Sprint: Piastri Tops Qualifying, Verstappen Claims the Win
Friday's sole practice session saw Oscar Piastri set the quickest time, edging out Max Verstappen by 0.404 seconds and topping Lando Norris, highlighting McLaren’s strong pace heading into the weekend. Sprint qualifying followed, where Piastri logged a stunning 1:40.510 lap, smashing the Spa track record and securing sprint pole ahead of Verstappen and Norris.
In the Sprint race, Verstappen overtook Piastri at Les Combes on the opening lap and held off his rivals to claim victory, earning 8 points. Piastri finished second, with Norris third—keeping McLaren comfortably ahead in the championship fight. Piastri extended his lead over Norris by one point, with Verstappen now trailing the McLarens by 68 points.
Sunday Qualifying: Norris Edges Piastri
With Saturday's sprint setting the stage, full qualifying on Sunday saw Lando Norris snatch pole by just 0.085 seconds from teammate Oscar Piastri, composing a McLaren front-row lockout. Charles Leclerc impressed again for Ferrari, qualifying third, while Verstappen struggled with grip and strategic execution in fourth.
Notable mention: Lewis Hamilton endured a nightmare weekend. He spun out in Q1 and saw his lap time deleted for exceeding track limits, failing to advance into final sessions and leaving him starting P16 for the race. Hamilton later apologized to Ferrari, calling his outing "unacceptable".
The Race: Piastri Dominates After Rain Delay
The Grand Prix on Sunday was heavily impacted by weather, with over 80 minutes of rain delay before the start. Once conditions improved, the drivers completed four Safety Car laps before a rolling restart commenced from lap 5 of 44.
Piastri quickly overtook starting pole-sitter Norris into Turn 1 and assumed control. He managed slick tyres efficiently as the track began drying, pulling away to build a lead that remained largely unthreatened. Norris faced grip struggles and pit stop missteps, which prevented him from mounting a serious threat to his teammate’s lead.
By race’s end, Piastri was comfortably ahead, winning by 3.415 seconds, while Norris brought home a dominant McLaren one-two. Charles Leclerc held off Max Verstappen for P3, with Verstappen finishing fourth in Red Bull’s first race under new team principal Laurent Mekies.
Mercedes’ George Russell scored well with P5, while Lewis Hamilton staged an impressive recovery from P16 to P7, benefiting from early slick tyre strategy and overtakes in changing conditions.
Rookie Liam Lawson finished a solid P8, earning points for Racing Bulls with a smart tyre call that paid off during the drying race.
Championship Impact & Team Momentum
This result marked Piastri’s sixth win of the season and extended his Drivers’ Championship lead to 266 points, giving him a 16-point advantage over Norris. McLaren extended their lead in the Constructors’ standings to 516 points—more than double that of Ferrari in second place.
McLaren’s relentless consistency, even under torrential rain and strategic ambiguity, continues to define their title credentials. Red Bull’s mixed weekend—Sprint win but off-road in the race—underscored the uncertainty surrounding their transition after Horner’s departure.
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