Business: Hopes of a return to the podium at the Belgian Grand Prix are not out of the question, but look unlikely for Aussie Oscar Piastri, who struggled for pace during Saturday’s qualifying after suffering technical problems earlier in the weekend.
The McLaren garage was full of orange shirts and worried faces on Friday as engineers scrambled to fix a hydraulic leak at the end of FP1, which required a gear change and cost the Australian valuable track time.
In a sun-drenched Spa during Saturday’s qualifying session, Piastri struggled to make Q3, but ultimately lacked the pace to get to the front of the grid and qualified seventh, but will move up to sixth on penalties.
Meanwhile, young Italian Kimi Antonelli grabbed his sixth pole position, avoiding last-minute criticism from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who received a tow from team-mate Isack Hadjar.
“To bring the pole home is great, but tomorrow is another day, and with Max starting next to me, it will be important to get a good start and be ahead in Turn 5,” the 19-year-old said in a post-race interview.
The Mercedes driver’s time of 1m 44.361s was enough to grab pole by three tenths from Verstappen who will start second.
Piastri’s current situation is in direct contrast to his teammate Lando Norris, who took third place after a strong performance in which he briefly set the fastest lap.
Despite his pace, Norris will drop to P13 following a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his allotment of electrical components.
“We haven’t changed anything, we’re quicker on this track,” Norris noted when asked about McLaren’s performance in Belgium after qualifying.
“Unfortunately this is not where we start tomorrow, as it will be good to fight with these guys (Verstappen and Antonelli).
“I’ve been happy all weekend, so hopefully we can still have a good race tomorrow. The car is doing well, it’s good enough for P3 today, so we’ll see. Hopefully, we’ll make a good show for everyone.”
Spa-Francorchamps is the longest circuit on the calendar, with a unique combination of high speed, elevation changes and often unpredictable weather.
Although Saturday’s qualifying session had a nail-biting finish between Verstappen and Antonelli, arguably the most dramatic moment happened a few hours earlier in practice.
During FP3, Lewis Hamilton was trying to catch Antonelli -but he went wide from the Fanges chicane and turned onto the gravel.
The seven-time world champion smashed his rear wheel at the barrier, slicing a tire and damaging the rear wing as the Ferrari came to a screeching halt.
Spectators in the stands stood and filled the barriers, while Hamilton got out of the car to survey the damage.
The crash halted practice and led to a yellow flag, giving Ferrari mechanics a few hours to fix Hamilton’s car before qualifying.
“I’ve damaged the car mate, I’m sorry,” Hamilton said on the radio.
Ferrari mechanics worked wonders to ensure the car was ready for qualifying that afternoon, but Hamilton managed to finish sixth.
The Belgian Grand Prix will take place on Sunday at 11pm AEST.
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Hannah Kennelly is an award-winning sports reporter and Formula 1 columnist at The Age.Connect through email address.
