Lando Norris won the first race of the 2025 season in Australia, but until recently, it’s his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, who has stood atop the center of the podium most weeks. But the past two grands prix, Norris has figured out just enough to best his interteam rival.
And on Sunday, he’ll be in prime position to win at Spa for the first time in his young career after making pole.
It took until Q3 for Norris to achieve the position on the grid, besting Piastri, Ferrari’s Charles LeClerc, and Saturday’s sprint winner, Max Verstappen of Red Bull. His sector two time on his penultimate lap was something to behold, so much so that he couldn’t improve upon it on his final round.
Afterward, Norris commented on his qualifying performance, noting that with the shortened practice on Friday, and amid finishing third in the sprint, it was good to get back out in front.
“Obviously, good enough for pole,” Norris said. “I felt like my second one, I improved, just the lap time didn’t. So maybe a little bit more out there, but I think nice improvement from yesterday. Just nice to be in a better position in the pack and be out there again. So, a good day. The car’s been feeling great all weekend, so it’s nice to have a one-two.”
This will be Norris’ first time on pole in the Belgian Grand Prix at the F1 level, and his fourth of the season. And to race around Spa, he says, is a pleasure given the track.
“I think what feels nice here quite often is just when you put a new set of tires on, it’s a good step of grip,” Norris said. “There’s not more pressure, it just feels like you can push that 1-2% more, and that’s always a good feeling. You have Turn 9, 5-6-7, you have Pouhon, 12-13, all corners which are pretty damn quick. You try to get that balance perfect with the car, getting the lifts right. A lot of it’s about timings and just getting things nailed in terms of timing.
“It’s a fun track. No matter how good you do, you always go into the last chicane and think, ‘OK, just get this bit right.’ It’s a fun track in any car. I’ve driven here since Formula 4, quite a bit slower in that, but in Formula One, it’s good fun. It always puts a smile on your face during qualifying, especially when you can be on top.”
The weather forecast for Sunday’s race predicts that there will be showers, though it isn’t clear if they will persist throughout the race. Norris was aided by rain at Silverstone with his British Grand Prix win, but he doesn’t want to win on Sunday because of adverse conditions — he just wants it to be a good race.
“I prefer it to stay dry, honestly,” Norris said. “Even for the fans. I think it’s rained here for like the last 10 years or something. So, it’d be nice to have a dry Sunday. But I don’t mind whether it’s dry or rain or whatever it is or somewhere in the middle. It’s normal here, and I look forward to a fun race.”
