The Australian driver of McLaren, Oscar Piastri (C), raises the first winner of the trophy on the podium next to the British driver of McLaren, Lando Norris, the Ferrari, third Ferrari, Charles Leclerc of Formula One, on the Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps in Spa, on July 27, 2025. Wohlfahrt / AFP)
The leader of the series, Oscar Piastri, took an early advance and extended his title advantage on Sunday when he went to a perfectly controlled triumph in front of his teammate in McLaren and his title rival Lando Norris in a delayed Belgian Grand Prix.
The 24-year-old Australian managed his tires expertly to stay out of reach in the closing towers while the Briton, 25, who had started on the post, closed a harder complex, finishing 3.415 seconds while McLaren broke their sixth 1-2 in a dominant season.
Read: F1: Norris reassured by the post after the Belgian Grand Prix “concern”
Oscar Piastri reigns at Spa 👑# F1 #Belgiangp pic.twitter.com/ininfsuv
– Formula 1 (@ f1) July 27, 2025
It was Piastri’s first victory at the classic Spa-Francorchamps circuit, his sixth this season and the eighth in his career, extending his lead in the 16-point pilot championship after 13 races of this season. For McLaren, it was a 10th victory this year.
Charles Leclerc came a solid third for Ferrari in front of the quadruple champion Max Verstappen in Red Bull, under the direction of the race of the new boss of the team Laurent Mekies for the first time, and Mercedes George Russell.
Alex Albon hung on to finish sixth for Williams before the continuation of the Lewis Hamilton world champion in Ferrari, who started from the stands, and the recruit of Racing Bulls Liam Lawson.
Gabriel Botoleto was ninth for Sauber in front of Pierre Gasly d’Alpine.
“It was alive!” Said the Cool Piastri, who swept Norris in the first round.
Read: F1: Piastri extends the head of the championship with the victory of the Spanish Grand Prix
“Very lively. I knew the first round was probably my best chance of winning the race. I rose a little while I was going through red water, then it was enough.
“The rest of the race that we successfully succeeded. Maybe the medium was not the best of the last five laps, but we almost under control! I was disappointed after yesterday, but it turns out to start the second was too bad.”
Norris admitted that he could not win.
“Oscar has just done a good job – there is nothing more to say. It was a little more doing more red water and that was everything. Oscar deserved it today.”
Leclerc said: “Max was behind me, any race in two seconds, so it’s never easy. I knew that the first part was the most delicate and I’m quite happy that we managed to keep this third place.”
Read: F1: Oscar Piastri wins the Miami Grand Prix for the third consecutive victory
The race began, after 80 minutes due to heavy rains, with all the land on the intermediaries to run on four laps behind a safety car, giving off stagnant water.
PiaStri’s Craft and Calm
Four drivers left Pitlan – Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton – having made their modifications to their power units or their configuration overnight. They started at the rear of the field before the start of the bearing at the start of the five tower.
While the lights went green, Norris moved away to lead through the source, but he could not resist when Piastri fake his slipstream to take the lead in the Combes of the Chicane.
“Why don’t I have a pack?” Norris asked, realizing that he lacked electrical energy. “We used a lot on the restart of the safety car,” replied McLaren.
Read: F1: Oscar Piastri wins the Saudi Grand Prix, Verstappen second
In the 12th round, Hamilton was the first for average smooth tires, joining the 18th, followed by Piastri, Leclerc, Verstappen, Russell and more. Norris remained outside one more lap for Hards, in the hope of enjoying if the rubber of his rival was degraded in the fence towers. He was the only one.
In the 15th round, everyone had gone to mediums and it was PiaStri at the top in front of Norris by 9.3 with the third Verstappen, Russell, Albon and … in the form of theft of Leclerc.
While Norris closed, Piastri said that his tires were already degrading. “I think it will be difficult to end,” he told race engineer Tom Stallard, raising the prospect of a dramatic final.
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has succeeded.
In the 26th round, Norris largely slipped into Puhon, falling nine seconds drift before covering his load. It was a process of marginal gain while Piastri managed his tires.
Norris was close but the craft and the calm of Piastri prevailed.
