Oscar Piastri made an assured statement as the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix weekend began, topping the timesheets in the only Free Practice session of the thirteenth round. In a condensed and crucial hour of running ahead of Sprint Qualifying later in the day, the McLaren driver clocked a 1:42.022 to lead the field by four tenths over Max Verstappen, with teammate Lando Norris rounding out the top three. It was a strong early signal from the McLaren camp as they continued to lead the way in a fiercely contested 2025 F1 World Championship, with Piastri holding a narrow lead over Norris heading into the second half of the season.
What To Know
- Oscar Piastri was fastest in FP1 from Max Verstappen and his McLaren teammate Lando Norris
- McLaren remained in control of the Teams’ Championship ahead of Ferrari and Mercedes.
- The upgraded Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton is there or thereabouts.
The session began with a flurry of activity as drivers hit the track the moment the lights went green, keen to maximise the limited track time. Fresh from his maiden podium at Silverstone, Nico Hülkenberg led the early charge. But not everyone enjoyed a clean start—Carlos Sainz’s Williams limped back to the pits with a throttle issue, reporting the car had gone into “limp home mode,” while Lance Stroll returned to the garage after his installation lap due to technical problems. Red Bull, debuting a significant upgrade package featuring a revised cooling system and new front suspension, saw Verstappen set the early benchmark on medium tyres with a 1:45.545.
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From there, the session ramped up quickly. Drivers pushed the limits, with Alex Albon flirting with the gravel at Malmedy, Lewis Hamilton bouncing over the top of Eau Rouge, and rookies Kimi Antonelli and Franco Colapinto both locking up at La Source. Charles Leclerc briefly topped the order on hard tyres, showing strong pace despite traffic and yellow flags. The real shake-up came in the final 10 minutes as qualifying simulations unfolded—Piastri posted a 1:42.123 before shaving off another tenth on his final lap to lock in P1.
Verstappen ended up 0.404s adrift despite strong speed in Sector 1, while Norris—who had a moment running wide at Stavelot—finished a further tenth back. Mercedes’ George Russell slotted into fourth, ahead of Leclerc and Antonelli. Hamilton took seventh, just over a second off the pace, with Aston Martin’s upgraded cars of Stroll and Fernando Alonso showing signs of promise in P8 and P9. Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar completed the top ten.
The session ended with all 20 drivers having logged laps—Sainz recovered to finish 11th after resolving his fuel issue, while Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine’s Colapinto struggled for pace. Sprint Qualifying would get underway at 16:30 local time, with weather still a looming variable at the ever-unpredictable Spa-Francorchamps.
2025 Belgian GP FP1 Results
2025 Belgian Grand Prix FP1, 25 July 2025
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | TIME / GAP | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:42.022 | 22 |
| 2 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | +0.404s | 22 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.504s | 21 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.576s | 26 |
| 5 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.906s | 21 |
| 6 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.957s | 23 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +1.063s | 23 |
| 8 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1.090s | 16 |
| 9 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +1.098s | 21 |
| 10 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +1.100s | 18 |
| 11 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +1.195s | 15 |
| 12 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +1.239s | 23 |
| 13 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | +1.240s | 24 |
| 14 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | +1.448s | 19 |
| 15 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1.456s | 20 |
| 16 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.548s | 21 |
| 17 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.907s | 20 |
| 18 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | +2.470s | 23 |
| 19 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +2.825s | 20 |
| 20 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +3.055s | 21 |
Race Guide
Race: 2025 Belgian Grand Prix
Season: 2025 F1 World Championship
Race weekend: 25 July 2025 – 27 July 2025
Race date: Sunday, 27 July, 2025
Race start time: 15:00 local time
Circuit: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Laps: 44
Circuit length: 7.004km
2024 winner: Lewis Hamilton
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