Norris takes pole in Belgium with Piastri second
The Briton lapped the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in a best time of one minute 40.562 seconds with Piastri a mere 0.085 slower. Norris will be chasing his third win a row in Sunday's race.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc will start third and Red Bull's reigning champion Max Verstappen, winner of the earlier 100 km sprint, qualified fourth.
Piastri leads Norris by nine points going into the 13th grand prix of the 24-round Formula One season.
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Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Straits Times
Piastri confident he can win after 'bizarre' Hungarian qualifying
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox BUDAPEST - McLaren's Formula One leader Oscar Piastri was confident he could win from second place on the starting grid after a 'bizarre and somewhat frustrating' Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday. The Australian will line up alongside Ferrari's pole-sitter Charles Leclerc at the Hungaroring on Sunday with title rival and teammate Lando Norris in third place. "Pretty confident," Piastri, 16 points clear of Norris, said of his chances of taking a seventh win from 14 races. "It was good last year, so hopefully it can be good again this year." Piastri started second last year, with Norris on pole, and went on to take the first win of his F1 career. Sunday's race could see some rain, which could make things tricky on a twisty circuit where overtaking is already difficult and strategy can be crucial. McLaren were fastest in all three practice sessions but Leclerc made the most of the conditions to seize a surprise advantage. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore $3b money laundering case: MinLaw names 6 law firms taken to task over involvement in property deals Singapore Police reopen access to all areas in Marina Bay after crowd congestion eases at NDP Preview area Singapore Opening of Woodlands Health has eased load on KTPH, sets standard for future hospitals: Ong Ye Kung Asia KTM plans new passenger rail service in Johor Bahru to manage higher footfall expected from RTS Singapore HSA investigating teen allegedly vaping on MRT train Asia 4 workers dead after falling into manhole in Japan Singapore New vehicular bridge connecting Punggol Central and Seletar Link to open on Aug 3 Singapore New S'pore jobs portal launched for North West District residents looking for work near home "If you're sat where Charles is, fantastic. If you're sat where I'm sat, bizarre and somewhat frustrating," he said when asked to sum up the session. "I think the conditions completely changed, and it was just weird. "I think our pace has been good, but Charles has been quick all weekend, in certain sessions," added the Australian. "It is a very difficult track to overtake on, and it's not going to be the easiest place to try and regain the lead." Norris, winner of four races so far this campaign, agreed with his teammate. "I think we always have, at least in the race, a bit more of an advantage. But our main competitor over the last four, five races has been Charles and it's been the Ferrari," said the Briton. "So, if there was anyone else that's going to be on pole today, it was going to be Charles. And if there's anyone that's going to make our life tough tomorrow, it's going to be the same guy." REUTERS
Straits Times
9 hours ago
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Despondent Lewis Hamilton says he's ‘useless' and Ferrari should replace him
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox BUDAPEST - A despondent Lewis Hamilton said he was 'useless' and suggested Ferrari needed another driver after qualifying 12th for the Hungarian Grand Prix with teammate Charles Leclerc on pole position. The seven-time Formula One world champion, who is 40 and the second oldest driver on the grid, has an unrivalled record in Hungary with eight wins and nine poles but his Aug 2 performance was far from those heights. 'It's me every time. I'm useless, absolutely useless,' he told Sky Sports television, when explaining why he had said 'every time, every time' over the radio after failing to make the cut by 15 thousandths of a second. 'The team have no problem. You've seen the car's on pole. 'So, we probably need to change driver.' Hamilton joined Ferrari from Mercedes in January and has yet to stand on the podium for Formula One's oldest, most glamorous and successful team although he did win the Shanghai sprint from pole in March. Leclerc has had five top three finishes in 13 races so far this season. Questioned later by F1 TV about his bleak assessment, Hamilton doubled down: 'I drove terribly. It is what it is,' he said. The Briton has not won a grand prix for more than a year now and his podium drought - a run of 15 races - is the longest of a record-breaking career that started spectacularly in 2007. He is 30 points behind Leclerc in the standings and has beaten the Monegasque only twice in 13 grand prix starts. In qualifying - Hamilton's big weak spot of late despite 104 career poles - Leclerc leads 10-4. Hamilton had recognised earlier in the week the challenge he has faced at Maranello and said he needed to get away and recharge during the August break and there were sure to be 'some tears at some point'. 'The last god knows how many seasons have been hard in their own way,' added the winner of a record 105 races from 369 starts. 'This one has definitely been the most intense one, I would say, just from a work perspective,' he told reporters. 'Integrating into a new culture and into a new team. It's not gone smoothly in all areas, and it's been a real battle.' REUTERS
CNA
9 hours ago
- CNA
Piastri confident he can win after 'bizarre' Hungarian qualifying
BUDAPEST :McLaren's Formula One leader Oscar Piastri was confident he could win from second place on the starting grid after a 'bizarre and somewhat frustrating' Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday. The Australian will line up alongside Ferrari's pole-sitter Charles Leclerc at the Hungaroring on Sunday with title rival and teammate Lando Norris in third place. "Pretty confident," Piastri, 16 points clear of Norris, said of his chances of taking a seventh win from 14 races. "It was good last year, so hopefully it can be good again this year." Piastri started second last year, with Norris on pole, and went on to take the first win of his F1 career. Sunday's race could see some rain, which could make things tricky on a twisty circuit where overtaking is already difficult and strategy can be crucial. McLaren were fastest in all three practice sessions but Leclerc made the most of the conditions to seize a surprise advantage. "If you're sat where Charles is, fantastic. If you're sat where I'm sat, bizarre and somewhat frustrating," he said when asked to sum up the session. "I think the conditions completely changed, and it was just weird. "I think our pace has been good, but Charles has been quick all weekend, in certain sessions," added the Australian. "It is a very difficult track to overtake on, and it's not going to be the easiest place to try and regain the lead." Norris, winner of four races so far this campaign, agreed with his teammate. "I think we always have, at least in the race, a bit more of an advantage. But our main competitor over the last four, five races has been Charles and it's been the Ferrari," said the Briton. "So, if there was anyone else that's going to be on pole today, it was going to be Charles. And if there's anyone that's going to make our life tough tomorrow, it's going to be the same guy."
