Belgian GP, sprint pole to Oscar Piastri. Ferrari: fourth Charles Leclerc, disaster Lewis Hamilton

World leader Oscar Piastri has taken pole position in the sprint race of the Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa Francorchamps circuit.

1’40″510 was the McLaren Australian’s time, a full 477 thousandths ahead of Max Verstappen, who will start alongside him on the front row tomorrow in his Red Bull. Third is the other McLaren, that of Lando Norris, 618 thousandths behind his teammate. Fourth Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari, disaster for the other Maranello driver Lewis Hamilton.

The session starts badly for Ferrari: Hamilton stumbles into a spin and is resoundingly eliminated in Q1. Same fate for Kimi Antonelli, who with the Mercedes even has the highest time, also eliminated were Alexander Albon with the Williams, Nico Hiulkenberg with the Sauber and Franco Colapinto with the Alpine.

The Q2 session was a bad one for Ferrari.

In Q2 he miraculously saves himself at the last minute Norris, moreover making the best time. Excluded were Liam Lawson in the Racing Bulls, Yuki Tsunoda in the Red Bull, George Russell in the Mercedes (another no small elimination), and finally the two Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.

The Q3 Q2 was a tough one.

When in Q3 the pole seemed to be in Verstappen’s hands, Piastri incinerated the time by pulling even more sharply away from everyone else. Front row Piastri-Veerstappen, second row Norris-Leclerc. Fifth and seventh the two Haas of Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman, in between them the Williams of Carlos Sainz, eighth Pierre Gasly in the Alpine, ninth Isack Hadjar in the Racing Bulls, tenth Gabriel Bortoleto in the Sauber.