SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium — Formula One champion Max Verstappen won a "cat and mouse" Belgian Grand Prix sprint on Saturday in Red Bull's first race under the leadership of Laurent Mekies following Christian Horner's dismissal.

Lando Norris took pole position Saturday for Formula 1's Belgian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen won the sprint race earlier in the day. Norris set the fastest time early in the final session. His McLaren teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri couldn't quite beat it on his final run,

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton failed to make it out of the Q1 session for Ferrari and will start Sunday’s 44-lap race from 16th on the grid in the company of Mercedes’ mercurial rookie Kimi Antonelli, who was 18th and two-time champion Fernando Alonso 19th for Aston Martin.

McLaren's Lando Norris pipped championship-leading teammate Oscar Piastri to pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday.

SportsLine's model analyzes Red Bull's Max Verstappen, McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and the rest of the starting grid's chances at the 2025 F1 Belgian GP

In 2023, Dutch driver Dilano van 't Hoff was killed after a multi-car crash at the exit of Raidillon, just before the Kemmel Straight. Van 't Hoff was racing in the Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA) and the crash also involved Joshua Dufek, Adam Fitzgerald, Enzo Scionti, and Tim Tramnitz.

Oscar Piastri topped the Belgian Grand Prix’s sole practice session with a comfortable margin over Max Verstappen ahead of Sprint qualifying later today.