Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying: Norris Snags Pole While Piastri Reflects on Mistakes
Lando Norris secured pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix, edging out teammate Oscar Piastri by just under 0.1 seconds in a tightly contested qualifying session on Saturday. Norris dismissed concerns stemming from a slower performance on Friday, where Piastri had dominated Sprint qualifying.
“Everyone was pretty worried after yesterday,” Norris stated. “I wasn’t even that far off. It was just a couple little issues that we had, so I was confident coming into today. The car has been flying all weekend.”
Piastri had been nearly half a second quicker than both Norris and Max Verstappen in the earlier session, but a mistake in Q3 hampered his chances for pole. Reflecting on his performance, Piastri acknowledged, “I think enough time for pole was lost… A bit disappointing. The lap until that point was strong, but it doesn’t really matter if you could have done it. I didn’t.”
Both drivers highlighted the competitive dynamic within McLaren, citing the benefit of sharing data. “We learn a lot from each other every weekend," Piastri noted. "That makes us a good team, but it’s also difficult when you’re trying to fight each other.”
The McLaren duo continue to push each other as the team aims for a strong showing at Spa-Francorchamps.
