Oscar Piastri claimed victory in the Belgian Grand Prix, holding off McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris in a wet-dry race at Spa-Francorchamps. The win extends Piastri’s lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 16 points.
Heavy rain ahead of the 44-lap race delayed the start by nearly 80 minutes. Once racing began on Lap 5, the decisive moment came immediately as Piastri got a superior run on polesitter Norris through Eau Rouge. The Australian’s momentum carried him past Norris along the Kemmel Straight, completing the move well before the braking zone at Les Combes. From there, Piastri maintained a lead of roughly one second in the early laps.
As the track dried, Piastri pitted on Lap 12 for medium tires, while Norris stayed out for an additional lap. When Norris eventually stopped for hard tires, a slow front-left change cost him time, leaving him nine seconds behind his teammate. Despite managing the softer compound, Piastri maintained a healthy gap, which narrowed to 3.1 seconds in the closing laps. However, a small mistake by Norris at La Source on the penultimate lap allowed Piastri to extend the margin to 3.4 seconds at the checkered flag.
“I knew that Lap 1 was going to be probably my best chance of winning the race, and I got a good exit out of Turn 1 and lifted as little as I dared through Eau Rouge, and then it was enough,” said Piastri. “The rest of the race we managed really well. I struggled a little bit at the end—maybe the medium wasn’t the best for the last five or six laps—but we had it mostly under control, which is what I wanted. I was pretty disappointed with myself after yesterday, but it turns out starting second at Spa is not too bad after all.”
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The McLaren duo finished well ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who claimed third place, 20 seconds behind Piastri. Leclerc successfully fended off Saturday’s Sprint winner, Max Verstappen, who finished just 1.5 seconds behind the Ferrari. Mercedes’ George Russell enjoyed a quiet race in fifth, having passed Alex Albon early on. Albon held off a charging Lewis Hamilton to secure sixth, while Hamilton climbed 11 places from a pit lane start to finish seventh.
Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls and Gabriel Bortoleto’s Kick Sauber took eighth and ninth, respectively, while Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10 for Alpine. Gasly spent much of the race leading a DRS train, holding off Haas’ Oliver Bearman, who finished 11th. Nico Hulkenberg, who had been running in the points, dropped to 12th after making a second stop. Yuki Tsunoda lost two positions late in the race, finishing 13th.
Further down the order, Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Esteban Ocon (Haas), Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), and Carlos Sainz (Williams) completed the top 18. All four drivers started from the pit lane after making power unit and setup changes. Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar rounded out the field, with all drivers reaching the checkered flag in a race that featured no caution periods after the delayed start.
The race began under the Safety Car, with Norris leading the field on intermediate tires. However, visibility issues due to spray prompted Race Control to red-flag the event less than a lap in. Norris reported, “I can’t see a lot behind the Safety Car,” as all drivers returned to the pit lane. After an 80-minute delay, the skies cleared, and the race officially began on Lap 5 with a rolling start.
Piastri wasted no time, staying glued to Norris through Eau Rouge and completing the decisive overtake on the Kemmel Straight. Behind them, Russell moved up to fifth, while Hamilton began his charge from the back, overtaking multiple cars in the opening laps. By Lap 10, Piastri led Norris by 1.7 seconds, with Leclerc and Verstappen battling for third, 5.5 seconds further back.
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The crossover to slick tires began on Lap 11, with Hamilton among the first to pit. Piastri followed on Lap 12, switching to mediums, while Norris opted for hards a lap later. A slow pit stop for Norris left him 9.1 seconds behind Piastri, a gap he struggled to close despite the durability of his tires. Meanwhile, Leclerc continued to hold off Verstappen, who struggled to capitalize on his better exits from La Source due to added downforce on his car.
As the race progressed, drivers on medium tires faced challenges managing their wear. Gasly led a DRS train in 11th, while Antonelli and Hulkenberg made late stops to switch compounds. Out front, Norris reduced the gap to Piastri to 3.1 seconds by Lap 41, but a deep moment at La Source on the penultimate lap ended his charge. Piastri crossed the line 3.4 seconds ahead, securing his second win of the season.
Leclerc finished third, holding off Verstappen, while Russell, Albon, and Hamilton completed the top seven. Lawson, Bortoleto, and Gasly rounded out the points, with Bearman narrowly missing out in 11th. The race concluded without further incidents, a testament to the drivers’ skill in challenging conditions.
What’s Next?
Formula 1 heads directly to Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix, taking place from August 1-3.
