Belgian Grand Prix – Sprint Race: Max Verstappen wins ahead of Piastri and Gasly

After an initial delay of 35 minutes due to the late start of the Shootout Sprint because of the rain, the Sprint race itself was delayed due to showers on the track. The race finally started at 5:35 pm, behind the safety car for the formation lap, on full wet tires.

Max Verstappen started on pole ahead of Oscar Piastri, who set a very good time in SQ3, just 0.011 seconds behind the double world champion. Behind them were the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc. Even before the start of the race, George Russell informed his team that the damp but already drying track was suitable for intermediate tires, not full wet tires. Max Verstappen had the same opinion. Red Bull informed the Dutch driver that the plan was to have four laps behind the safety car before a rolling start. In the end, we had five laps behind the safety car to minimize any spray.

All the cars are on wet tires, and many drivers decide to come into the pit lane to switch to intermediate tires, like Piastri, Perez, Hamilton, Gasly, Leclerc, and Alonso. Verstappen stayed out on the track. After the pit stops, the Dutchman maintains his position, but now it’s Leclerc and Norris who are following him, ahead of Ocon and Russell who did not pit. Red Bull informs Verstappen to come into the box on the second lap, after receiving a message from the driver.

Oscar Piastri leads the race for the first time

Several unsafe releases occurred in the pit lane, notably involving Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. The Dutchman almost hit Norris, while Leclerc managed to merge just behind Albon, narrowly avoiding a collision as well.

After this pit stop, Piastri is leading the race, ahead of Verstappen, Gasly, Perez, and Hamilton. The Australian now has all the cards in hand for this sprint, but the Dutchman is already working to catch up. The top five drivers are relatively close.

In the third round, Fernando Alonso makes a mistake in the gravel at turn 11, spinning multiple times on the wet track and getting stuck there. It’s a very bad day for Aston Martin. The safety car comes out on the track while they clear the Spaniard’s car, who is celebrating his 42nd birthday. He’s had better gifts. The FIA also notes an incident between Alonso and Hülkenberg for « impeding » at turn 2. This incident will be investigated after the Sprint. Logan Sargeant is also under investigation for speeding in the pit lane. He will receive a 5-second penalty.

The safety car comes in at the end of lap 5. Kevin Magnussen informs his team that the track is very dry in certain places, suggesting that they should consider a tire change. On the other hand, Red Bull informs Verstappen that Piastri is struggling with his tires. The Dutch driver then easily overtakes him on the Kemmel straight.

5-second penalty for Lewis Hamilton

Behind, Lewis Hamilton attacks Sergio Perez. The two drivers even make contact in this battle. The Briton doesn’t give up, but Carlos Sainz joins the fight and tries to take advantage of Perez’s slipstream. The FIA then indicates that the collision between Hamilton and the Mexican is under investigation. It will later be revealed that the Briton receives a 5-second penalty. In the end, the Briton comes out of this battle in 4th position ahead of Sainz and Leclerc, while Perez drops to 7th place. He complains about having no grip on the rear tires.

It is then Norris’ turn to attack the Mexican, as the latter makes a mistake in the gravel before getting back on track… in 16th position. A very poor maneuver for the second Red Bull driver.

The seven-time world champion seems to have eaten a lion this morning, as he is now hunting down his predecessor, Pierre Gasly, in third position. On the 9th lap, with three laps to go, Perez has to retire from the race and bring the car back to the garage.

Behind, it’s George Russell and Esteban Ocon who are fighting, in that order. But the Mercedes driver doesn’t give up and even takes the position of Daniel Ricciardo, moving up to 8th place. On the other hand, Max Verstappen complains about brake issues. However, he still manages to pull away over six seconds ahead of Piastri, as he enters the final lap.

In this final lap, Lewis Hamilton tries by all means to overtake Pierre Gasly in order to escape as much as possible and mitigate the consequences of his 5-second penalty, but he won’t succeed. He falls to 7th place, behind Lando Norris. Max Verstappen wins this highly eventful Sprint race, with Oscar Piastri and Pierre Gasly following closely behind. The Frenchman is particularly pleased with his performance, considering he started in 6th position.

The ranking of the Sprint race at Spa