Lando Norris has clinched pole position for the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix, leading a commanding McLaren 1-2 in qualifying just hours after Max Verstappen took victory in the Sprint race.
The session unfolded under warm conditions, 36°C track temperature and 21°C air temperature, but it was the British driver who stayed coolest under pressure, delivering an impressive 1:40.562s lap in Q3 to narrowly beat teammate Oscar Piastri, despite most drivers complaining of low-grip in the later stages of qualifying.
Behind the front runners, it was a tightly packed field filled with surprises, late drama from lap time deletions, and standout performances, particularly from Kiwi Liam Lawson and his Racing Bulls teammate Isack Hadjar, who both advanced to Q3 and qualified inside the top 10.
Q1 –
The opening session of qualifying was anything but routine. Oscar Piastri led the early exchanges with a 1:41.998s lap, with Lando Norris and Max Verstappen both running close behind. Verstappen’s first timed lap (1:42.066s) slotted him between the two McLarens.
Then came a flurry of quick laps. Liam Lawson went green in both sectors and jumped to the top with a 1:41.765s, an early show of intent from the Kiwi. But he was quickly bettered by Alex Albon and then Carlos Sainz, who went fastest with a 1:41.691s in the Williams.
Charles Leclerc briefly took over at the top with a 1:41.635, but with five minutes to go, Norris turned up the heat. He uncorked a mighty 1:41.010s to reclaim P1 by over six tenths, with Piastri improving to second (1:41.181).
Lawson returned to the track on fresh soft tyres with four minutes left and improved slightly to a 1:41.748s, enough to safely progress to Q2 in ninth place.
His teammate, Hadjar, made a significant jump to 4th, five-tenths off Norris.
But the biggest shock came in the final seconds. Lewis Hamilton had just done enough to get into Q2 with a lap that temporarily put him 7th, only to have his time deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 4.
That demoted him to 16th and promoted Gabriel Bortoleto into Q2.
Q1 Eliminations:
- Hamilton (16th – time deleted)
- Colapinto (17th)
- Antonelli (18th)
- Alonso (19th)
- Stroll (20th)
Q1 Top 5:
- Norris
- Piastri
- Verstappen
- Hadjar
- Bearman
Q2 –
With Verstappen opting for just one run in Q2, saving his final set of fresh tyres for Q3, it was once again McLaren on the offensive.
Piastri topped the session with a 1:40.626, edging out Norris by 0.089s. Verstappen went third, 0.133s off the top.
Hadjar and Lawson were both in a tight fight around the cut-off. Hadjar posted a 1:41.281 to sit 6th with minutes remaining, and Lawson followed with a 1:41.297, just 0.016s behind his teammate and temporarily 8th. But as the session came to a close, the order shifted rapidly.
George Russell jumped to 6th with a 1:41.254, pushing Hadjar and Lawson down to 7th and 8th, respectively.
Bortoleto improved to 1:41.336 to take 9th, while Lawson’s effort bumped out Pierre Gasly and narrowly missed out on the top 10.Esteban Ocon showed promise with a purple Sector 1, but faded by Sector 3 and could only manage 11th, missing Q3 by 0.024s.
Q2 Eliminations:
- Ocon (11th)
- Bearman (12th)
- Gasly (13th)
- Hulkenberg (14th)
- Sainz (15th)
Q2 Top 5:
- Piastri
- Norris
- Verstappen
- Leclerc
- Tsunoda
Q3 –
Verstappen was first out in Q3, setting the initial benchmark with a 1:41.078 on used tyres, a disadvantage he would later admit hurt his grip and overall lap performance.
Russell and Leclerc followed, with the Ferrari driver slotting into second on a 1:41.339s.
But it was McLaren who stamped their authority again. Piastri surged to the top with a 1:40.751, before Norris pulled out a stunning 1:40.562 lap, nearly two-tenths quicker, to seize provisional pole.
Lawson’s first attempt saw him go 7th with a 1:42.102, just behind Tsunoda. Hadjar, meanwhile, struggled to find pace and was 9th on his opening lap, over two seconds off Norris’s time.
After a tyre change, the top 10 returned to the track for a final showdown. Verstappen improved slightly to remain 3rd, but admitted over team radio that he lacked rear grip. Leclerc pipped him for third with a 1:40.900, but couldn’t touch the McLarens.
Russell improved to 5th with a 1:41.260 before being pushed down by a flying Alex Albon, who delivered a surprise lap to go fifth fastest, an impressive result for Williams.
Hadjar found significant pace to go 8th with a 1:41.310, while Lawson improved by 0.766s to clock a 1:41.328, just 0.018s behind his teammate and 0.606s off pole.
Tsunoda managed to squeeze between them with a time of 1:41.284, creating a three-car blanket covered by just 0.044 seconds.
Bortoleto, who scraped into Q3, rounded out the top ten after his first lap time was deleted for track limits.
Final Q3 Results / Top 10 Starting Grid:
- Lando Norris (McLaren) – 1:40.562
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.085s
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.338s
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.341s
- Alex Albon (Williams) +0.639s
- George Russell (Mercedes) +0.698s
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +0.722s
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +0.748s
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +0.766s
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber) +1.825s
McLaren’s qualifying performance was nothing short of dominant, with both drivers looking composed and quick throughout all three sessions. Norris secured his fourth pole of the season and will be the favourite heading into tomorrow’s race, where the potential for rain could yet throw a wrench into strategies.
Red Bull may have won the sprint earlier in the day, but Verstappen’s qualifying showed some vulnerability, particularly tyre degradation on longer stints. Both Tsunoda and Verstappen start within striking distance of the podium but may need to play catch-up to the McLarens.
As for the Racing Bulls, both Hadjar and Lawson can take pride in their efforts. The two rookies once again proved they can mix it with the best, with both drivers separated by less than two hundredths of a second.
The 2025 Belgian Grand Prix gets underway at 1:00am on Monday (NZST)
Header Image: Steven Tee/LAT Images via Red Bull Content Pool
