Oscar Piastri secured a dominant pole position for Saturday’s sprint race in Belgium as Lewis Hamilton qualified only 18th.
McLaren’s Piastri, who holds an eight-point lead over championship rival Lando Norris at the midway stage of the season, saw off Red Bull driver Max Verstappen at Spa-Francorchamps to take top spot.
Norris could manage only third – a distant six tenths behind team-mate Piastri – while Hamilton’s troubled spell at Ferrari took another sour twist when he spun out of Q1. Norris arrived in the Ardennes with back-to-back victories but it was Piastri who was in a different league in qualifying for Saturday’s 15-lap dash to the chequered flag.
The Australian will start as the overwhelming favourite to convert his pole into victory on Saturday, and in this form would appear unstoppable for Sunday’s main event, too.
F1 constructor standings after sprint
1. McLaren – 473 points
2. Ferrari – 227 points
3. Mercedes – 210 points
4. Red Bull – 180 points
5. Williams – 62 points
6. Sauber – 41 points
7. Racing Bulls – 37 points
8. Aston Martin – 36 points
9. Haas – 35 points
10. Alpine – 19 points.
Lewis Hamilton reacts to Christian Horner’s Red Bull exit: ‘It was remarkable what he did’
Lewis Hamilton has paid tribute to Christian Horner after his exit from Red Bull a fortnight ago.
Horner, 51, was relieved of his duties as Red Bull team principal after 20 years in charge, in a shock announcement which sent shockwaves through the paddock.
Horner won 14 world championships in total across his two decades at the team and has been a fierce rival for Hamilton, both during his time at McLaren and at Mercedes.
