Piastri Wins Rain-Delayed Belgian Grand Prix, Extends Championship Lead
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps – Oscar Piastri delivered a commanding performance at the rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix, clinching victory over McLaren teammate Lando Norris. The win extends Piastri’s championship lead to 16 points.
After an 80-minute delay due to heavy rain diminishing visibility, the race began with the first four laps conducted under the safety car. Once the conditions improved, Norris, starting from pole, took the lead at the restart on lap 4. However, Piastri quickly applied pressure and executed a well-timed pass on the Kemmel straight, seizing the lead by lap 5.
Piastri led the majority of the race, opting for an early pit stop that placed him ahead of Norris, who struggled with a slow change of his front-left wheel during his tire switch and ended his out-lap 9.1 seconds behind.
Norris attempted to challenge Piastri by switching to hard tires, hoping to manage one stop through to the finish. Despite reducing the gap to as little as 5 seconds in the closing laps, consistent driving by Piastri and mistakes from Norris, including a lock-up at La Source, allowed Piastri to maintain his lead and cross the finish line 3.4 seconds ahead.
“I knew lap 1 was probably going to be my best chance of winning the race,” Piastri stated after his victory. Norris acknowledged Piastri’s superior performance, remarking, “Oscar just did a good job… There was nothing more I could do after that point.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secured third place, successfully defending against Max Verstappen, who finished fourth. Lewis Hamilton made an impressive recovery to seventh after pitting for slicks early, demonstrating pace that lifted him from a pit-lane start.
Final Standings:
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Alex Albon (Williams)
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- Liam Lawson (AlphaTauri)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
Notable performances from both Albon and Lawson highlighted competitive drives, while Yuki Tsunoda’s strategy call resulted in a disappointing 13th after starting seventh. The race reaffirmed McLaren’s ongoing competitiveness, with Piastri emerging as a strong title contender heading into the next round.
