The Belgian Grand Prix once more offered drama, with heavy rain delaying the beginning earlier than Oscar Piastri romped to victory forward of workforce mate and title rival Lando Norris.
After seeing his championship lead slashed in current weeks, Piastri extended the margin back up to 16 points, finishing a Lap 1 overtake on Norris to place himself on the trail to the highest step of the rostrum.
With loads of storylines all through the sphere, right here is our spherical up of every little thing that occurred at Spa-Francorchamps…
Piastri beats Norris as moist climate hits Spa
Piastri misplaced the lead of Saturday’s Dash to Max Verstappen, with the Red Bull driver finishing a textbook slipstream transfer alongside the Kemmel Straight and into Les Combes. On Sunday, in moist situations and from a rolling begin, Piastri executed a mirror-image transfer on workforce mate Norris.
After a single lap behind the Security Automobile, the beginning was postponed, leading to an 80-minute wait, and three additional laps behind the Aston Martin Vantage earlier than racing would start.
As soon as Piastri had made his transfer after the rolling begin, the one jeopardy got here when altering to slick tyres. Like nearly all of the sphere, the Australian noticed medium rubber fitted to his McLaren. However Norris opted for a set of laborious Pirellis, protecting the chance that Piastri would wish one other cease to achieve the chequered flag.
Nonetheless, the Australian managed his personal tyres perfecly proper to the chequered flag, while some minor errors from the chasing Norris prevented the Briton from launching an efficient assault of his personal late on.
“I used to be a bit disillusioned it was a rolling begin as a result of I believed that was going to remove some alternative,” stated Piastri after the race.
“I received an excellent exit out of Flip 1, was capable of keep shut and once I was that shut I knew that I’d simply received carry just a little bit lower than Lando did and attempt to hold it on the monitor.
“A bit full of life up over the hill, however managed to make it stick and from there the tow helped me out. I’m happy with my first lap.”
Hamilton redeems his disastrous weekend, whereas Leclerc claims his fifth podium of 2025
Lewis Hamilton was trapped in a nightmare for almost all of his Belgian Grand Prix weekend, struggling in direction of the foot of the order whereas watching his Ferrari workforce mate, Charles Leclerc, difficult on the entrance.
Out within the first phases of each Dash Qualifying and Qualifying, Hamilton had additionally didn’t make significant progress within the Dash. In distinction, Leclerc began the Dash from fourth, and certified for the Grand Prix in third.
Ferrari introduced what is predicted to be the workforce’s closing main improve of the 2025 season to Belgium – a brand new rear suspension meeting – with opinions cut up on the advantages.
However the Grand Prix noticed a masterful name from Ferrari to pit Hamilton for slick tyres first, yielding a big undercut that catapulted the pit lane starter into the points-paying positions, the place he remained.
Equally sturdy within the Grand Prix, Leclerc appeared comfy, main Verstappen for the complete 44-lap period to return to the rostrum for the third time in 5 weekends.
“I am joyful to have come from all the way in which again there, recovered and received into the factors,” stated Hamilton. “The workforce did a fantastic job as they all the time do all through the weekend and so they did a fantastic job with the technique so huge because of them and I will attempt to do a greater job for them subsequent weekend.”
Verstappen secures his first Dash win of the season
When becoming the slimmest of rear wings to his Purple Bull for Dash Qualifying, Verstappen made his gameplan clear – sacrifice velocity within the twisty center sector, however blitz the straights.
Beginning Saturday’s Dash from second, the Dutchman’s plan went completely, as he dropped again from Piastri on the entry of Eau Rouge in order to slingshot past the McLaren driver earlier than the entry of Les Combes.
The unimaginable straight line velocity of the Purple Bull then made it unattainable for Piastri to get shut, even with DRS open.
Cautious of rain on Sunday, Purple Bull ran a extra draggy rear wing for the Grand Prix, a choice that gave tempo within the early damp situations, however restricted his capacity to problem Leclerc within the dry.
“Yesterday was a constructive outcome for us, however it isn’t a sensible outcome, as a result of we’re means slower,” stated Verstappen. “However at the moment, I attempted. All in all, with the choice making and the arrange that we selected with the wing didn’t assist.
“However nonetheless, P3 was most likely the utmost potential with the perfect state of affairs and, sadly, this didn’t occur at the moment.”
Have Mercedes taken a ‘huge step backwards’?
On a weekend through which Ferrari secured a podium outcome – strengthening their maintain on second place within the Groups’ Championship – their rivals Mercedes gave the impression to be going through a very powerful time.
George Russell was left disillusioned by his P6 in Saturday’s Qualifying, a outcome that he felt was “the utmost we might have achieved”. The Briton stated of the efficiency: “All of my laps had been sturdy, however it’s clear that, as a workforce, we’ve taken an enormous step backwards this weekend. We don’t actually know why.”
Russell went on to realize a place come race day, crossing the road in fifth, however added that the outcome was “most likely flattering” as he steered that the Silver Arrows had turn into slower since taking a “new path”.
It was not simply Russell reducing a downbeat determine within the Mercedes storage. The weekend at Spa proved to be a difficult one for workforce mate Kimi Antonelli, who ended Dash Qualifying behind the sphere earlier than then ending Saturday’s essential Qualifying down in P18.
With this extending his run of difficult races, Antonelli mirrored on this “troublesome interval” afterwards: “I simply have to get out of this and attempt to enhance for the subsequent one.”
There a constructive be aware on the finish of Sunday for the Italian, who admitted {that a} new wing on the W16 had elevated his confidence. However with Antonelli nonetheless ending outdoors of the factors in P16, Mercedes can be hoping for his or her fortunes to enhance subsequent weekend in Hungary.
The celebs get pleasure from Spa
Spa-Francorchamps is a venue loved by F1 drivers and followers alike – and it seems to be like a number of well-known names really feel the identical means concerning the well-known monitor, with a variety of celebrities making an look throughout the weekend.
Amelia Dimoldenberg swapped the hen store for a Method 1 circuit, the presenter having been seen watching the motion from the Haas storage.
Actual Madrid and Belgian nationwide workforce goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, in the meantime, soaked up the environment throughout Saturday’s Dash day earlier than presenting the highest three finishers with their trophies – and solely barely towering over them within the course of…
When it got here to Sunday’s race, one other one among Belgium’s well-known sporting stars was in attendance, with former F1 driver Jacky Ickx waving the chequered flag on the finish of the 44-lap encounter.
