The sprint race on Saturday at Spa-Francorchamps validatedMcLaren Formula 1 driver Oscar PiastriHis assertion that pole position at this track isn’t always advantageous. However, his main competition in the first lap was with his narrowing title rival.Max Verstappen.
In the grand prix, both McLaren drivers will begin from the front row, withLando Norris ahead of Piastri, and Ferrari’s Charles Leclercthird. Verstappen, the victor of the sprint race, will start in fourth position on the grid following a chaotic qualifying session.
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Although during the sprint, Piastri and Norris drove carefully on the first lap, avoiding any contact as Verstappen and Charles Leclerc overtook into Les Combes, this section has historically been a tight spot.
Perhaps most troublingly, considering that the championship is currently being contested by the McLaren drivers, it is whereLewis Hamilton and Nico Rosbergcrashed on the second lap of the 2014. This resulted in Rosberg having a damaged front wing, Hamilton experiencing a flat tire, andDaniel Ricciardocantering towards the third of what could be eight career grand prix wins.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was present on the pit wall that day asFernando AlonsoAn engineer at Ferrari with a distinct idea of how the first lap of the 2025 race will proceed.
“I believe both [McLaren] drivers will aim, above all, to achieve the quickest lap through corner one,” he mentioned during his post-qualifying media session, as a rain-affected race was more unpredictable than it is now as these lines are being published.
I suppose the positioning for the car that will be in P2, placing the vehicle to take advantage of the slipstream, could be a crucial element. I must say that according to the weather forecast, this might not occur under dry conditions, so if it’s wet, it will be even more intriguing, as Eau Rouge may not be straightforward to maintain speed, as it is today during the first lap in a Formula 1 car.
At the same time, as you focus on the future, you’ll also need to glance back a bit, since Ferrari holds a notable speed advantage. Therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if Leclerc ends up at the front of the pack by the end of lap 1. There’s definitely some strategy you can prepare, but in the end, you have to allow the drivers to make their own decisions and judgments.
Of course, what I will say to the drivers is that the first lap is just the first of 44, and when you have such a strong competitive car, you must ensure that we avoid any issues during the first lap. If we handle the race as effectively as possible, I believe we’ll be in a position to have a chance to win, even if the first lap doesn’t go as planned following the qualifying results.
McLaren made a minor modification to the rear wings of both vehicles from the sprint race to qualifying, by increasing the size of the Gurney flaps to create more downforce (although this introduced some extra drag) in preparation for possible wet weather during the grand prix. The likelihood of rain between the morning and 5pm ranges from 80% to 40%.
Red Bull further increased the downforce on both of its vehicles, possibly to a greater extent, as Verstappen lost the 4km/h top-speed edge he had in the sprint qualifying during the grand prix qualifying sessions. This might not prevent him from competing against the McLarens at the start of the race, but Leclerc is the main target for McLaren.
Leclerc is running with a low-downforce setup again,” said Stella. “So we know we’ll be vulnerable in the first lap, but Lando has shown today that if you have a significant pace advantage, like we had against Ferrari, it might be possible to overtake — similar to what happened today when Lando passed [Leclerc] on lap four.
