26/07/2025 10:30
During Sprint qualifying, Oscar Piastri was in a league of his own
at the Belgian Grand Prix, setting a new all-time outright fastest
lap of Spa. The 1:40.510 Piastri set to demolish the field is
0.742s faster than the 1:41.252 Lewis Hamilton set in the iconic
Mercedes W11 in 2020, a lap that is still hard to believe is not
sped up when you watch it. It is his first Sprint pole outside of
Qatar, and also sent a message to team-mate Lando Norris, down in
third, who has been a step behind all weekend thus far. This
allowed Max Verstappen to crowbar himself into second place, and
split the world championship-duelling pair. To achieve this,
Verstappen and Red Bull had to get creative and resorted to an old
favourite of a set-up trick. If you look at the Red Bull RB21, its
rear-wing is noticeably smaller and skinnier than the other nine
cars on the grid. The thinking behind this is simple. After you
exit La Source, you maintain full throttle until braking for Les
Combes with Eau Rouge/Raidillon just a flick and a swish on the
steering wheel. That is Sector 1. Sector 3 is basically the
left-kink, again flat-out for Blanchimont, before stamping on the
brakes for the Bus-Stop chicane. Low drag is essential here, and a
skinny rear-wing as possible will boost top-speed. Which is what
Verstappen and Red Bull did. In Sector 1, with the speed trap just
before Les Combes, he recorded 343kph, or 213.13mph, with Piastri
tardy at 339kph, 210.64mph. Verstappen is ahead now by 0.095s as
they get into the heart of the lap - and Red Bull's choice bites
back. In the twisty middle bit of Spa, you need rear downforce. The
long, fast corners mean you need a firm, planted rear-end, not a
nervous one dancing around - something the McLaren has. Piastri,
armed with McLaren's new-spec low downforce rear-wing himself,
pulls nearly four-and-a-half tenths on Verstappen in Sector 2,
although the Red Bull is faster through Pouhon. After that, it's
another tenth-and-a-half to Piastri in Sector 3 and a place in the
history books. The super low downforce for Verstappen should prove
highly beneficial on the opening lap or two in the Sprint and race
itself, as he can slipstream past rivals - but will come to pay the
price. Check out the data below!
