F1: Lawson in the points again, Piastri wins in Belgium
Photo:
FLORENT GOODEN / AFP
Oscar Piastri passed McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris with a bold early move to win the rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix and extend his Formula 1 lead to 16 points.
New Zealand driver Liam Lawson was in the points again, finishing eighth, thanks to an overtake on his team-mate Isack Hadjar early in the race.
Lawson started ninth on the grid but managed to get past Hadjar when the Frenchman went wide on a corner on lap 12.
As the track started to dry, Lawson was then given priority in the pits for a tyre change.
The 23-year-old was passed by Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton for seventh place just after coming out of the pits.
Hadjar finished last.
Liam Lawson finished eighth thanks to an overtake on his team-mate Isack Hadjar early in the race.
Photo:
ANTONIN VINCENT / AFP
It is Lawson's third points finish of the season and he is now 14th in the Drivers' Championship with 16 points.
Charles Leclerc was a distant third for Ferrari as reigning champions McLaren celebrated their sixth one-two finish in 13 races and the third in a row.
The race at Spa-Francorchamps was red-flagged after an initial formation lap and delayed by an hour and 20 minutes due to the weather, with standing water and heavy spray affecting visibility.
Piastri was not in a mood for hanging around when the racing got going with a rolling start after four laps behind the safety car.
The Australian charged through the spray to slipstream Norris through the daunting Eau Rouge and scythed past on the uphill straight.
Piastri pitted on lap 12 of 44 to switch from intermediates to medium tyres and Norris followed a lap later, but opting for hards, before both then went to the chequered flag on a one-stop strategy.
Piastri crossed the line 3.415 seconds clear of Norris, who had been chasing a third win in a row and managed to reduce the gap in the final laps with putting the ever-calm Australian under too much pressure.
Reigning champion and Saturday sprint winner Max Verstappen finished fourth, in Red Bull's first grand prix since the dismissal of team boss Christian Horner, with George Russell fifth for Mercedes.
Williams' Alex Albon held off Ferrari's seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton to secure sixth.
Lawson was eighth for Racing Bulls with Gabriel Bortoleto ninth for Sauber and Pierre Gasly securing the final point for Alpine.
- RNZ / Reuters
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Oscar Piastri had to wait, and wait some more. Then he made his move. Piastri beat his McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris to win Formula 1's Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday after heavy rain delayed the start. Piastri powered past his teammate and title rival Norris on the first racing lap after the safety car pulled into the pits on lap four, following a delay to the start of more than an hour. "I knew I was going to try and lift [off the accelerator] a little bit less than Lando did and try to make it stick," said Piastri, admitting his car felt "lively" as he took on the extra risk through the steeply uphill Eau Rouge corner. Norris suggested over the radio he was having issues with the battery providing his electric power. McLaren chief executive Zak Brown told broadcaster Sky Sports that there was "a small battery issue which we've got to look at". ADVERTISEMENT Norris reduced Piastri's lead toward the end of the race but the Australian held on with worn tires and Norris couldn't get close enough to challenge. Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari after he kept Red Bull's Max Verstappen behind him all race. New Zealand's Liam Lawson was eighth for Racing Bulls, earning himself four more competition points. He started ninth. Title battle The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including wintry blast on the way, Gloriavale leader in court, and Liam Lawson picks up points. (Source: Breakfast) ADVERTISEMENT Piastri extended his championship lead over Norris from nine points to 16 and denied his British teammate a third Grand Prix win in a row. It was the second straight day that Piastri held off Norris after taking second place ahead of his teammate in Saturday's sprint, won by Max Verstappen. Except for the weather, Piastri's overtake of Norris was almost a copy of Verstappen's opening-lap pass on the Australian from second on the grid in the sprint. Piastri had been disappointed to qualify second for the Grand Prix behind Norris, but it "turns out starting second at Spa is not so bad after all," he said. Piastri took his sixth win of the season and is the first McLaren driver to win the Belgian Grand Prix since Jenson Button in 2012. Lewis Hamilton and Liam Lawson race in Belgium (Source: Getty) Hamilton's surge to seventh ADVERTISEMENT Unlike the thrilling and chaotic last race in Britain, there was no significant rain after the race finally got underway and Sunday's race was largely a procession after a few early attacks on the still-wet track. Most key contenders switched to dry tires at roughly the same time and didn't have to stop again. In Red Bull's first Grand Prix since the firing of Christian Horner as team principal, Verstappen failed with an attempt to get past Leclerc at the start and spent the rest of the race behind the Ferrari driver on his way to fourth. George Russell was fifth for Mercedes after an early pass on Alex Albon, who finished sixth for Williams after holding off Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, who was seventh. The seven-time champion started 18th and Hamilton carved his way through the field on the wet track early on but then lost momentum. Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto was ninth and Pierre Gasly 10th for Alpine.
