With an air of inevitability that is becoming increasingly familiar this season, Max Verstappen of course won the sprint race for the Belgian Grand Prix. It was a victory put in the shade, though, by a stellar performance from the rookie Oscar Piastri who definitively made his mark in Formula One at his 12th meeting, leading the race before claiming second place.
The 22-year-old Australian is still finding his feet in F1 but the alacrity with which he is doing so suggests McLaren have a real talent. At Spa-Francorchamps in the 11-lap dash in tricky wet-dry conditions he displayed all the confidence and control of a veteran.
Verstappen had started from pole in a rolling start on a drying track, with intermediate tyres required. Half the grid, including Piastri, pitted immediately while the world champion stayed out. When Verstappen stopped a lap later Piastri had made hay on the better rubber and swept into the lead as the Dutchman emerged from the pits.
Unperturbed at leading his first race and with a prowling Verstappen on his tail, Piastri was serene. He controlled a safety car restart – again his first – only for the reality of F1 in 2023 to reassert itself.
Piastri held his lead through La Source and through Eau Rouge before Verstappen’s pace proved indomitable. Closing on him through Raidillon, he blasted past on the Kemmel straight. Nonetheless, the Australian held his place to take his first finish in the top three.
He said it had been quite the experience, battling at the sharp end so soon into his career. “You’re always focusing on trying to do the best laps you can but when you have Max and his car behind you it doesn’t put your nerves ate ease, put it that way,” he said. “I was focusing on trying to do the best job, knowing it would be when, rather than if, Max came past.”
Once Verstappen had passed he was gone, in what may well serve as a precursor for Sunday’s race, where he will start sixth after a grid penalty. His pace was ominously strong, having put 6.6seconds on Piastri in six laps to the flag.
Piastri had been on point all day, including pushing Verstappen to the limit in qualifying, finishing one-hundredth of a second behind the champion. He has been immense in his first season in F1, especially since McLaren delivered the upgrades that have catapulted their car up the grid. It is now in contention to be considered the second quickest in the field.
Up against the more experienced Lando Norris, he has demonstrated no fear and stepped up on repeated occasions. He took fourth at Silverstone and at the last round in Hungary he made a superb start to take second place before finishing fifth. Spa has clearly showed the potential that has made McLaren so optimistic about his future.
Notably, he was also humble enough to know he has a long way to go but recognised that this was a moment to savour.
“I am always trying to get the most out of myself and I still have plenty to learn,” he said. “So from that aspect this doesn’t change too much but if you can come away with a trophy it is cool.”
Verstappen remains odds-on to take the major trophy on Sunday and indeed edged closer to the big one, too. With his teammate, Sergio Pérez, failing to finish, the win has extended Verstappen’s lead to 118 points.
Behind them, Lewis Hamilton endured a less satisfying afternoon, dropped from fourth to seventh with a five-second penalty for a hit on Pérez as he tried to pass. Hamilton took it well but insisted it was a racing incident.
“My only thought is it’s tricky conditions out there, we’re all trying our best and it wasn’t intentional,” he said.
“I went for a gap, he was slow going through 14, I went up the inside, I was more than half a car length on the inside. If you no longer go for a gap you’re no longer a racing driver, as Ayrton [Senna] said, so that’s what I did.”
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was third, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were fourth and fifth. Norris was sixth and Mercedes’s George Russell eighth.
