F1 2025 Belgian Gp Sprint Race starting grid with penalties app… read more
The sprint race format makes its return this Saturday, July 26, at the 2025 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix held at the iconic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. However, this weekend’s starting grid is full of surprises, with both of this season’s previous sprint pole-sitters starting far from the front.
Lewis Hamilton, who had previously taken sprint pole in Shanghai, will begin Saturday’s race down in 18th place. His Mercedes successor, rookie Kimi Antonelli, who had earned pole in the Miami sprint earlier this year, finds himself in an even more difficult position, starting from the back in 20th. Both drivers were eliminated early in Friday’s Sprint Qualifying (SQ1) session after separate spins, dealing a serious blow to their sprint ambitions at Spa.
Hamilton and Antonelli were not the only high-profile drivers caught out in qualifying. George Russell, Antonelli’s teammate at Mercedes, also failed to progress past SQ2, continuing a difficult weekend for the Silver Arrows. Despite these setbacks, the Sprint Qualifying session delivered a number of impressive performances and a reshuffled order.
At the front, McLaren once again showed strong form in the sprint format. Oscar Piastri put together a stellar lap to secure pole position for the sprint race, edging out reigning world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who will start second. Verstappen narrowly missed out on the top spot but remains a key contender heading into Saturday’s action.
Lando Norris secured third on the grid in the second McLaren, continuing the team’s strong performance this season. He’ll share the second row with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who starts fourth. Haas had a particularly strong showing, with Esteban Ocon starting fifth and his teammate Ollie Bearman lining up in seventh. The two Haas drivers split the Williams of Carlos Sainz, who will start in sixth.
Pierre Gasly gave Alpine something to cheer about by qualifying eighth, ahead of Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls in ninth. Completing the top 10 is Gabriel Bortoleto in the Sauber, a notable performance for the young Brazilian.
Further down the order, Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) and Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) start 11th and 12th, respectively, with George Russell in 13th. The Aston Martin duo of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will begin the race from 14th and 15th, followed by Alex Albon (Williams), Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber), and the aforementioned Hamilton, Colapinto (Alpine), and Antonelli.
The 2025 Belgian Grand Prix Sprint Race begins at 12pm local time (CEST) on Saturday. For fans around the world, that translates to 11am in the UK (BST), 6am in the U.S. Eastern Time (EDT), and 3am on the U.S. Pacific coast (PDT). Australian fans can tune in at 8pm (AEST), while those in India will see the lights go out at 3:30pm (IST). Other major time zones include 7am in Brazil (BRT), 1pm in Egypt and Saudi Arabia (EEST/AST), and 2pm in the UAE (GST).
With an unpredictable grid and several top drivers out of position, the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix sprint promises exciting wheel-to-wheel action as contenders fight to recover lost ground.
