Max Verstappen finished no higher than fourth in Sunday’s rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix, the position from which he started. Oscar Piastri won the race, prevailing in the duel with 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 claimed fifth place for Mercedes, ahead of a strong-performing Alexander Albon in the Williams. Lewis Hamilton also had a good day, driving back to seventh place after starting from the rear.
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 in the British Grand Prix two weeks ago. After two consecutive wins for Norris, the victory went back to the championship leader, 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. After that, the drivers were able to 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 major advantage of more grip in the corners was now much more negated by the major disadvantage: too much drag 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. The Ferrari driver, benefiting from the higher top speed, stayed ahead of the reigning champion.
Leclerc keeps Verstappen behind him in a crucial phase
Verstappen already had no illusions after qualifying about what he could do against the McLarens, but Leclerc ruined the small chance that still existed for the Dutchman. With strong defensive work, he kept his Ferrari ahead of the Red Bull on a drying track. The McLarens gained two seconds per lap in this opening phase.
The big question was when the switch could be made 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 put some pressure on Leclerc in the final phase, nothing changed in their mutual battle. The same was true for 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.