Formula 1
BY
Hamir Thapar
  -  
July 27, 2025

Piastri weathers the storm to take victory at Spa

2025 Belgian Grand Prix: Race Report

A race that at one point looked as though it might never get underway, eventually yielded a familiar result. Oscar Piastri took the win ahead of his teammate Lando Norris.

With rain falling for much of the morning, the formation lap was followed by a red flag and a lengthy delay. One that had many harking back to the curtailed 2021 Belgian Grand Prix. However, as the track dried, the race was able to get underway, albeit after four laps behind the safety car.

After missing out on pole position, Piastri wasted no time in redeeming himself on Sunday. The championship leader got a great exit out of La Source and drafted Norris all the way up Eau Rouge. A perfectly timed pass on the Kemmel Straight saw him seize a lead he would never relinquish, despite some stern pressure from his teammate in the closing stages.  

Piastri was among the earliest front-runners to switch to slicks on lap 12, followed by Norris a lap later. But while Piastri was given a set of medium tyres, Norris opted for hards. Once the flurry of pit stops was over, Norris began to chip away at the eight-second buffer separating him and Piastri; however, a series of errors scuppered his chances. Norris ran wide at Pouhon on lap 26 and lost an estimated 1.2 seconds; a lap 34 lockup at turn one cost an additional six tenths, while a second lockup on the penultimate lap ended his prospects. Piastri claimed victory by 3.4 seconds, his sixth win of the season and one that extends his championship lead to 16 points.

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The eight milliseconds that separated Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen in qualifying would prove invaluable on race day. The Monegasque struggled for grip on the intermediate tyres and nearly conceded third on laps ten and eleven. However, as the track dried, Leclerc was able to put some distance between himself and the Dutchman and secured his fifth podium finish of the season.

Red Bull’s decision to prioritise downforce over straight-line speed did not pay dividends. Despite hovering around DRS range for much of the race, Verstappen was unable to make any inroads into Leclerc’s advantage and had to settle for fourth.

Having suffered a slow stop on lap 13, Verstappen found himself jammed in behind the Haas of Esteban Ocon when leaving the pits, the Frenchman having yet to stop for slicks. The obstruction allowed George Russell to momentarily pressure Verstappen, but when the water cleared, the Mercedes driver could do little more than hang on for fifth, having passed Alex Albon on lap six.

Despite losing out to his compatriot, Albon did well to hold on to P6, despite a race-long assault from the biggest mover of the Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton. After qualifying 18th, the decision was made to start Hamilton from the pit lane to allow the team to make setup changes that might optimise his race pace. Hamilton flew on the intermediates, jumping the likes of Sainz, Colapinto, Hulkenberg, and Gasly in quick succession. In the end, Hamilton made up eleven places, thanks in part to the decision to switch to slicks before any of the front runners. A noteworthy recovery drive that earned him driver of the day.

In contrast to Hamilton’s heroics, Liam Lawson had a quiet but commendable run to eighth for his third points finish of the season, one place ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto, who was able to make good on his second-ever Q3 appearance.

Pierre Gasly once again made the most of his lacklustre machinery by claiming the final point in tenth ahead of Oliver Bearman, Nico Hulkenberg, and Yuki Tsunoda. Whose seventh-place starting position was scuppered by the chaotic opening exchanges. Lance Stroll finished 14th ahead of Esteban Ocon in 15th. Kimi Antonelli capped off another disappointing weekend with sixteenth, ahead of Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, and Isack Hadjar. The Frenchman the only driver to get lapped during the race.

Having been beaten by his teammate in the last two races, an emphatic win was just the tonic Piastri needed. However, with Norris just sixteen points behind him, this title battle is very far from over.

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