SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium :McLaren’s Lando Norris edged out his championship-leading teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri for pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday.
The Briton blasted around the long and flowing Spa-Francorchamps circuit in a best time of one minute 40.562 seconds, with Piastri a mere 0.085 slower, to secure his fourth pole in 13 races and 13th of his career.
Norris will be chasing his third win in a row, in what looks like being a wet race on Sunday despite Saturday’s sunshine, to cut the Australian’s nine-point lead.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start third and Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen, winner of the 100 km sprint, qualified fourth for his team’s first grand prix under the leadership of Laurent Mekies after Christian Horner was sacked.
“The car has been flying all weekend, Oscar’s been doing a good job all weekend so we’re pushing each other a lot,” said Norris, who was third in the sprint with Piastri second.
“It’s tough because you kind of see where your strengths and weaknesses are. And you learn from each other quickly. It’s a good but tough battle that we have at the minute.”
Norris had been fastest in the opening phase of qualifying, with Piastri a close second, and the positions were reversed in the second segment before the top-10 shootout and the Briton coming out on top.
“I felt like the car was very good again, but it’s fine margins out there. It’s obviously not a bad place to be starting but there was more in it, which is always disappointing,” Piastri said.
“After the sprint, I was aiming for P2,” he said, referring to Verstappen winning from that position.
Behind the top four, Alex Albon qualified fifth for Williams with George Russell sixth for Mercedes and ahead of Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda.
Racing Bulls had Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson eighth and ninth with Sauber’s Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto completing the top 10.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, last year’s winner with Mercedes, failed to get through the first phase after his best lap was deleted for exceeding track limits.
The seven-times world champion, who has yet to stand on the podium since his move to Ferrari at the end of last season, will start 16th.
