Martin Brundle thinks Lando Norris ‘paid a heavy price’ for one mistake as Oscar Piastri scored Sprint pole in Belgium

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Oscar Piastri set a new lap record at Spa to secure pole position for the F1 Sprint at the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix, but his McLaren teammate Lando Norris only achieved third.

Red Bull rival Max Verstappen split the papaya pals at the climax of SQ3 at Spa this Friday, as Piastri became the third driver to secure a pole for a Sprint during the 2025 F1 season. Lewis Hamilton and Andrea Kimi Antonelli sealed pole for the Sprints in China and Miami this term.

Piastri also scored pole for the Sprint at the Belgian GP by a whopping 0.477 seconds to Red Bull star Verstappen and by 0.618s to McLaren teammate Norris. The 24-year-old recorded a 1:40.510 on his only flying lap in SQ3 to Verstappen’s 1:40.987 and Norris’ 1:41.128 effort.

Martin Brundle thinks Lando Norris overcooked his tyres in Sprint Qualifying at Spa

Piastri now heads Norris 3-0 in their Sprint Qualifying head-to-head so far this term after the Australian took his third career pole for a Sprint at Spa. The Melbourne native has previously sealed pole position for the Sprints at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix and the 2024 Sao Paulo GP.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration

Pole at Spa may now potentially set the 24-year-old up to achieve Jolyon Palmer’s pre-event prediction that Piastri will win the Belgian GP Sprint. But Norris may also feel he had more in the 25-year-old’s locker, as Martin Brundle says the Briton likely overcooked his tyres in SQ3.

Norris lapping 0.618s slower than Piastri at the end of Sprint Qualifying at the Belgian GP led Brundle to suggest that the Bristol native likely put too much heat into his soft C4 compound Pirelli tyres on his out lap. Piastri held the overall best second and third sector times in SQ3.

Brundle told Sky Sports F1 (25/7, 16:27): “Six-tenths up on Norris! Norris just took too much out of those tyres on the out lap. I mean, [it] looks like he was at 80% speed.

“[Norris] really pushing hard on that out lap on the soft tyres, and I think he paid a heavy price for it in the final part of his hot lap.

“Six-tenths down, and that’s allowed Verstappen to split the two McLarens. That’s going to be some kind of run-up to Les Combes at the start of the Sprint.

Lando Norris could find starting the Sprint at the 2025 Belgian GP in P3 is an advantage

Norris was the first car on the road out amongst himself, Verstappen and Piastri in the fight for pole for the Sprint at the Belgian GP. But he was immediately the slowest car out of the trio after recording a 30.106s first sector split to Verstappen’s 29.869s and Piastri’s 29.964s.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend

His inferior first sector left Norris playing catch-up but he could not deliver with second and third sector split times of 43.021s and 28.001s. Verstappen set a 43.170 in S2 and a 27.948s in S3, while Piastri recorded split times of 42.723s in sector two and 27.823s in sector three.

Now, Norris will hope that starting the Sprint at the Belgian GP third on the grid can actually be an advantage due to the slipstream he can gain out of La Source, through Eau Rouge and Raidillon and down the Kemmel Straight. Piastri will also have to hold off Verstappen to win.

Piastri won the Sprint at the 2023 Qatar GP from pole for his first race win and pole position in any race format as a Formula 1 driver in the Australian’s rookie season with McLaren. But McLaren told Piastri to gift Norris the win in the 2024 Sao Paulo Sprint to aid his F1 title bid.