P1racenews AI automatic summary:
What a sensational lap from McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to take pole for Saturday’s sprint at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
“On a difficult day for Mercedes, George Russell was eliminated in SQ2 and will start 13th, trailing Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda. Kimi Antonelli spun into the gravel at Stavelot on his first run, starting from the back of the grid. Lewis Hamilton faced issues in both runs, locking his rear brakes and spinning out, starting in 18th position. Esteban Ocon will start 5th and Oliver Bearman 7th, with Carlos Sainz in between for Haas. Oscar Piastri clinched pole position for the Belgian sprint at Spa-Francorchamps, setting a new lap record. Norris finished third, half a second behind, with Hamilton and Antonelli facing setbacks. In a surprising turn of events, Piastri narrowly made it into the top-10 shootout in SQ2, as track conditions improved. Norris topped SQ2 ahead of Verstappen, while Gasly, Bearman, and Bortoleto made it into SQ3 on their first runs. Piastri edged out Lawson, who starts ahead of Tsunoda, with Russell in 13th. Alonso and Stroll will line up in 14th and 15th for Aston Martin.”
