Belgian Grand Prix: Lando Norris clinches pole in Qualifying, Max Verstappen wins F1 Sprint

McLaren’s Lando Norris clinched pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday, setting the fastest time early in the final qualifying session. He will start Sunday’s main race from the front row alongside teammate Oscar Piastri, marking a strong showing for the McLaren duo.

The two proved showed their dominance hours after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the F1 Sprint in the first half.

Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying results

After the McLaren boys grabbed the front row, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualified third. Max Verstappen, competing in his home race, will start from fourth. "I was confident coming in to today so it's nice to be on pole," said Norris after his 13th career pole. This was also McLaren's 68th front row lock-out.

Williams driver Alex Albon has acquired the fifth spot on the grid, followed by Mercedes driver George Russell in sixth position. After long, Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda showed an impressive performance by grabbing seventh spot on the grid. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who won the first Sprint race of the season in Shanghai, will be starting from the 16th position.

Will rain play a spoilsport on Sunday?

Rain is expected to impact Sunday’s race, adding an element of unpredictability to the Grand Prix.

Conditions are expected to change dramatically on Sunday, with weather forecasts predicting a large rain cell moving across the northern and eastern parts of the Spa circuit from the morning hours. As a result, the main race could well be classified as a wet race.This potential downpour, coupled with strong northwesterly winds, is likely to create tough and challenging conditions for the drivers. Teams will need to be on their toes with strategy and tyre choices, as the unpredictable weather could heavily influence the outcome of the race.

Max Verstappen's F1 Sprint win

In the sprint race earlier, Max Verstappen delivered a dominant drive to take victory, holding off both McLaren drivers — Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris — to claim top honours. It was a significant win for Red Bull under interim team principal Laurent Mekies, who stepped in after Christian Horner’s dismissal following the British Grand Prix.

During the sprint, Norris briefly lost third place to Leclerc on the opening lap but reclaimed the position just past the halfway mark.

He then began to close in on the leaders but, like Piastri, was unable to make a decisive move.Piastri’s second-place finish in the sprint earned him an additional point over Norris in the championship standings. Qualifying for the main race followed later on Saturday, capping a packed day at Spa-Francorchamps.Also Read: Rain threat looms large over Belgian Grand Prix, here’s the complete weather forecastThe Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps first hosted the Belgian Grand Prix in 1925 and has since staged 80 Formula 1 races, making it one of the most iconic and enduring tracks in the sport's history. F1 legend Michael Schumacher remains the most successful driver at this circuit, holding the record for the most wins with six victories to his name.