Young Australian driver Oscar Piastre had the best day of his Formula 1 career, taking pole position for Saturday's Sprint Race at the legendary Spa-Francochamps circuit in Belgium. The McLaren driver set a masterful lap and was almost half a second faster than reigning champion Max Verstappen and more than six-tenths ahead of his teammate Lando Norris.
This was a day of complete dominance by McLaren, but also a day of big surprises and disappointments for some of the biggest names.
SQ3: One-round battle and Piastre dominance
The final part of qualifying (SQ3) was a real drama. With only one set of soft tyres available to the teams, it all came down to a single flying lap. Although Norris set a solid time first, and Verstappen immediately improved it, no one had an answer for Piastre's perfect lap, who convincingly took first place with a time of 1:40.510 .
Fourth was Ferrari's Charles Leclerc , while the biggest surprise was the Haas team, with Esteban Ocon in fifth and Oliver Berman in seventh.
Norris: "I'm not too disappointed, this is just about the Sprint"
Despite being the fastest in SQ2, Lando Norris had no answer for his teammate's speed. However, he didn't seem too worried.
"I wasn't fast enough, that's it," said Norris. "It wasn't the cleanest lap, but still, the difference is big. I'm not too disappointed, it's just about the Sprint, it's not a big story. We have things to work on."
Shock in SQ1: Hamilton retires after mistake in final corner
The biggest shock of the day came in the first qualifying session (SQ1). Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton made a mistake and spun in the final corner, ruining his flying lap and finishing in a disappointing 18th place.
His young teammate, Kimi Antonelli, also had a tough day, crashing into the sand, finishing in last place, 20th.
Saturday's Sprint Race promises to be a thrilling one. Piastre has a chance to claim his first win, while Verstappen and Norris will try to spoil his plans right from the start.
