Belgium
ROUND RECAP
PIASTRI BEATS NORRIS AS WET WEATHER HITS SPA
Oscar Piastri had lost the lead of Saturday's Spa Sprint to Max Verstappen when the Red Bull driver completed a textbook slipstream move along the Kemmel Straight and into Les Combes. On Sunday, in wet conditions and from a rolling start, Piastri executed a mirror-image move on team mate Lando Norris.
After a single lap behind the Safety Car, the start was postponed, resulting in an 80-minute wait, and three further laps behind the Aston Martin Vantage before racing would commence.
Once Piastri had made his move after the rolling start, the only jeopardy came when changing to slick tyres. Like the majority of the field, the Australian saw medium rubber fitted to his McLaren. But Norris opted for a set of hard Pirellis, covering the possibility that Piastri would need another stop to reach the chequered flag.
Read more about Piastri's triumph in our Race Report. With plenty of storylines throughout the field, keep reading our round up of everything else that happened at Spa-Francorchamps.
HAMILTON REDEEMS HIS DISASTROUS WEEKEND, WHILE LECLERC CLAIMS HIS FIFTH PODIUM OF 2025
Lewis Hamilton was trapped in a nightmare for the majority of his Belgian Grand Prix weekend, struggling towards the foot of the order while watching his Ferrari team mate, Charles Leclerc, challenging at the front.
Out in the first phases of both Sprint Qualifying and Qualifying, Hamilton had also failed to make meaningful progress in the Sprint. In contrast, Leclerc started the Sprint from fourth, and qualified for the Grand Prix in third.
The Grand Prix saw a masterful call from Ferrari to pit Hamilton for slick tyres first, yielding a significant undercut that catapulted the pit lane starter into the points-paying positions, where he remained. Similarly strong in the Grand Prix, Leclerc appeared comfortable, leading Verstappen for the entire 44-lap duration to return to the podium for the third time in five weekends.
“I'm happy to have come from all the way back there, recovered and got into the points,” said Hamilton. “The team did a great job as they always do throughout the weekend and they did a great job with the strategy so big thanks to them and I'll try and do a better job for them next weekend.”
VERSTAPPEN SECURES HIS FIRST SPRINT WIN OF THE SEASON
When fitting the slimmest of rear wings to his Red Bull for Sprint Qualifying, Verstappen made his gameplan clear – sacrifice speed in the twisty middle sector, but blitz the straights.
Starting Saturday's Sprint from second, the Dutchman’s plan went perfectly, as he dropped back from Piastri on the entry of Eau Rouge in order to slingshot past the McLaren driver before the entry of Les Combes.
The incredible straight line speed of the Red Bull then made it impossible for Piastri to get close, even with DRS open.
Cautious of rain on Sunday, Red Bull ran a more draggy rear wing for the Grand Prix, a decision that gave pace in the early damp conditions, but limited his ability to challenge Leclerc in the dry.
“Yesterday was a positive result for us, but it is not a realistic result, because we are way slower,” said Verstappen. “But today, I tried. All in all, with the decision making and the set up that we chose with the wing didn’t help.
"But nevertheless, P3 was probably the maximum possible with the ideal scenario and, unfortunately, this didn’t happen today.”
HAVE MERCEDES TAKEN A ‘BIG STEP BACKWARDS’?
On a weekend in which Ferrari secured a podium result – strengthening their hold on second place in the Teams’ Championship – their rivals Mercedes appeared to be facing a particularly tough time.
George Russell was left disappointed by his P6 in Saturday’s Qualifying, a result that he felt was “the maximum we could have achieved”. The Briton said of the performance: “All of my laps were strong, but it’s clear that, as a team, we’ve taken a big step backwards this weekend. We don’t really know why.”
Russell went on to gain a position come race day, crossing the line in fifth, but added that the result was “probably flattering” as he suggested that the Silver Arrows had become slower since taking a “new direction”.
It was not just Russell cutting a downbeat figure in the Mercedes garage. The weekend at Spa proved to be a challenging one for team mate Kimi Antonelli, who ended Sprint Qualifying at the back of the field before then finishing Saturday’s main Qualifying down in P18. With this extending his run of challenging races, Antonelli reflected on this “difficult period” afterwards: “I just need to get out of this and try to improve for the next one.”
There looked to be a positive note at the end of Sunday for the Italian, who admitted that a new wing on the W16 had increased his confidence. But with Antonelli still finishing outside of the points in P16, Mercedes will be hoping for their fortunes to improve next weekend in Hungary..
THE STARS ENJOY SPA
Spa-Francorchamps is a venue enjoyed by F1 drivers and fans alike – and it looks like several famous names feel the same way about the famous track, with a number of celebrities making an appearance during the weekend.
Amelia Dimoldenberg swapped the chicken shop for a Formula 1 circuit, the presenter having been seen watching the action from the Haas garage.
Real Madrid and Belgian national team goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, meanwhile, soaked up the atmosphere during Saturday’s Sprint day before presenting the top three finishers with their trophies – and only slightly towering over them in the process...
When it came to Sunday’s race, another one of Belgium’s famous sporting stars was in attendance, with former F1 driver Jacky Ickx waving the chequered flag at the end of the 44-lap encounter.
