Norris snatches Spa pole; Verstappen wins sprint
Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
Briton Lando Norris continued his resurgence by seizing pole position on Saturday for the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix.
The McLaren man had won the last two races to close the gap at the top of the standings to his team-mate Oscar Piastri. He has the chance to do it again on Sunday, with the Australian second on the grid.
It was a first McLaren pole at Spa since 2012.
'The car has been flying all weekend, Oscar has been doing a good job so we have been pushing each other which is good. It is a good but tough battle we are having at the moment,' Norris said.
Rain is forecast for the Ardennes Forest on Sunday at one of the drivers' favourite tracks on the calendar.
'I'd prefer it to stay dry to be honest - it would be nice to have a dry Sunday,' Norris added amid memories of many rainy days in Belgium.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was third fastest and Dutchman Max Verstappen, who won the sprint race a few hours before qualifying, was fourth in the Red Bull. Alex Albon was fifth quickest in the Williams ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell.
Championship leader Piastri had been quickest in Friday practice and sprint qualifying but played second fiddle on Saturday.
'The second lap was coming together really well and I just made a little mistake in (turn) 14. It is fine margins out there,' Piastri said.
Briton Hamilton, who started 18th and finished 15th in the sprint race, was punished for exceeding track limits and had his final time chalked off.
Starting Grid
Front row: Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren), Oscar Piastri (AUS/McLaren); 2nd row: Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari), Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull); 3rd row: Alex Albon (THA/Williams), George Russell (GBR/Mercedes); 4th row: Yuki Tsunoda (JPN/Red Bull), Isack Hadjar (FRA/Racing Bulls); 5th row: Liam Lawson (NZL/Racing Bulls), Gabriel Bortoleto (BRA/Sauber); 6th row: Esteban Ocon (FRA/Haas), Oliver Bearman (GBR/Haas); 7th row: Pierre Gasly (FRA/Alpine), Nico Hülkenberg (GER/Sauber)
8th rowcTypeface:> Carlos Sainz (ESP/Williams), Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Ferrari); 9th row: Franco Colapinto (ARG/Alpine), Andrea Kimi Antonelli (ITA/Mercedes); 10th row: Fernando Alonso (ESP/Aston Martin), Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin).
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