Max Verstappen kept his Formula 1 winning streak alive and emerged victorious in this morning’s shortened and rain-affected sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix. A bold strategy choice almost worked wonders for Oscar Piastri, who ended up finishing second ahead of Pierre Gasly.
Traditional wet conditions again plagued Spa-Francorchamps, and competitors were called to the start line 20 minutes early to beat incoming rain. Unfortunately, the weather system arrived 10 minutes early, briefly delaying the start, which saw competitors required to begin on wet tyres behind the Safety Car.
Five formation laps would follow as a racing line was formed, reducing the race length from 15 laps to 11.
Verstappen had qualified on pole for the sprint in the earlier qualifying session, where he had pipped Piastri by just 0.01 seconds.
Once the Safety Car exited the track, several drivers, including Piastri, Gasly, Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz, would immediately stop for intermediate tyres as the remainder of the field circulated on full wets.
The field would follow a lap later, and Verstappen emerged 1.5 seconds behind the Australian. That gap was immediately reduced, and a lap later evaporated when a Safety Car was called for after Fernando Alonso spun off while trailing Nico Hulkenberg.
The two leaders would battle on the ensuing Lap 6 restart, and Verstappen took the lead on the Kemmel Straight. From here, he would cruise, building a 6-second lead over the field for a comfortable win.
Gasly initially followed the leaders off the restart but dropped back to hold off a charging Sergio Perez, who had Hamilton on his tail. The Mercedes and Red Bull would make contact as Hamilton attempted to move to fourth, punching a hole in Perez’s sidepod. He would complete the move a lap later to take fourth on track.
Both Ferraris would then pass the compromised Red Bull, only for Perez to slide into the gravel at Stavelot as Lando Norris closed in behind. He would return to the pits at the end of Lap 7 to retire.
Daniel Ricciardo had run as the last of the point scorers until Lap 10 when George Russell worked through for eighth.
Hamilton received a post-race 5-second penalty for his clash with Perez, which dropped him to seventh and elevated Sainz to fourth, Leclerc to fifth, and Norris to sixth.
The Belgian Grand Prix begins at 1.00 am tomorrow morning.
Header Image: Getty Images/ Red Bull Content Pool
