Oscar Piastri believes that his love for Spa-Francorchamps played a role in the fact that he was comfortably fastest in sprint qualification for the Belgian Grand Prix.
McLaren opted for a higher downforce setting that gives the car good performance in the corners through the middle sector, but slightly less top speed in the first and final sectors. It was an approach that worked for Piastri because he was almost half a second of Max Verstappen and 0.6s for teammate Lando Norris, in a dominant sprint qualification display.
• Sprint qualification report: Piastri Blitzes Field again
“It was a good round,” said Piastri. “A little scared in SQ2 with the lap removal [for exceeding track limits at Raidillon]But the car is mega all day and I feel that I have been able to do many good laps. So thanks to the team, the car has been great and this is a song that I love.
“It is my favorite one of the year and, I don’t know, maybe it gave me a few extra tenths! But it is always nice here in the area and when the handling of the car is just as good as today, it’s a pleasure.
“The car has been in a good window from round one and it is a song that I always enjoy. I don’t know why, but I think I have had good faith. I feel that the last few weekends have been good from a pace perspective, but not so much from a result perspective, so it’s nice to get a result for that.”
While the margin was great in the final round times, Red Bull achieved the opposite approach to McLaren, with Verstappen particularly quickly in the first and third sectors. That makes Piastri vulnerable to attack at the beginning on Saturday, something he is wary, given the impact of a slipstream early.
“I have to go and have a look. The Red Bulls were very quickly in a straight line in practice -I don’t know if that was the same in sprint qualification, but that makes life difficult and Spa is probably the worst song to have pole position, so let’s watch it. But I think I think
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