Lando Norris will start from pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix in his bid to seal a hat-trick of consecutive victories after beating championship rival Oscar Piastri to top spot.
Norris finished third, a place behind McLaren team-mate Piastri in the earlier sprint race at Spa-Francorchamps, but the British driver bounced back to secure his second pole in three races.
Charles Leclerc took third for Ferrari but team-mate Lewis Hamilton’s weekend took another nightmare twist after he qualified only 16th.
Max Verstappen – who won the first Formula One race staged following Christian Horner’s dismissal as Red Bull team principal in Saturday’s 15-lap dash – was fourth, one position clear of Williams’ Alex Albon, with George Russell sixth for Mercedes.
Follow live coverage of the Belgian Grand Prix with The Independent
Read More
F1 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- The race on Sunday starts at 2pm (BST)
- Lando Norris claims pole position in Spa; Piastri 2nd; Leclerc 3rd
- NEW: Lewis Hamilton to start from the pit-lane
- Click HERE for the full starting grid
- PREVIEW: What does Red Bull without Christian Horner look like?
What time is the race on Sunday?
Saturday 26 July 2025 17:40
,
Kieran Jackson
The Belgian GP at Spa starts at 2pm (BST).
Nigeria enters race to host F1 grand prix in Africa – with ex-Premier League player fronting bid
12:35
,
Chris Wilson
Nigeria has become the latest African country to declare an interest in hosting a Formula 1 race, with ex-Premier League player Marvin Sordell fronting the bid.
F1 currently hosts a race on every habitable continent apart from Africa, with the last iteration taking place 32 years ago via the 1993 South African Grand Prix at the Kyalami Circuit outside Johannesburg.
Yet now, South Africa (with Kyalami and Cape Town vying to host), Rwanda and Morocco have all announced their intention to launch a bid.
F1 grid: Starting positions for Belgian Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton makes change
12:25
,
Chris Wilson
F1 returns after a three-week mid-season break for the Belgian Grand Prixat the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit - and the third sprint weekend of the 2025 season.
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.
Below is each driver’s position on the starting grid ahead of the race:
The scene at Spa
12:22
,
Kieran Jackson
Kieran Jackson at Spa-Francorchamps
As predicted, it’s wet. Very wet.
It’s been raining most of the morning, with brief intermissions, but while the F3 race was cancelled, F2 and the Porsche Super Cup completed their races fine.
What impact will the rain have this afternoon?
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff on the race:
12:15
,
Kieran Jackson
“With a mixed weather forecast for tomorrow's race, we will be looking to take advantage of any opportunities that come our way.
“We are not fooling ourselves though; the pace of our car has not been sufficient this weekend to challenge at the front and that is unlikely to change tomorrow.
“We will race hard to maximise our result but must ensure we start the weekend in a much stronger position in Budapest next week.”
Lewis Hamilton reacts to Christian Horner’s Red Bull exit: ‘It was remarkable what he did’
12:05
,
Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton has paid tribute to Christian Horner after his exit from Red Bull a fortnight ago.
Horner, 51, was relieved of his duties as Red Bull team principal after 20 years in charge, in a shock announcement which sent shockwaves through the paddock.
Horner won 14 world championships in total across his two decades at the team and has been a fierce rival for Hamilton, both during his time at McLaren and at Mercedes.
Full quotes below:
Alex Albon, who qualified P5:
11:55
,
Kieran Jackson
“I’m really happy. We fixed the issue we had on Friday, which made the biggest difference. The lap felt tricky, and it was difficult to see where I could find the lap time, so I wasn’t expecting to make such a big step forward in Q3.
“The working window for the tyres is very narrow and we did a good job to find that sweet spot to pull it all together. Our race pace feels strong, so I’m hoping for a relatively straightforward race tomorrow.”
Charles Leclerc, after qualifying P3:
11:45
,
Kieran Jackson
“I’m very happy today, strange to say that as it’s still three-tenths, but I did not expect it. That was a really good lap.
“It’s good to have a qualifying where you know we didn’t leave anything on the table.
“Their racepace looked very strong this morning, hopefully the changes give us a upper hand.”
Lando Norris after securing pole position:
11:24
,
Kieran Jackson
“It was a decent lap, yeah happy. Everyone was pretty worried after yesterday but I was confident going into today, good to see I can get back to the top.
“It was nothing to worry about, people like to make a lot of things up, the car is flying a lot this weekend. We’re pushing each other this weekend, it’s a good, tough battle we have at the minute.
“I prefer it to stay dry tomorrow, honestly. It’d be nice to have a dry Sunday, but I don’t mind.”
F1 driver standings
11:00
,
Kieran Jackson
1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 241 points
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 173 points
4. George Russell (Mercedes) – 147 points
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 124 points
7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 63 points
8. Alex Albon (Williams) – 46 points
9. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) - 37 points
10. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 27 points
12. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – 22 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) – 16 points
16. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 12 points
17. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – 10 points
19. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) – 4 points
20. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 0 points
21. Jack Doohan (Alpine) – 0 points
NEW: Lewis Hamilton will start from the pit-lane
10:49
,
Kieran Jackson
Ferrari have confirmed that Hamilton - who qualified 16th - will start from the pit-lane, having taken a number of new power unit elements.
Kimi Antonelli (originally 18th) and Fernando Alonso (originally 19th) also set to start from the pit-lane.
Laurent Mekies makes Christian Horner admission in first Red Bull press conference
10:30
,
Kieran Jackson
New Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies admitted he does not know why Christian Horner was relieved of his duties a fortnight ago.
French engineer Mekies, previously team principal at Red Bull’s sister F1 team Racing Bulls, has taken over from Horner and is at the helm this weekend for the Belgian Grand Prix.
Mekies previously enjoyed a near-decade stint at Toro Rosso, the old name for Red Bull’s sister team, and also has experience to his name at Ferrari and the FIA.
Yet a brief Red Bull statement announcing Horner’s departure did not spell out the specific reason why the Briton lost his job, with drivers Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda also unable to give a clear cause on Thursday.
Full quotes below:
A reminder of the starting grid today:
10:00
,
Kieran Jackson
1. Lando Norris
2. Oscar Piastri
3. Charles Leclerc
4. Max Verstappen
5. Alex Albon
6. George Russell
7. Yuki Tsunoda
8. Isack Hadjar
9. Liam Lawson
10. Gabriel Bortoleto
11. Esteban Ocon
12. Ollie Bearman
13. Pierre Gasly
14. Nico Hulkenberg
15. Carlos Sainz
16. Lewis Hamilton
17. Franco Colapinto
18. Kimi Antonelli
19. Fernando Alonso
20. Lance Stroll
QUALIFYING REPORT: Lewis Hamilton laments ‘unacceptable’ mistake as Lando Norris takes pole at Belgian GP
09:00
,
Kieran Jackson
Kieran Jackson at Spa-Francorchamps
Lewis Hamilton lamented an “unacceptable” error in qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday as Lando Norris turned the tables on teammate Oscar Piastri to take pole position.
Norris, who trails Piastri by nine points in the world championship, was a step behind the Australian in sprint qualifying on Friday but turned his fortunes around, setting a time which edged out his teammate by 0.085 seconds.
Oscar Piastri after qualifying P2:
08:00
,
Kieran Jackson
“A bit disappointing, the second lap was coming together really well but I made a little mistake into 14. It’s fine margins out there, not a bad place to be starting but bit disappointing.
“We learn a lot from each other [Lando] every weekend, but also makes it difficult when you’re trying to fight each other.
“After the sprint, I was aiming for P2! I don’t know what the weather’s going to do tomorrow, we’ll see what we get.”
EXCLUSIVE - Nico Hulkenberg: ‘F1 podium talk was cold coffee – but I’m not done yet’
07:00
,
Kieran Jackson
In modern-day Formula One, there aren’t too many narratives which could have compensated for Lewis Hamilton missing out on a Silverstone podium for the first time. Nor one which sparked more acclaim than Lando Norris winning his home grand prix. Yet Nico Hulkenberg’s tense and glorious third-place finish last time out – ending the sport’s longest podium-less streak, 239 races and no more – was just that.
From last on the starting grid in P19, the German driver and his Sauber team, now pivotally led by ex-Red Bull guru Jonathan Wheatley, executed every call and nailed every pit-stop in the dry-wet chaos to leapfrog 16 cars and finish on the podium, staving off Hamilton in the process.
A podium for Hulkenberg in a Sauber before Hamilton claims a podium for Ferrari? Nobody had that on their 2025 F1 bingo card.
Full interview below:
Wolff dismisses Verstappen links: 'That's Prost-Senna'
07:00
,
Lawrence Ostlere
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."
Hamilton determined to deliver for Ferrari
06:00
,
Lawrence Ostlere
Lewis Hamilton said he will refuse to join the list of champions who have failed to win the world title at Ferrari after claiming his new team is not firing on all cylinders.
Speaking ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, Hamilton, 40, said: “I see a huge amount of potential within this team.
“But it’s a huge organisation, and there are a lot of moving parts. And not all of them are firing on all the cylinders that they need to be.
“That’s ultimately why the team has not had the success that I think it deserves. So, I feel that it’s my job to challenge absolutely every area, to challenge everybody in the team, particularly the guys that are at the top who are making the decisions.
“If you look at the team over the last 20 years, they’ve had amazing drivers. Kimi (Raikkonen), Fernando (Alonso), Sebastian (Vettel) — all world champions. However, they didn’t win a world championship. (Raikkonen did in 2007).
“I refuse for that to be the case with me. So, I’m going the extra mile. If you take the same path all the time, you get the same results. So I’m just challenging certain things. There’s still a lot of improvements to be made, but they’ve been very responsive.”
Jacques Villeneuve backs Red Bull this weekend in Belgium
05:00
,
Kieran Jackson
“Spa could be a good Red Bull track,” said the 1997 world champion. “It's always been a surprise which car is quick and where this year.
“They're all so close. They're all so close to each other that if they hit it wrong, a couple of tenths lost, and instead of being in pole, you're P5, P6.
“You always know that McLaren will be there even on the bad weekend. They will still be in the fight. And then the rest, it's up and down. There will always be another team fighting for the pole, but you don't know which one.
“The reason I say Red Bull is because Max has shown also in Silverstone, he's capable of running with lower downforce. And on tracks like that it works, unless it rains.”
Quotes in association with Vision4Sport, who provide Formula 1 tickets and packages
Nico Hulkenberg, who could only qualify P14:
03:00
,
Kieran Jackson
“Qualifying didn’t quite go our way today – I was lacking a bit too much on the straights, and without a proper tow, we left a couple of tenths on the table, which made the difference in the end.
“On the positive side, the car felt much better today compared to Friday. We already made a step forward in the Sprint this morning, which gave me more confidence heading into qualifying. Sprint weekends are always a bit of a challenge – limited track time, and if you're out early in SQ1, you miss out on valuable laps.
“We approached the Sprint more like an extended practice session: with the data we gathered we made solid progress and I found a better rhythm on this particular track layout. In terms of setup, we also factored in the possibility of rain tomorrow – probably like everyone else.
“Now let’s see what the race brings.”
Lando Norris reacts to his pole position:
01:00
,
Kieran Jackson
Career pole No. 13, and his first at Spa-Francorchamps
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2025
Nice work, @LandoNorris #F1 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/50d835wy7p
Full starting grid for Belgian GP:
Saturday 26 July 2025 22:59
,
Kieran Jackson
1. Lando Norris
2. Oscar Piastri
3. Charles Leclerc
4. Max Verstappen
5. Alex Albon
6. George Russell
7. Yuki Tsunoda
8. Isack Hadjar
9. Liam Lawson
10. Gabriel Bortoleto
11. Esteban Ocon
12. Ollie Bearman
13. Pierre Gasly
14. Nico Hulkenberg
15. Carlos Sainz
16. Lewis Hamilton
17. Franco Colapinto
18. Kimi Antonelli
19. Fernando Alonso
20. Lance Stroll
A downbeat Lewis Hamilton after qualifying:
Saturday 26 July 2025 22:00
,
Kieran Jackson
It hasn't been Lewis' weekend so far pic.twitter.com/vfIE1kWUyw
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 26, 2025
George Russell, who starts tomorrow's race in P6:
Saturday 26 July 2025 21:00
,
Kieran Jackson
“Today was a better day than Friday in terms of the result but, if you take out yesterday, then this was one of our worst Qualifying performances of the year.
“We are struggling here in Spa this weekend and we are working hard to understand why. We were potentially slightly light on rear wing level, given we were fastest in sectors one and three, but that is really just a compromise of where you gain lap time across the circuit.”
Fernando Alonso after qualifying P19:
Saturday 26 July 2025 20:00
,
Kieran Jackson
"This weekend hasn't gone our way so far. We made some set-up changes for the rain, but we just lacked pace today. We need to go back and understand why our package isn't performing here.
“Starting near the back is never easy, and this performance doesn’t reflect where we are as a team this season. I still feel quick in the car, and we'll keep pushing to see what we can do tomorrow."
FIA confirm qualifying results
Saturday 26 July 2025 19:00
,
Kieran Jackson
QUALIFYING REPORT: Lewis Hamilton laments ‘unacceptable’ mistake as Lando Norris takes pole at Belgian GP
Saturday 26 July 2025 17:59
,
Kieran Jackson
Kieran Jackson at Spa-Francorchamps
Lewis Hamilton lamented an “unacceptable” error in qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday as Lando Norris turned the tables on teammate Oscar Piastri to take pole position.
Norris, who trails Piastri by nine points in the world championship, was a step behind the Australian in sprint qualifying on Friday but turned his fortunes around, setting a time which edged out his teammate by 0.085 seconds.
Top-10 in Belgian GP qualifying
Saturday 26 July 2025 17:20
,
Kieran Jackson
1. Lando Norris
2. Oscar Piastri
3. Charles Leclerc
4. Max Verstappen
5. Alex Albon
6. George Russell
7. Yuki Tsunoda
8. Isack Hadjar
9. Liam Lawson
10. Gabriel Bortoleto
Lewis Hamilton, after qualifying P16:
Saturday 26 July 2025 16:59
,
Kieran Jackson
“It was the same as I was the rest of the weekend, we made some changes. Not great, from my side I made a mistake.
“I have to look internally, I have to apologise to my team, it’s unacceptable to be out in both Q1, a very poor performance from myself.
I don’t think there’s much we can do. Everyone is trying to do the best we can, we’ve had upgrades, but I think that’s it for the rest of the year. I think the focus is back on the factory to focus on next year’s car.
“This season has been a tricky one.”
Max Verstappen, after qualifying P4:
Saturday 26 July 2025 16:07
,
Kieran Jackson
“Oh my god, that was really, really bad. No grip.”
Lando Norris on pole position!
Saturday 26 July 2025 16:02
,
Kieran Jackson
Piastri gets close, but Norris holds on!
The Brit did not go faster but Piastri misses out by 0.085 secs.
Charles Leclerc takes an impressive third for Ferrari, with Max Verstappen down in fourth.
5-10: Albon, Russell, Tsunoda, Hadjar, Lawson, Bortoleto
Final moments of qualifying!
Saturday 26 July 2025 15:56
,
Kieran Jackson
So, the whole pack put on a new set of soft tyres.
Can anyone usurp Norris at the top?! We’re about to find out.
2:00 to go in Q3...
Max Verstappen:
Saturday 26 July 2025 15:55
,
Kieran Jackson
“Really weird, just didn’t have the grip.”
5:00 to go in Q3...
Lando Norris on provisional pole!
Saturday 26 July 2025 15:54
,
Kieran Jackson
First laps are in - and Norris has the advantage!
The Briton is 0.189 secs quicker than McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, with Max Verstappen in third - half-a-second off.
4-10: Leclerc, Russell, Tsunoda, Lawson, Albon, Hadjar, Bortoleto
6:00 to go in Q3...
Q3 underway!
Saturday 26 July 2025 15:49
,
Kieran Jackson
George Russell the first car out of the pit-lane then as the top-10 shootout begins at Spa!
10 drivers involved: Norris, Piaastri, Verstappen, Tsunoda, Russell, Leclerc, Hadjar, Lawson, Bortoleto, Albon
Carlos Sainz out!
Saturday 26 July 2025 15:43
,
Kieran Jackson
Sainz’s Williams the slowest in that session! Nico Hulkenberg, on the podium at Silverstone, also out in Q2.
Bottom-five (11-15) and out in Q2: Ocon, Bearman, Gasly, Hulkenberg, Sainz
Gabriel Bortoleto squeezes through in P9, with all four Red Bull cars also through!
Charles Leclerc:
Saturday 26 July 2025 15:36
,
Kieran Jackson
“Honestly, I don’t think there’s much more than this lap,” says Leclerc, in fourth but four-tenths off Piastri in P1.
4:00 to go in Q2. Second flying laps coming up...
Carlos Sainz in trouble
Saturday 26 July 2025 15:34
,
Kieran Jackson
After the first set of runs, Sainz is in P14 and heading out as it stands.
Ollie Bearman has a moment, almost losing his car, and has to abandon his lap.
Current bottom-five (11-15): Hulkenberg, Bortoleto, Gasly, Sainz, Bearman
6:00 to go in Q2...
Q2 underway!
Saturday 26 July 2025 15:25
,
Kieran Jackson
Wow, what a shocker for Hamilton here in Spa - two Q1 eliminations!
Time for Q2...
Lewis Hamilton out - lap deleted!
Saturday 26 July 2025 15:22
,
Kieran Jackson
Drama here - Hamilton is OUT!
The Ferrari driver left it late to set his second lap, which was quick enough, but his lap time has been deleted for track limits at the top of Eau Rouge!
“Am I out?” says a shocked Hamilton, who will start tomorrow’s grand prix in 16th.
That saves Bortoleto, who goes through in P15...
Kimi Antonelli is out!
Saturday 26 July 2025 15:20
,
Kieran Jackson
Russell saves himself... but Antonelli does not.
Bottom-five and out in Q2 (16-20): Bortoleto, Colapinto, Antonelli, Alonso, Stroll
A shocker for Aston Martin - they’ll line-up right at the back!
Top-3 in Q1: Norris, Piastri, Verstappen
Russell and Antonelli have one final chance
Saturday 26 July 2025 15:15
,
Kieran Jackson
They’ll only get one crack at getting out of the bottom-five!
Current bottom-five (16-20): Colapinto, Russell, Stroll, Antonelli, Bortoleto
Fernando Alonso the man on the button in P15.
2:00 to go in Q1...
Mercedes duo in trouble
Saturday 26 July 2025 15:12
,
Kieran Jackson
First laps down then in Q1 - and both Mercedes drivers are in the bottom-five!
Current bottom-five (16-20): Colapinto, Russell, Stroll, Antonelli, Bortoleto
Work to do!
At the top, an oddly shaped top-three of Leclerc, Sainz, Lawson.
6:00 to go in Q1...
Piastri quicker than Norris early on
Saturday 26 July 2025 15:06
,
Kieran Jackson
Piastri goes a tenth quicker in the McLaren pair’s first runs...
First laps being completed now. 12:00 to go in Q1...
Qualifying at Spa
Saturday 26 July 2025 14:59
,
Kieran Jackson
McLaren definitely the favourites then, as the cars line up at the end of the pit-lane.
Alonso close to hitting a Haas leaving the garage: “I nearly crashed...”
Q1 coming up!
Lando Norris on Spa racetrack:
Saturday 26 July 2025 14:51
,
Kieran Jackson
"Spa is my second home grand prix, Silverstone, Belgium, Monaco. It'll make my Mum happy, this is her home race, therefore it is my home race.
“I always love it here, one thing I don't love here, the weather is even worse than the UK, which I didn't think it was possible, but it's Spa, it's one of the best tracks."
Charles Leclerc downbeat after sprint despite 4th place finish
Saturday 26 July 2025 14:48
,
Kieran Jackson
“There's some learning to take away from a race like this,” Leclerc told Sky Sports F1 afterwards.
“However, it doesn't feel like we’re very far off the maximum potential of the car. I don't feel like we’re out of place with the set-up or anything like that.
“I don't think there's anything in the car that makes us hope that we can fight with Red Bull or McLaren, unfortunately.”
George Russell on his Mercedes future:
Saturday 26 July 2025 14:42
,
Kieran Jackson
“It just comes down to yourself. You’re in control of your own destiny.
“It’s a bit of a unique situation that I managed by the team who I’m racing for, but that’s the same for Kimi as well, and that’s a position we find ourselves in both.
“It’s not just the short term future of next year. There’s conversations already going on for drivers for ’27, ’28, ’29. People have always looked many years in advance.
“When I was at Williams when I signed in 2019, 2022 was always the projection for me to join [Mercedes], if that makes sense. So the situation we find ourselves in now is, I don’t think it’s abnormal, and from my side, there is no tension, because there’s two cars to every team. I’m performing the best I’ve ever performed. I have the majority of the points for the team.
“So if you look at the facts, you would argue my job is safe. That’s why I’m not concerned at all.”
F1 constructor standings after sprint
Saturday 26 July 2025 14:30
,
Kieran Jackson
1. McLaren - 473 points
2. Ferrari - 227 points
3. Mercedes - 210 points
4. Red Bull - 180 points
5. Williams - 62 points
6. Sauber - 41 points
7. Racing Bulls - 37 points
8. Aston Martin - 36 points
9. Haas - 35 points
10. Alpine - 19 points
SPRINT RACE REPORT: Red Bull start life after Christian Horner with sprint win for Max Verstappen
Saturday 26 July 2025 13:15
,
Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen won the first Formula One race staged following Christian Horner’s dismissal as Red Bull team principal in Saturday’s sprint race in Belgium.
Eighteen days after Horner was told his two-decade reign was over, Verstappen claimed the Red Bull’s first win of any sort since he raced to victory in Imola on 18 May.
Verstappen started second, but batted aside pole-sitter Oscar Piastri on the opening lap before keeping the world championship leader at bay.