F1 News: Piastri's superior McLaren 'slapping' the entire field at Spa

The McLaren Formula 1 car, designed by former Red Bull engineer Rob Marshall, is so superior to all the other cars on the grid, drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have an easy time winning poles and races. Marshall made the Red Bull cars fast until he was poached away by McLaren.

(GMM) Oscar Piastri has blown apart the early running at Spa-Francorchamps, delivering a supreme one-lap display in Sprint Qualifying to underscore his growing stature as championship leader in 2025.

#81 Oscar Piastri, (AUS) McLaren Mercedes MCL39, during the Belgian GP, Spa-Francorchamps 24-27 July 2025 Formula 1 World Championship 2025.

Fresh off a dominant showing in the sole practice session, the McLaren driver dismantled the field on Friday afternoon – most notably teammate Lando Norris, who had arrived in Belgium on a high after his British GP win.

“Certainly not without mistakes,” Norris said after his lap. “The gap to the front is quite big, but I’m not too disappointed. It’s just for the sprint.”

But the gap – over half a second – was hard to ignore. As Auto Motor und Sport put it, “Piastri dismantles Norris.”

And it wasn’t just Norris. Neither Red Bull nor Ferrari could live with the Australian’s speed through Spa’s high-speed corners, while Mercedes struggled.

“Oscar has always been in a class of his own in super-fast corners,” said Piastri’s manager Mark Webber. “This was already evident in Formula 3 and Formula 2.”

Red Bull arrived at Spa with an aggressive raft of upgrades – front wing, cooling inlets, sidepods, wishbones, and brake ducts – on Max Verstappen’s car only. Teammate Yuki Tsunoda, by contrast, remains two specs behind, highlighting how far the team is now leaning to keep Verstappen happy beyond 2025.

“We’ve improved,” Helmut Marko told Auto Motor und Sport. “But it’s still not enough to challenge Piastri here.

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing talks with Dr Helmut Marko, Team Consultant of Oracle Red Bull Racing in the garage during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 25, 2025 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool //

“Piastri, in particular, is incredible. He’s not just slapping us, but everyone else as well.”

Even so, Marko sees hope: “We were at Norris’ level in the second sector. This way we can increase the pressure even further.”

Verstappen, notably, is again without race engineer Gianpiero ‘GP’ Lambiase, reportedly due to personal reasons, as in Austria. But with Christian Horner recently ousted, questions are being asked about the true nature of GP’s continued absence.

At Ferrari, a new rear suspension failed to lift Lewis Hamilton’s fortunes – he spun in Sprint Qualifying and was left visibly frustrated. “No,” he said flatly when asked if the car was any easier to drive.

#44 Lewis Hamilton, (GRB) Scuderia Ferrari SF25 bottoms out at Eau Rouge, during the Belgian GP, Spa-Francorchamps 24-27 July 2025 Formula 1 World Championship 2025.

Charles Leclerc, though, appeared more upbeat. “The difference – compared to the McLarens – is enormous,” he admitted. “But I did feel an improvement.”

Team boss Fred Vasseur also acknowledged McLaren’s runaway pace.

“At the front, Oscar Piastri is flying away from everyone. He’s on a different planet,” Vasseur told Sky Italia. “We see the potential of the new parts, but we still lack experience with them.”

Even with identical suspension setups, Vasseur denied claims the package suits Leclerc more than Hamilton. “We have to understand how to work with the suspension in the best way, how to find a compromise. But for this we need to run.”