarens have such superior speed.
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 11:10
Verstappen leads (Lap 3/15)
Verstappen remains in the lead, but Piastri is right on his tail here…
Further back, just one spot made up from Hamilton (now 17th) and Russell (now 12th) at the start.
Top-10: Verstappen, Piastri, Leclerc, Norris, Ocon, Sainz, Beaman, Hadjar, Bortoleto, Lawson
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 11:08
Lights out!
Piastri keeps the lead at the start but Verstappen takes top spot on the Kemmel Straight!
It almost looked inevitable!
And Leclerc takes Norris for P3! They’re all away smoothly…
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 11:05
Formation lap!
This sprint race will be 15 laps long around a circuit with 102m elevation throughout!
Piastri leads the pack away – 18 cars, with both Alpines in the pit-lane – for the long formation lap around Spa-Francorchamps!
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 11:00
A reminder of the starting grid for the sprint race:
Pit lane. Franco Colapinto
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 10:58
Sprint race coming up!
We’re less than 10 minutes away from the sprint race in Belgium!
Oscar Piastri is on pole and the huge favourite here, but he’ll have a tough job staving off Max Verstappen heading to the short run down to turn 1!
Lando Norris starts in third, with Charles Leclerc fourth.
With George Russell in 13th and Lewis Hamilton in 18th, there should be plenty of action at the back too!
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 10:53
Gasly to start in pit-lane
Gasly is going to have to start the sprint from the pit-lane!
Alpine say Gasly will not start the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race from the grid because of a suspected water leak on his car.
Given he qualified P8, that’s a nightmare for Alpine…
His teammate Franco Colapinto is also in the pits…
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 10:51
REPORT: Oscar Piastri on pole for Belgium GP sprint race on day to forget for Lewis Hamilton
Oscar Piastri laid down the first marker on a hectic weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix, claiming pole position for the sprint race on Saturday morning.
The Australian, who leads the world championship by eight points to McLaren teammate Lando Norris, is without a win in three races but was on the money from the get-go at Spa-Francorchamps, a circuit he has repeatedly labelled his favourite on the calendar.
After going quickest in practice, Piastri secured pole by more than five-tenths of a second to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who split the McLarens with Norris a notable six-tenths off his fellow papaya driver.
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 10:49
Lando Norris after qualifying P3:
“Not quick enough, I guess. It wasn’t the cleanest of laps but still quite a big gap to the top, not too disappointed or worry, just the sprint.
“I’m not too fussed, not the happiest of course, it is the way it is, just got to do some more work tonight – that’s all.”
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 10:45
Sprint race winner odds!
- Oscar Piastri – 1/4
- Max Verstappen – 9/2
- Lando Norris – 5/1
- Charles Leclerc – 25/1
- George Russell – 125/1
- Esteban Ocon – 225/1
- Lewis Hamilton – 225/1
- Carlos Sainz – 225/1
Kieran Jackson26 July 2025 10:39
