Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying- Lando Norris Completes a McLaren Lockout at Front Row With Leclerc and Verstappen Behind Them!

The qualifying session on Saturday for the Belgian Grand Prix comes to an end

Our top three in qualifying 😀🤩😀#F1 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/R81eJmUqtK
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2025

Once again, McLarens are displaying overwhelming speed advantage over others during the entire race weekend. The Belgian Grand Prix qualifying session picked up from Friday’s sprint session. Max Verstappen was the winner during the sprint race. However, his Red Bull had no answer to Papaya’s pace. The teams which where fast on Friday ended up retaining their starting positions more or so during the qualifying.

The Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix is going to take place on Sunday. The entire weekend of the Belgian Grand Prix has been a surprising one for the midfield cars. Overall, the race is expected to bring forth a good amount of change in the championships after Sunday’s results. Spa Francorchamps is a circuit known for being brutally fast and chaotic at turn-1. There are also chances of rain during the race which will make the conditions even more dangerous and tricky to handle.

Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying Results- Top-10 Drivers from Qualifying Session at Spa Francorchamps

Here are the top-10 drivers from the qualifying session as per Formula 1 official results–

Lando Norris- McLaren
Oscar Piastri- McLaren
Charles Leclerc- Ferrari
Max Verstappen- Red Bull Racing
Alexander Albon- Williams
George Russell- Mercedes
Yuki Tsunoda- Red Bull Racing
Isack Hadjar- Racing Bulls
Liam Lawson- Racing Bulls
Gabriel Bortoleto- Kick Sauber

Don’t miss this one! 🍿

Ride onboard with Lando Norris as he storms to pole around one of the great tracks of the world – Spa-Francorchamps! 🇧🇪#F1 #BelgianGP @pirellisport pic.twitter.com/K9jVyE3fKb
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2025

Lando Norris was the better McLaren on Saturday. He set a time of 1:40.562 on Saturday to clinch pole position for Sunday’s race. Norris was able to stand on provisional pole as qualifying came to an end. His teammate, Oscar Piastri was trying to beat his time but could only second fastest. Earlier, Piastri was the pole position holder during the sprint race.

Nevertheless, the McLarens were well clear of the rest of the field. Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc starting from the second row are nowhere near as close to the Papaya car’s times. Leclerc’s finally attempt put him above Max Verstappen by a gap of 0.003 seconds. The Ferrari has been looking considerably fast for the weekend with their new suspension upgrades. Williams’s Alex Albon closes the top-5 with a yet another strong finish for the team in qualifying.

P7 in quali for @yukitsunoda07 👏

That's his highest starting position for Red Bull 💪#F1 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/2rqvFisCoz
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2025

Rest of the Top-10- Joy for Racing Bulls, Gabi and Sauber’s Return to Pace

The Silver Arrows look off pace this weekend as only George Russell could enter the top-10s. Even the race winning Briton could not manage to best the drivers ahead of him at any point during the session. Russell was never in the fight for pole position. Yuki Tsunoda is a surprising yet welcome addition to the top-10s. After a long arduous stint for Red Bull Racing, the Japanese driver seems to have much better this weekend.

With Tsunoda’s P7 finish the Red Bulls are starting their first race in the 2025 season in the top-10. The upcoming race is his shot at redemption after the few disappointing weekends he has been facing in his new team. The Red Bull sister team will be equally proud of their drivers. Isack and Lawson are starting the race from P8 and P9 respectively giving the Racing Bulls a strong edge over other competitors in the race.

Kudos from Nico to Gabi 👏#F1 #BelgianGP @stakef1team_ks pic.twitter.com/SOPvnLmERg
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2025

Lastly, it was Gabi’s Kick Sauber which finished the top-10 for Sunday’s race. Gabriel Bortoleto looks good this weekend with his Sauber. He was able to best his teammate in both qualifying sessions. While the rookie could not claim any points in the sprint race, Gabi can hopefully earn points on Sunday with his top-10 grid start.

How did the Backmarkers Fare During Qualifying Session

The Belgian Grand Prix is proving to be immensely competitive among the midfield teams. Haas were able to bring strong results from the sprint sessions. Although, they were bested by the Racing Bulls in qualifying. Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman will start the race in P11 and P12 this weekend. Haas were fast on the previous days. They will be looking forward to overtaking the Bulls and Sauber ahead of them.

Pierre Gasly had to face disappointment dropping out of the sprint race due to a water leakage. His could not repeat his performance on Saturday and claim a good grid position for the race start. Gasly will only start in P13 for the race leaving his Alpine at a major disadvantage. Nico Hülkenberg is going start the Belgian Grand Prix in P14. He seems to be struggling at Spa compared to his teammate. Similarly, Carlos Sainz is starting from P15 after a strong finish in the Sprint sessions.

💬 “I’ve got to apologise to my team”

Hamilton concedes it’s “unacceptable” to be out in both Q1s at Spa#F1 #BelgianGP https://t.co/DQPuhdZhvJ
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2025

The biggest shock this weekend comes in form of Lewis Hamilton. He could not make it past the first stage of qualifying in both sessions. Lewis will start in P16 which is a long behind his teammate’s P3 start. Kimi Antonelli is yet another shock exit in first stage of qualifying. The super rookie of 2025 has not been in good form this weekend. Franco Colapinto was able once again unable to get his car into the further stages of qualifying.

Meanwhile, the two Aston Martins will start the race from the last row. While the other cars were looking better in terms of pace, the Astons seem to be taking a step back with their performance.

Belgian Grand Prix 2025

Formula 1

Formula 1 2025 Season

Rohan Singh

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I work as a Writer at The Playoffs specialising in NHL, Formula 1 and Motorsports. I got into online journalism a couple of years ago. I used to be an intern for a website managing their Formula 1 content and then I served an entire year as a contractual writer.