Lando Norris pipped team-mate Oscar Piastri to pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen could only score fourth on the grid, while Lewis Hamilton issued an apology to his team after a track limits violation knocked him out in Q1.
There was drama from the outset at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps as, with the cars queued at the end of the pit lane, Nico Hulkenberg pulled out into the path of Aston Martin racer Lance Stroll. The two cars made contact, and the Sauber man was forced to fit a new front wing.
At the head of the field, McLaren set the pace as expected, but there was trouble for the Mercedes duo who were both sitting in the bottom five as they headed out for their final runs. Russell was able to place his W16 into 10th place, but Antonelli had no such luck as he ended the session down in 18th.
The drama didn’t end there. After the chequered flag, Hamilton’s time was deleted for track limits, dropping him into the elimination zone in Q1 for the second day running. This promoted Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto back into play.
Whereas Norris was the faster of the McLaren duo in Q1, Oscar Piastri took the lead in Q2. At the other end of the order, Oliver Bearman was incensed after he was forced to navigate his critical final lap behind Yuki Tsunoda, who overtook him on his out lap. The Brit suffered a huge snap of oversteer on the exit of La Source, ruining his effort.
