Belgian GP Virtual Grid Walk: Norris vs Piastri but say hello to rain!

Sunday, 27 July 2025 at 11:45

The McLaren MCL39 is simply in a class of its own - a rocket - already delivering Oscar Piastri pole position for the Sprint Race, and now Lando Norris will launch from P1 in the Belgian Grand Prix today.

On Saturday, their nemesis, Max Verstappen, beat them with a display of pure defensive mastery to win the Sprint Race against the odds. Once again, one driver with an inferior car held off two with faster kit, Verstappen rained on McLaren’s parade. Can he do it again this afternoon at the Belgian Grand Prix?

For sure, he can. It's raining! Although he starts P4 this time instead of P3, he’ll still get a good, strong run up the Kemmel Straight to Les Combes. Dry or wet, you will fancy a big attack for P1 track position by the #1 car.

Starting beside the Dutchman from P3, Charles Leclerc surprised even himself with a stonking lap that shuffled the order from Friday’s first qualifying session.

Don’t be surprised if both Leclerc and Verstappen get past the McLarens by the end of the straight, that's how much slipstream is on offer on the Kemmel straight unless Norris and Piastri work together to prevent an ambush under braking.

At the end, through the Les Combs complex, it will be decisive who emerges ahead through that tricky right-left-right squiggle. The race could be won or lost there. But then again, that’s hardly a solid prediction because the weather will play a big role in how this race unfolds.

Rain greeted the paddock on Sunday morning, which led to the cancellation of the Formula 3 race after crashes stopped the race with only two laps run. Before that, Formula 2 ran on wets, delivering a dramatic incident-packed race.

In other words, Spa-Francochamps is likely to be soaking all Sunday, but to what extent as the GP looms remains unclear. In the Ardennes forest, conditions can switch in a flash, half the track soaking wet while the other half basks in sunshine. It’s that kind of place, and history tells us: expect the unexpected.

Good day for Tsunoda, bad day for Hamilton

lewis hamilton body language says it all spa f1 sprint race-001

As for the podium? Rain or shine, the top four look likely to make up the podium top three, given they’ve been in a class of their own this weekend. The standout teams. Even Verstappen's beleaguered Red Bull teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, had one of his better showings, though he was still quite a way off Max.

Similarly, Leclerc’s teammate Lewis Hamilton is enduring arguably the worst weekend of his stellar Formula 1 career at a venue where he’s won five times. Another seems highly unlikely unless the weather gods spin the roulette wheel and number 44 comes up. But then again, that could be said for any of the other 19 drivers.

For now, Hamilton is toiling at the wrong end of the field, while Leclerc is extracting podium-level performance. It’s crisis time. Put it this way, unless there is a 'Miracle at Spa' the seven time F1 World Champion will not repeat the win he scored last year for Mercedes at the venue

Yesterday, Alex Albon over-delivered again, vastly outperforming his Williams teammate Carlos Sainz. The Thai starts from P5, while Sainz could only manage P15 in the same machinery. It’s hard to imagine he’ll stay there, but it’s another wake-up call for Sainz, starting ten cars behind his teammate.

Can Russell repeat his 2024 heroics here again?

formula-1-spanish-gp-2023-hamilton russell verstappen getty

Last year's winners, Mercedes, would have fancied being higher up the grid than P6, where George Russell starts. It’s been a poor weekend for them. They still don’t have a clear handle on the performance of the package they’ve rolled out.

Russell vs Albon should be no contest in the long run in favour of the Merc-man, and if the temperatures drop slightly, George might even have a sniff of a podium, as he did last year, celebrating on the top step after 'winning' the race until he was DQ'd for an underweight Mercedes. Did I mention the rain?

Further back, Tsunoda heads up the fourth row, coincidentally lining up alongside Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar, the outstanding French rookie being talked about as the next potential occupant of Red Bull’s number two seat if the Japanese driver doesn’t improve.

With Liam Lawson starting P9, that means Red Bull have four cars in the top ten. That could prove invaluable if chaos unfolds. That’s the advantage of essentially having a four-car team.

Gabriel Bortoleto rounds out the top ten, the Brazilian rookie once again making Nico Hülkenberg look the journeyman that he is. But Bortoleto, too, might find it hard work to stay in the final points-paying position.

Hunting a point or two

Others who might fancy a shot at points, despite starting outside the top ten, include Kimi Antonelli, though this one will likely go down as another round of valuable experience for the Italian.

And what about Hamilton? There was hope he would climb the order at a rapid rate, but that’s now very much in doubt. He struggled for 15 laps to gain just two positions in the Sprint. Unless Ferrari have found a magic button for him overnight, a repeat of Hamilton-magic seems unlikely.

BTW Lewis did win it last year, inheriting victory when Russell was DQ-ed. It was Hamilton's 105th GP victory, his last as a Mercedes driver.

Other storylines to watch out for at the Belgian Grand Prix today:

How much worse can mega-bucks Aston Martin get? Lance Stroll will be bad, while Fernando Alonso would be forgiven for parking it. Adrian Newey's design cannot come sooner.
How long will Franco Colapinto be allowed to continue? Is he the worst rookie since Nicolas Latifi? Only Argentine dollars can keep the youngster in the team.
As mentioned, Hamilton and Antonelli, starting nose to tail P16 and P18 are well out of position. Their teammates far up ahead, podium contenders. For so many reasons, worth tracking this duo.
Rain! Rain! Raun! Who will prang it first?

Belgian Grand Prix Facts & Stats by Reuters

Round 13 of the 24 race championship, at Spa-Francorchamps
Lap distance: 7.004km. Total distance: 308.052km (44 laps)
2024 pole position: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull one minute 53.159 seconds*
2024 race winner: Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes**
Race lap record: 1:44.701, Sergio Perez (Mexico) Red Bull 2024.
Start time: 1300GMT (1500 local)
Verstappen was demoted to 11th on the grid for the use of an additional power unit element. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc started on pole.
Mercedes' George Russell finished first but was disqualified for having an underweight car. Teammate Hamilton was promoted from second.
The grand prix is the third sprint weekend of the year, with qualifying for the sprint on Friday and the 100km race on Saturday before qualifying for Sunday's main event.
There is no Belgian driver on the starting grid but Verstappen and McLaren's Lando Norris have Belgian mothers. Verstappen was also born in Belgium.
This will be the 70th Belgian Grand Prix and 58th at Spa.
Spa is the longest lap in F1, with the fewest laps, and one of the fastest with an average speed of around 230kph. Cars can hit 315kph at Blanchimont.
Three current drivers have won at Spa: Hamilton (2010, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2024), Leclerc (2019) and Verstappen (2021, 2022, 2023).
Michael Schumacher won a record six times at Spa, including from 16th on the grid in a wet 1995 race. Hamilton can equal that tally this year.

2025 Formula 1 World Championship

2025 f1 world championship standings graohic silverstone

Victories, Podiums & Pole Positions

Spa last year was Hamilton's most recent win and the record-extending 105th of his career. He has made 368 starts.
Piastri has won five of 12 races this season, Norris four, Verstappen two and Russell one.
Norris is going for three wins in a row for the first time in his career.
Verstappen has won 65 grands prix and is third on the all-time list after Michael Schumacher on 91.
Norris has eight career wins, Piastri seven.
McLaren have had five one-two finishes this season, including the last two races.
Piastri and Verstappen have been on pole four times this season and Norris three, Russell once.
The McLaren drivers have each finished on the podium 10 times in 2025.
Charles Leclerc's second place in Monaco remains Ferrari's best of the season so far. Hamilton has yet to stand on the podium for Ferrari.
Piastri is the only driver to have scored in every race this season. The Australian has scored for 38 race weekends in a row, if sprints are included.
Only one driver on the grid has yet to score -- Alpine rookie Franco Colapinto.

Milestones

This weekend will be the first grand prix since 2004 without Christian Horner in charge at Red Bull. Mercedes' Toto Wolff (since 2013) is now the longest-serving principal.
Nico Hulkenberg's third place for Sauber at Silverstone, the last race before Spa, removed his unwanted record of being the most experienced driver never to stand on the podium. He did so in his 239th race.
The record reverts to fellow-German Adrian Sutil, who made 128 starts with a best result of fourth.
Mercedes are marking their 600th grand prix weekend as an engine supplier.
Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda is making his 100th start.