F1 Belgian GP LIVE: Sprint race start time with Oscar Piastri on pole as Lewis Hamilton flounders

F1 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES

• The sprint race in Belgium is at 11am (BST); qualifying is at 3pm
• Oscar Piastri on pole for Belgian GP sprint; Verstappen 2nd; Norris 3rd
• OUT! George Russell knocked out in SQ2
• OUT! Lewis Hamilton eliminated in SQ1
• PREVIEW: What does Red Bull without Christian Horner look like?
• Oscar Piastri has an eight-point lead to Lando Norris in the world championship

Start times at the Belgian GP this weekend:

All times BST

Saturday 26 July

• Sprint race: 11am
• Qualifying: 3pm

Sunday 27 July

• Race: 2pm

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Yuki Tsunoda, who starts P12:

“Still probably struggling to drive, missed out by six-hundredths. Very tight. Tried my best.

“It’s getting there.”

Max Verstappen, after qualifying P2:

“Being P2 between them is a good result for us, we maximised that, I enjoyed it out there. The gap is very big but it’s not a big surprise.

“When you’re five-tenths off, we have to do our own race and see what we can do.”

Oscar Piastri after claiming pole:

“That was a good lap, a little scare in SQ2 with the lap deletion, but the car has been mega all day. This is a track I love, it’s my favourite one of the year, maybe that gave me a few extra tenths.

“The car has been in a good window from lap one. I feel like the last few weekends have been good from a performance perspective but not a result perspective, nice to get a result.”

CONFIRMATION: Sprint qualifying positions

Belgian GP 2025 sprint qualifying result (FIA)

Lap record for Piastri!

Piastri’s pole-setting lap time in SQ3 of a 1:40:510 is a new lap record around Spa-Francorchamps.

That’s 0.7 seconds quicker than Lewis Hamilton’s 2020 lap.

Some statement that!

Piastri:

“Let’s go baby. Big up, that was mega!”

Oscar Piastri on pole for the sprint!

It’s Piastri’s pole!

By more than four-tenths, Piastri takes top spot over Max Verstappen in second!

Lando Norris is only third, six-tenths behind Piastri.

4-10: Leclerc, Ocon, Sainz, Bearman, Gasly, Hadjar, Bortoleto

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SQ3:

It’s not until four minutes to go that we have cars on track.

It’s going to be a one-lap shootout here - no margin for error!

SQ3 underway!

Eight minutes then as we decide the top-10 for the sprint race. All on soft tyres this time, compared to mediums before.

10 drivers involved: Norris, Verstappen, Leclerc, Ocon, Bortoleto, Gasly, Bearman, Sainz, Hadjar, Piastri

FIA:

“SQ3 will start at 4:18pm (BST).”

George Russell, after qualifying 13th:

“My laps felt terrible. We saw some damage in the car, we need to see if that’s the reason.

“As soon as I went through the gravel, the car didn’t feel the same. It’s only the sprint race, can make some progress tomorrow.”

George Russell out in SQ2!

Another elimination for Mercedes. George Russell only 13th fastest!

Bottom-five (11-15) and out in SQ2: Lawson, Tsunoda, Russell, Alonso, Stroll

Lando Norris was quickest, but was heading out in P11 until his final lap! And Oscar Piastri escapes in P10...

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Oscar Piastri's lap time deleted!

The Australian has his table-topping time wiped - his whole car was over the white line at the top of Eau Rouge!

Piastri under pressure now...

3:00 left in SQ2.

McLarens only cars out on track!

Interesting approach here.

Norris and Piastri have a clear lap with no other cars out on track, and the Australian is four-tenths quicker than his teammate.

5 minutes to go. And here come the other 13 cars! Most will only have time for one lap...

SQ2 underway!

Five different teams had a driver knocked out in SQ1 - what will SQ2 bring?!

10 minutes long this session, as we build towards the top-10 shootout.

VIDEO: Lewis Hamilton's spin at the final chicane

FIA:

“Start of SQ2 is delayed by a few minutes in order to allow marshals to sweep gravel on track in a couple of areas.”

Kimi Antonelli on team radio:

“Yeah, sorry I had no grip.”

Lewis Hamilton is out in SQ1!

Oh wow.

Hamilton is on course to get into the top-15 but makes a mistake at the final bus-stop chicane and spins off-track!

A shocker for Hamilton, who will start the sprint in P18. Kimi Antonelli will also start in dead-last.

Bottom-five and out in SQ1 (16-20): Albon, Hulkenberg, Hamilton, Colapinto, Antonelli

Lewis Hamilton in the bottom-five!

Work to do for Hamilton, who is currently P16 with just three minutes left on the clock. He desperately needs to find some time!

Current bottom-five (16-20): Hamilton, Gasly, Colapinto, Antonelli, Bearman

3:00 to go in SQ1...

Kimi Antonelli spins

The Italian teenager - who admitted yesterday he is not happy with his current form - goes in too hot and spins into the gravel!

Fortunately, he keeps his Mercedes out of the wall and continues on...

6:00 left in SQ1.

Sprint qualifying underway!

They keep us waiting a few minutes into this quickfire 12-minute session but all the cars have now headed out of the pit lane for SQ1!

Five minutes until sprint qualifying!

The first part of five competitive sessions this weekend in Spa is about to start with sprint qualifying!

Sprint qualifying will follow the same Q1-Q2-Q3 format as qualifying, but the session times will be shorter than traditional qualifying: SQ1 (medium tyres) will be 12 minutes, SQ2 (medium tyres) will be 10 minutes and SQ3 (soft tyres) will be eight minutes.

Can anyone stop a McLaren pole?

BELGIAN GP PREVIEW: What will Red Bull without Christian Horner look like?

On a typically sodden media day at Spa-Francorchamps, a rip-roaring old-school racetrack nestled exquisitely in the vast hills and trees of the Ardennes Forest, a new era begins in earnest for Red Bull Racing. For the first time in two decades, Christian Horner is not a presence in the “Energy Station” motorhome on a race weekend.

The British executive’s dismissal a fortnight ago, amid a divisive, chaotic and controversial 18 months, sent shockwaves up and down the paddock. F1 has not known Red Bull without Horner. He famously did not miss any of the team’s 405 races and, as such, was present for all 14 world championships, 124 grand prix victories and 287 podiums. Quite the set of accolades, consigned now to a past epoch.

But the era of the team boss juggernaut – casting a dominant shadow over all facets of a racing team – is fading in Formula One.

Full preview below:

F1 constructor standings

McLaren are dominating the constructor standings thus far.

1. McLaren - 460 points

2. Ferrari - 222 points

3. Mercedes - 210 points

4. Red Bull - 172 points

5. Williams - 59 points

6. Sauber - 41 points

7. Racing Bulls - 36 points

8. Aston Martin - 36 points

9. Haas - 29 points

10. Alpine - 19 points

McLaren have been dominating podiums this season (Getty Images)

F1 driver standings

Here is how they stand at the halfway point this season, with 12 races completed at 12, including Spa this weekend, to come:

1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 234 points

2. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 226 points

3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 165 points

4. George Russell (Mercedes) – 147 points

5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 119 points

6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 103 points

7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 63 points

8. Alex Albon (Williams) – 46 points

9. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) - 37 points

10. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 23 points

12. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – 21 points

12. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 20 points

13. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 19 points

14. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 16 points

15. Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 13 points

16. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 12 points

17. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – 10 points

18. Ollie Bearman (Haas) – 6 points

19. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) – 4 points

20. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 0 points

21. Jack Doohan (Alpine) – 0 points

Still to come this weekend

Sprint qualifying is coming up this afternoon, ahead of tomorrow’s sprint race. Here’s what’s coming up this weekend at Spa:

All times BST

Friday 25 July

• Sprint qualifying: 3:30pm

Saturday 26 July

• Sprint race: 11am
• Qualifying: 3pm

Sunday 27 July

• Race: 2pm

Wolff dismisses Verstappen links: 'That's Prost-Senna'

Could Verstappen and Russell be teammates at Mercedes next season?

"This is all a long-shot, far-fetched. I want to stay with Kimi and George as it stands. Everything else is not realistic. If you have a Russell-Verstappen line-up, that's Prost-Senna."

Wolff defends Mercedes' role

Did Mercedes’ attempts to woo Verstappen force Red Bull’s hand?

"No. There is much more in the background that we probably don't know with Red Bull.

"Looking after drivers, in my position as team principal of Mercedes, I need to explore what Max is going to do in the next few years, not only next year."

FP1 report

Formula One leader Oscar Piastri showed impressive speed in sole practice for the Belgian Grand Prix on Friday with Max Verstappen starting Red Bull's new era by denying champions McLaren the one-two.

Piastri was a hefty 0.404 quicker than four-times world champion Verstappen, whose team are racing without Christian Horner in charge for the first time since they entered the sport in 2005.

McLaren's Lando Norris was third on the timesheets, 0.504 off the pace and with work to do if he is to reduce Piastri's eight point lead.

With Belgium running to the sprint format, qualifying for Saturday's 100km race replaces the usual second Friday practice session.

Mercedes George Russell, who won last year before being stripped of victory for an underweight car, was fourth fastest with teammate Kimi Antonelli sixth and separating the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

Canadian Lance Stroll was eighth for Aston Martin with teammate Fernando Alonso ninth and Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar completing the top 10 as his former boss Laurent Mekies started work as Horner's replacement.

Horner was dismissed after this month's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Oscar Piastri in action at Spa during practice (Reuters)

Fastest sector times in FP1

Piastri may have quickest in the winding, technical sector 2, but Red Bull and Mercedes had serious straight-line speed in sectors 1 and 3:

FP1 Standings - Belgian Grand Prix 2025

1. Oscar Piastri - 1:42.022

2. Max Verstappen - +0.404

3. Lando Norris - +0.504

4. George Russell - +0.576

5. Charles Leclerc - +0.906

6. Kimi Antonelli - +0.957

7. Lewis Hamilton - +1.063

8. Lance Stroll - +1.090

9. Fernando Alonso - +1.098

10. Isack Hadjar +1.100

End of FP1

The chequered flag comes down on practice at Spa, as Piastri improves his fastest time to 1:42.022.

Norris and Verstappen struggling for control

A number of drivers are struggling for grip out there. Norris has just run two wheels into the gravel at Stabalo, and meanwhile:

"A bit weird for me mid corner,” complains Max Verstappen. “I just can't really get good rotation. It's almost like I'm three wheeling as well."

Piastri goes fastest!

Oscar Piastri goes a second quicker than Lance Stroll and takes top spot. Seven minutes remaining...

FP1 – Belgian Grand Prix

Hadjar in action at Spa:

Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar during practice at Spa Francorchamps (Bradley Collyer/PA Wire)

Hadjar almost spins out through Eau Rouge

Isack Hadjar almost just lost control through Eau Rouge, his Racing Bull twitching worringly before steadying on its way out of the turn.

“I nearly lost it!” he shouts over radio. “There’s something broken.”

Belgian Grand Prix 2025 - FP1 latest updates

(REUTERS)

(REUTERS)

Max Verstappen on Laurent Mekies succeeding Christian Horner as Red Bull Team Principal

Max Verstappen on Laurent Mekies: "He is very motivated, it's of course a big jump, but the meetings we've had, we've discussed technical stuff.

“Me being part of the team for a longer time, we share opinions, what we can work on. His technical background, it's good to have him on the team. Hopefully we can work strongly together."

Lewis Hamilton angers fellow drivers with 'dangerous' move

Lewis Hamilton in the middle of the track and forcing others to get out of the way.

Bortoleto: “Mate, what the f*** is Hamilton doing? He’s always in the middle of the track.”

Charles Leclerc adds: “Ah, come on, this is dangerous!”

Carlos Sainz to make belated start to FP1 with Williams issue solved

No time yet for Carlos Sainz, but Williams appear to be on top of the issue.

The car is now in a better spot, the team says “We have identified the issue with the fuel system and Carlos should be going out shortly.”

Belgian Grand Prix 2025 - FP1 latest updates

The C1 tyres not quite performing well enough yet, taking a little while to heat up.

The drivers are about a second off where they want to be.

Colapinto, the only driver on the grid yet to score this year, is seen sliding off the track there, a snap of oversteer.

“I have a lot of rear locking and instability,” says Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, currently down in 16th.

Verstappen posts encouraging lap in FP1

Max Verstappen is out and he goes quickest by -0.537, it’s a very competitive start from the Red Bull star, posting 1:45.545.

The Dutch driver is on the mediums, Norris and Antonelli using the hard tyres.

Verstappen at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (REUTERS)

FP1 underway!

A big queue at the end of the pit-lane as we get underway with the one and only practice session at Spa!

A critical hour for the drivers to get up to speed ahead of sprint qualifying later on...

Quick little exchange backstage between team McLaren and team Ferrari:

Racing for Anthoine

The annual run in memory of Anthoine Hubert (2019) and Dilano van ‘t Hoff (2023), who both passed away while racing at Spa, took place on Thursday evening.

Around 200 people across the paddock ran (or cycled) a lap of the 7km track, pausing at the spots where Hubert and van ‘t Hoff crashed.

It was one of the most touching moments I’ve experienced in the sport.

(Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

F1 driver standings heading into Belgian GP:

1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 234 points

2. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 226 points

3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 165 points

4. George Russell (Mercedes) – 147 points

5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 119 points

6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 103 points

7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 63 points

8. Alex Albon (Williams) – 46 points

9. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) - 37 points

10. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 23 points

12. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – 21 points

12. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 20 points

13. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 19 points

14. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 16 points

15. Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 13 points

16. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 12 points

17. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – 10 points

18. Ollie Bearman (Haas) – 6 points

19. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) – 4 points

20. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 0 points

21. Jack Doohan (Alpine) – 0 points

Belgian Grand Prix:

A foggy drive on the way in, through the wonders of the Ardennes forest, has now made way for sunshine at Spa-Francorchamps.

Fog suspended the F3 practice session this morning, given the medical helicopter couldn’t fly in, but the F2 practice session is in full swing as we speak.

A few hours until FP1, at 11:30am BST.

Start times at the Belgian Grand Prix:

All times BST

Friday 25 July

• Sprint qualifying: 3:30pm

Saturday 26 July

• Sprint race: 11am
• Qualifying: 3pm

Sunday 27 July

• Race: 2pm

(Getty Images)

F1 Belgian GP LIVE:

F1 returns after a three-week mid-season break for the Belgian Grand Prix at the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit - and the third sprint weekend of the 2025 season.

Lando Norris won his home race last time out at the British Grand Prix, capitalising on teammate Oscar Piastri’s penalty to claim his second victory in a row. Piastri’s lead in the world championship is now just eight points at the halfway stage of the season.

Nico Hulkenberg secured his first-ever podium in F1 at Silverstone, while Lewis Hamilton once again finished fourth as he continues to chase a first podium in Ferrari red.

Hamilton won last year’s race at Spa-Francorchamps after George Russell was disqualified. This weekend’s race will also be the first since Christian Horner’s dismissal at Red Bull, with Laurent Mekies taking charge for the first time.

(Getty Images)