Max Verstappen says he wasn’t surprised to miss out on Sprint pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix, after finishing second behind Oscar Piastri in Friday’s qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps.
The four-time world champion split the two McLaren drivers, edging out Lando Norris but ending up half a second adrift of Piastri, who dominated the day alongside his teammate. The pair topped FP1 and all qualifying segments, with Verstappen the only driver capable of challenging them.
Despite running a low-downforce setup to suit Spa’s high-speed layout, Verstappen admitted the pace gap was expected.
“Being P2 between them is a really good result for us,” said Verstappen after the session. “I do think we maximised what we had. The lap itself was good — I enjoyed it out there.”
“Of course, the gap is very big, but it’s been that way since FP1, so it’s not a big surprise. We just need to focus on our own package, work on the balance, and find more speed.”
Verstappen will line up alongside championship leader Piastri for Saturday’s 15-lap Sprint, aiming to claw back ground in the title race.
