Lando Norris clinches pole in dramatic Belgian GP Qualifying as Lewis Hamilton suffers early exit

Early contact as chaos unfolds

The action began before the first flying laps, as Nico Hulkenberg collided with Lance Stroll while exiting the pit lane. The Sauber driver veered into the path of the Aston Martin, causing contact that forced Hulkenberg to pit for a new front wing.

McLaren lead the way, Mercedes in trouble

McLaren dominated the session’s pace, but it was far from smooth sailing for Mercedes. Both George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli were initially languishing in the bottom five.

While Russell managed to rescue a P6 position, Antonelli couldn't improve and ended a disappointing 18th.

Lewis Hamilton’s lap deleted, apologizes to team

Just when it seemed Lewis Hamilton had done enough to progress, the stewards deleted his lap time for exceeding track limits.

The violation relegated the Ferrari driver to 16th on the grid. “I’m sorry, guys,” Hamilton radioed to his team after learning of the infraction, his second Q1 exit in as many days.

Oscar Piastri flashes in Q2, Oliverb Bearman fumes

Q2 saw Piastri edge ahead of Norris, but elsewhere tensions flared. Oliver Bearman was left furious after Yuki Tsunoda overtook him on an out lap, disrupting his rhythm. Bearman lost control exiting La Source and ultimately failed to make it through to Q3.