McLaren Dominates Belgian Grand Prix with One-Two Finish as Piastri Claims Victory

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri claimed his sixth win of the 2025 Formula 1 season at a dramatic and rain-interrupted Belgian Grand Prix, outsmarting teammate and title rival Lando Norris in a race of high stakes and strategic execution. With the victory, Piastri extends his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 16 points, tightening his grip on the title fight as the season heads into its final stretch.

Rain Disrupts Start, Delays Race by Over an Hour

Heavy rain had been forecast ahead of the race, and the skies opened up just moments before lights out. After a red-flagged formation lap due to poor visibility, drivers and teams endured a 1 hour 20-minute delay. Once conditions stabilized, the race began behind the Safety Car on Intermediate tyres.

Piastri Snatches Lead from Norris Early On

Pole-sitter Lando Norris led the rolling start but suffered a slight slide exiting La Source, allowing Piastri to slipstream past on the Kemmel Straight and take the lead by Les Combes. It was a defining moment, as the Australian capitalized swiftly and never looked back.

Leclerc Holds Off Verstappen for Final Podium Spot

Behind the McLaren duo, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc put up a stout defense against Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to seal third place. Despite Verstappen closing the gap in the final laps, Leclerc’s race management and tyre preservation proved decisive.

Strategy Shake-Up as Track Dries

As the track dried, Lewis Hamilton was the first to gamble on slicks on lap 12, triggering a wave of pit stops. While Piastri, Leclerc, and Verstappen pitted for Mediums, Norris was caught in traffic behind his teammate and was forced to stay out an extra lap—losing crucial time. McLaren switched Norris to an alternate one-stop strategy, opting for Hard tyres on lap 14, which allowed him to rejoin in second but behind Piastri.

Norris and Verstappen Chase, But Fall Short

As the race progressed, Norris began reeling in Piastri, cutting a 9-second gap down to 5 seconds with just a few laps to go. However, a late lock-up from the Briton ended the charge, and he settled for second, 3.4 seconds behind. Verstappen too closed in on Leclerc but couldn’t find a way through, finishing fourth.

Russell, Albon, and Hamilton Complete Strong Top 7

George Russell delivered a strong performance for Mercedes, finishing fifth after overtaking Alex Albon early in the race. Albon held off late pressure to claim sixth, while Hamilton, who started from the pit lane, battled his way to seventh place.

Midfield Shuffles and Point Scorers

Liam Lawson scored valuable points for Racing Bulls with eighth place, followed by Gabriel Bortoleto in ninth for Sauber. Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten for Alpine.

Among the big losers were Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar, whose late pit stops cost them top-10 finishes.

🏁 2025 F1 Belgian Grand Prix – Race Results (Top 10)