Oscar Piastri Breaks Lewis Hamilton Spa Qualifying Record

Oscar Piastri set a new lap record at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit during qualifying for the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix Sprint Race, breaking Lewis Hamilton's 2020 record by over seven-tenths of a second and securing pole position. His impressive 1:40.51 lap time highlighted both his driving skill and the dominant performance of the McLaren car, which has been regarded as one of the best in F1 history. Despite a close call with a deleted lap in qualifying, Piastri managed an almost perfect session, earning praise from McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. Piastri leads the drivers' championship by eight points over teammate Lando Norris, who has won the last two races but qualified third for the sprint, six-tenths behind Piastri. Meanwhile, McLaren faces a challenge in managing two distinct car setups due to Piastri's decision not to adopt a front suspension change that Norris uses, a factor that may influence the tight title battle. Piastri, who has a strong affinity for Spa, aims to capitalize on the pole to strengthen his championship lead amid tough competition from Red Bull's Max Verstappen and others.