Oscar Piastri came close to securing pole position in the F1 Belgian GP qualifying session, finishing just 0.085 seconds behind teammate Lando Norris. However, Piastri admitted that a crucial mistake in Turn 14 cost him valuable time.
In response to a question during the press conference, Piastri said, “A lot. Enough.” when asked about how much time he lost at that corner during his second run. When asked whether that lost time cost him pole, he confirmed, “I think so, yeah.”
Strong performance despite some disappointment
Despite the setback, Piastri remained positive about his overall qualifying performance, though he described both of his Q3 laps as “disappointing.”
He praised his car and confidence, saying, “The car was great again. I felt like I was in a reasonably good flow. Just didn’t quite happen on the second lap,” he explained.
Comparing sprint and main qualifying: no significant differences
Comparing the car’s behaviour between sprint qualifying and the main qualifying session during the Belgian GP, Piastri noted there was little difference.
“In all honesty, it felt very similar. You get a few more laps on softs, you explore the limits a bit more, you push the limit a bit more, maybe, and today that probably bit. But it still felt good. I had just as much confidence as yesterday,” he said, dismissing the car as a factor for not achieving pole.
Race strategy hopes
Looking ahead to the race, Piastri was asked if he is hopeful that his teammate, Lando Norris, could be vulnerable to the slipstream like he was with Verstappen in the Sprint.
“If it’s dry, then yes. If it’s wet, then it obviously adds in some other challenges, but we’ll have to wait and see what the weather does first. I know what I’m hoping for.”
Spa-Francorchamps: One of the toughest tracks to hold the lead
The topic of the track’s difficulty in maintaining the lead was also discussed. Piastri acknowledged that Spa-Francorchamps is one of the most challenging circuits for a pole-sitter to hold position from the start.
“In the dry, potentially [it’s like having two pole positions.] But there have also been times where pole has maintained the lead… It’s probably the hardest track to maintain the lead on the calendar from the start,” he said.
He also highlighted the importance of weather conditions and how the state of Eau Rouge could influence race dynamics.
“If the weather is wet though, I think pole position is an advantage, but it also depends on how wet it is. Whether Eau Rouge is flat or not makes a big difference.”
