“There was no need to risk it all”: Max Verstappen keeps his cool despite Oscar Piastri’s mega lap to clinch pole position in the Belgium GP sprint

Max Verstappen clinched pole position during the Sprint shootout at the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday. He snatched the pole position from Oscar Piastri, who was only 0.011 seconds slower than the double world champion.

This could have been Piastri's first-ever pole position in Formula 1, however, Verstappen managed to outpace the Australian.

Talking to Naomi Schiff in parc ferme, he said:

"We just delivered later into the car find that you could go to the Slick tyres, but I think we know we stayed calm. The gap was not as big as yesterday, but there was also no need to risk it all, probably my second sector was a bit careful."

The session was once again a mixed one, as it usually remains down at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, and it had the drivers riddled as the clock ticked down.

The track evolution was mega, and all the drivers were improving their laptimes after every single run. Oscar Piastri's lap was amazingly good, but Max Verstappen being himself, found a little time in beating the rookie.

The weather conditions during the Sprint later today could play an important role in the selection of strategies by the team, and it can also impact the final result.

---

Max Verstappen not worried about the rainy session during Sprint

The Sprint today is expected to be under wet and tricky conditions, while that is not the best time to have a race at Spa Francorchamps, Max Verstappen is seemingly not worried about it in his Red Bull.

He stated during his interview that having a wet session will change things, but it will be important to get off to a good start and having clear vision. He also insisted that he will not let the conditions affect his race result. He said:

"It was just getting better and better but still turn. 8 and 9 was super slippery. So I guess I left a bit of time on the table there but it's okay. Let's see if course again in the afternoon, if it's going to rain again, but it's good, you know, to keep clean."

On the importance of a clean start during the race, he said:

"Try to have a good start. Then we have clean, clear vision as well. I think that's going to be very important."