Max Verstappen came in fourth place at the rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, the same position he started in. Oscar Piastri won the race, defeating his McLaren teammate Lando Norris.
Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari at Circuit Spa-Francorchamps, winning the battle for the final podium spot against Verstappen.
George Russell secured fifth place for Mercedes, followed by a strong performance from Alexander Albon in the Williams. Lewis Hamilton also had a good day, recovering from a start at the back to finish seventh.
Liam Lawson proved his worth by scoring points again for Racing Bulls, finishing eighth. Gabriel Bortoleto scored points for the second race in a row with Sauber, finishing ninth. The final point went to Pierre Gasly in the Alpine.
For Piastri, it was sweet revenge after his clumsy loss due to a penalty at the British Grand Prix two weeks ago. After two consecutive wins for Norris, the victory went to the championship leader once again, increasing his lead over his teammate to eighteen points.
Long Delay Due to Two Heavy Rain Showers
Just before the start, a rain shower passed over the circuit, quickly causing a delay. While the cars were in the pit lane due to the red flag, another shower arrived, extending the delay to 80 minutes. Afterward, the drivers could go out again behind the safety car to finally start.
This delay until it had dried up considerably did not benefit the drivers who had gambled on rain with their rear wings, including Verstappen. The great advantage of more grip in the corners was now much more negated by the great disadvantage: too much air resistance on the straights and therefore a lower top speed.
A rolling start seemed to suit Norris well, yet it was Piastri who overtook his teammate directly in the first lap on the Kemmel straight. Verstappen could not repeat the feat he showed on Saturday in the sprint against Leclerc. Benefiting from the higher top speed of the Ferrari, he stayed ahead of the reigning champion.
Leclerc Keeps Verstappen Behind Him in Crucial Phase
Verstappen already had no illusions after qualifying about what he could do against the McLarens, but Leclerc ruined the small chance the Dutchman still had. With strong defensive work, he kept his Ferrari ahead of the Red Bull on a drying track. The McLarens pulled away by two seconds per lap in this opening phase.
The big question was when to switch to slicks. Hamilton was the first to try it in the twelfth lap. The rest followed a lap later. Piastri, Leclerc, and Verstappen also came out in that order. Everyone switched to medium tires. Norris, who had to wait another lap, was the only one of the top ten to switch to hard tires. His goal was to comfortably finish the race on them.
Finishing on the Medium Tires
After the pit stops, a long phase of relative calm began, which actually continued until the finish. Piastri was told that he also had to try to finish the race. This applied to most drivers on mediums, including Verstappen and Leclerc.
Although Verstappen pressed Leclerc a bit in the final phase, nothing changed in their mutual battle. The same applied to the fight at the front. A late charge from Norris came too late to cause Piastri any problems.
The next Grand Prix is in a week at the Hungaroring in Hungary.