Piastri won the sprint qualification.

      Sunny. Dry. Air +22°C, track +39...36°C.

      The 2025 Spa race was the third with a Saturday sprint and the only one in this format over a five-month stretch – the last sprint was early May in Miami, the next is mid-October in Austin.

      After practicing in a single short and medium series of laps, drivers prepared their cars for qualifying. Oscar Piastri posted the best time in the morning. Finding optimal settings for the challenging seven-kilometer circuit, requiring a compromise between downforce and straight-line speed, in an hour was not easy for everyone – this work continued during qualifying.

      Pirelli brought to the event compounds "every other" – one step softer than last year – C1, C3, and C4 as Hard, Medium, and Soft, respectively. The optimal combination for Spa.

      In the first session, everyone went out on Medium tires and got stuck in traffic – Hulkenberg was released right in front of Lawson, forcing him to stop to avoid contact. The stewards took the incident under review but did not punish anyone. Mechanics continued working on Stroll’s car, but he exited a few minutes later.

      Antonelli, after spinning on a fast lap, went off into the gravel and returned to the pits, not posting a time and covering Turn 14 in sand, where rivals’ cars started to slide. At the end of the session, Hamilton spun out due to braking issues and was unable to finish his lap.

      Oscar Piastri posted the best time, completing the lap in 1:41.769. Drivers from five different teams failed to qualify – Albon, Hulkenberg, Hamilton, Colapinto, and Antonelli.

      The start of the second session was delayed by five minutes to clear gravel from the track. Everyone again went out on Medium tires.

      Piastri’s first fast lap was annulled for exceeding track limits at Turn 4; on his second attempt, he was only tenth, with Lando Norris leading the timing sheets at 1:41.412.

      Lawson, Tsunoda, Russell, Alonso, and Stroll did not make it to the final.

      The start of the final session was also delayed to remove gravel. All drivers went out on Soft tires, increasing speeds. Piastri posted the best time, a 1:40.510, nearly half a second ahead of the closest rival.

      Oscar Piastri secured his third career sprint qualifying win. Tomorrow, Max Verstappen will share the front row with him; Norris and Leclerc will start from the second row, and Ocon and Sainz from the third.

      Qualifying results for the sprint:

      Driver | Team | 1st Session | 2nd Session | 3rd Session

      ---|---|---|---|---

      1. O. Piastri | McLaren | 1:41.769 | 10 | 1:40.510

      2. M. Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:42.043 | 2 | 1:40.987

      3. L. Norris | McLaren | 1:42.068 | 1 | 1:41.128

      4. Sh. Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:42.763 | 3 | 1:41.278

      5. E. Ocon | Haas | 1:42.822 | 4 | 1:41.565

      6. K. Sainz | Williams | 1:42.776 | 8 | 1:41.761

      7. O. Berman | Haas | 1:43.024 | 7 | 1:41.857

      8. P. Gasly | Alpine | 1:43.171 | 6 | 1:41.959

      9. A. Hajar | Racing Bulls | 1:42.711 | 9 | 1:41.971

      10. G. Bortolato | Sauber | 1:42.806 | 5 | 1:42.176

      11. L. Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:42.897 | 11 | —

      12. Y. Tsunoda | Red Bull | 1:42.912 | 12 | —

      13. D. Russell | Mercedes | 1:42.650 | 13 | —

      14. F. Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:42.427 | 14 | —

      15. L. Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:42.736 | 15 | —

      16. A. Albon | Williams | 1:43.212 | 16 | —

      17. N. Hulkenberg | Sauber | 1:43.217 | 17 | —

      18. L. Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:43.408 | 18 | —

      19. F. Colapinto | Alpine | 1:43.587 | 19 | —

      20. K. Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:45.394 | 20 | —