Briton Yates secures elusive Giro d'Italia title
Yates and other riders received blessings from Pope Leo at the Vatican on Sunday before the Briton cruised to the finish in Rome on the final stage, which was won by teammate Olav Kooij in a sprint finish ahead of battling Australian rider Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
Groves' compatriot Michael Storer was the highest ranked Australian rider overall, finishing 10th in the general classification.
Fellow Australian Chris Harper, who won Saturday's brutal penultimate stage from Verres to Sestriere, finished 23rd overall.
Yates, riding in all pink on a pink bike, also became the first rider since Alberto Contador in 2015 to win the Giro without claiming victory on any of the stages.
The Briton wore pink for 13 days during the 2018 Giro before cracking on one of the final climbs. He also had to withdraw from the Italian race in 2020 and 2022 — because of coronavirus and a knee injury, respectively.
"I'm still in shock of what I've done," Yates said.
"It's something that I've been working toward for a long time."
Yates, who rides for Team Visma Lease a Bike, finished 3 minutes, 56 seconds ahead of Del Toro and 4:43 ahead of Richard Carapaz, the 2019 champion from Ecuador.
After riding 3,300 km through Italy, Albania and Slovenia, the final stage was a 143km ride starting and finishing in Rome, including eight laps of a 9.5 km long circuit in the Eternal City.
As the riders cycled past Rome's landmarks like the Colosseum, a six-man breakaway went 24 seconds ahead of the pink jersey group with less than 50 km to go.
But by the time they had one lap left, four riders were dropped, with only Josef Cerny and Enzo Paleni left in the lead.
Cerny then dropped Paleni to attempt a solo ride to the finish but he was quickly reeled in with six kilometres left.
Visma-Lease a Bike wanted the perfect finish and they executed it to perfection when Wout Van Aert led the sprint out on the final kilometre before Kooij surged ahead to take the victory, his second after winning stage 12, just pipping Groves and Matteo Moschetti.
Simon Yates has claimed victory at the 2025 Giro d'Italia, securing his second Grand Tour triumph having effectively sealed the title a day earlier when he snatched the pink jersey from Isaac Del Toro.
Yates and other riders received blessings from Pope Leo at the Vatican on Sunday before the Briton cruised to the finish in Rome on the final stage, which was won by teammate Olav Kooij in a sprint finish ahead of battling Australian rider Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
Groves' compatriot Michael Storer was the highest ranked Australian rider overall, finishing 10th in the general classification.
Fellow Australian Chris Harper, who won Saturday's brutal penultimate stage from Verres to Sestriere, finished 23rd overall.
Yates, riding in all pink on a pink bike, also became the first rider since Alberto Contador in 2015 to win the Giro without claiming victory on any of the stages.
The Briton wore pink for 13 days during the 2018 Giro before cracking on one of the final climbs. He also had to withdraw from the Italian race in 2020 and 2022 — because of coronavirus and a knee injury, respectively.
"I'm still in shock of what I've done," Yates said.
"It's something that I've been working toward for a long time."
Yates, who rides for Team Visma Lease a Bike, finished 3 minutes, 56 seconds ahead of Del Toro and 4:43 ahead of Richard Carapaz, the 2019 champion from Ecuador.
After riding 3,300 km through Italy, Albania and Slovenia, the final stage was a 143km ride starting and finishing in Rome, including eight laps of a 9.5 km long circuit in the Eternal City.
As the riders cycled past Rome's landmarks like the Colosseum, a six-man breakaway went 24 seconds ahead of the pink jersey group with less than 50 km to go.
But by the time they had one lap left, four riders were dropped, with only Josef Cerny and Enzo Paleni left in the lead.
Cerny then dropped Paleni to attempt a solo ride to the finish but he was quickly reeled in with six kilometres left.
Visma-Lease a Bike wanted the perfect finish and they executed it to perfection when Wout Van Aert led the sprint out on the final kilometre before Kooij surged ahead to take the victory, his second after winning stage 12, just pipping Groves and Matteo Moschetti.
Simon Yates has claimed victory at the 2025 Giro d'Italia, securing his second Grand Tour triumph having effectively sealed the title a day earlier when he snatched the pink jersey from Isaac Del Toro.
Yates and other riders received blessings from Pope Leo at the Vatican on Sunday before the Briton cruised to the finish in Rome on the final stage, which was won by teammate Olav Kooij in a sprint finish ahead of battling Australian rider Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
Groves' compatriot Michael Storer was the highest ranked Australian rider overall, finishing 10th in the general classification.
Fellow Australian Chris Harper, who won Saturday's brutal penultimate stage from Verres to Sestriere, finished 23rd overall.
Yates, riding in all pink on a pink bike, also became the first rider since Alberto Contador in 2015 to win the Giro without claiming victory on any of the stages.
The Briton wore pink for 13 days during the 2018 Giro before cracking on one of the final climbs. He also had to withdraw from the Italian race in 2020 and 2022 — because of coronavirus and a knee injury, respectively.
"I'm still in shock of what I've done," Yates said.
"It's something that I've been working toward for a long time."
Yates, who rides for Team Visma Lease a Bike, finished 3 minutes, 56 seconds ahead of Del Toro and 4:43 ahead of Richard Carapaz, the 2019 champion from Ecuador.
After riding 3,300 km through Italy, Albania and Slovenia, the final stage was a 143km ride starting and finishing in Rome, including eight laps of a 9.5 km long circuit in the Eternal City.
As the riders cycled past Rome's landmarks like the Colosseum, a six-man breakaway went 24 seconds ahead of the pink jersey group with less than 50 km to go.
But by the time they had one lap left, four riders were dropped, with only Josef Cerny and Enzo Paleni left in the lead.
Cerny then dropped Paleni to attempt a solo ride to the finish but he was quickly reeled in with six kilometres left.
Visma-Lease a Bike wanted the perfect finish and they executed it to perfection when Wout Van Aert led the sprint out on the final kilometre before Kooij surged ahead to take the victory, his second after winning stage 12, just pipping Groves and Matteo Moschetti.
Simon Yates has claimed victory at the 2025 Giro d'Italia, securing his second Grand Tour triumph having effectively sealed the title a day earlier when he snatched the pink jersey from Isaac Del Toro.
Yates and other riders received blessings from Pope Leo at the Vatican on Sunday before the Briton cruised to the finish in Rome on the final stage, which was won by teammate Olav Kooij in a sprint finish ahead of battling Australian rider Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
Groves' compatriot Michael Storer was the highest ranked Australian rider overall, finishing 10th in the general classification.
Fellow Australian Chris Harper, who won Saturday's brutal penultimate stage from Verres to Sestriere, finished 23rd overall.
Yates, riding in all pink on a pink bike, also became the first rider since Alberto Contador in 2015 to win the Giro without claiming victory on any of the stages.
The Briton wore pink for 13 days during the 2018 Giro before cracking on one of the final climbs. He also had to withdraw from the Italian race in 2020 and 2022 — because of coronavirus and a knee injury, respectively.
"I'm still in shock of what I've done," Yates said.
"It's something that I've been working toward for a long time."
Yates, who rides for Team Visma Lease a Bike, finished 3 minutes, 56 seconds ahead of Del Toro and 4:43 ahead of Richard Carapaz, the 2019 champion from Ecuador.
After riding 3,300 km through Italy, Albania and Slovenia, the final stage was a 143km ride starting and finishing in Rome, including eight laps of a 9.5 km long circuit in the Eternal City.
As the riders cycled past Rome's landmarks like the Colosseum, a six-man breakaway went 24 seconds ahead of the pink jersey group with less than 50 km to go.
But by the time they had one lap left, four riders were dropped, with only Josef Cerny and Enzo Paleni left in the lead.
Cerny then dropped Paleni to attempt a solo ride to the finish but he was quickly reeled in with six kilometres left.
Visma-Lease a Bike wanted the perfect finish and they executed it to perfection when Wout Van Aert led the sprint out on the final kilometre before Kooij surged ahead to take the victory, his second after winning stage 12, just pipping Groves and Matteo Moschetti.
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42 minutes ago
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Where Oscar Piastri Ranks Amongst Australia's Greatest F1 Drivers
With a win at the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, Oscar Piastri tied Daniel Ricciardo with eight Formula 1 race wins. Now, the 24-year-old has his sights on his manager Mark Webber's total of nine and, more importantly, winning his first Formula One World Championship. While he still has some achievements to lock in before he challenges Australian F1 greats like Alan Jones and Sir Jack Brabham for the top of the all-time drivers rankings, Oscar Piastri is on track to become the first Australian Formula One World Champion since Alan Jones in 1980. Should he achieve this, his name will go down in history with the greats of Australian motor racing, but some would argue he's already in that conversation. Today, we're taking a retrospective look at the achievements of the greatest Australian F1 drivers. If you want to see how Oscar Piastri compares to the greats in wins, podiums, and points in his short but successful career, read on. Jack Brabham pushing his car across the line to win 1959 Formula One World Championship | Image: Supplied Has There Ever Been an Australian F1 World Champion? Year Champion Points* Wins Podiums 1959 Jack Brabham 31 2 5 1960 Jack Brabham 43 5 5 1966 Jack Brabham 42 4 5 1980 Alan Jones 67 5 10 Scroll horizontally to view full table * FIA championship points credited after the season's drop‑score rules were applied. The first Australian F1 driver to win the Formula One World Championship was Sir Jack Brabham. His first of three titles arrived in 1959 when he won the US Grand Prix at Sebring International Raceway on 12 December 1959 by pushing his rear-engined Cooper T51 across the line. He would then back up his efforts a year later by winning the 1960 title behind the wheel of the Cooper T53, which would also secure the Cooper team a constructors' title. Six years later, he won the 1966 championship behind the wheel of his own Brabham BT19 and BT20, powered by a 3.0-litre Repco 620 3.0 V8. Notably, only the best five results from the nine- and ten-race 1959, 1960, and 1966 seasons counted towards the championship. Still, this was no small achievement as Brabham was racing against names like Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, John Surtees, and Jackie Stewart. The last Australian to win a Formula One World Championship was Alan Jones, who took home the 1980 title behind the wheel of a Williams-Ford FW07 and FW07B. He would beat out names like Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost, and Mario Andretti during the 14-race season, winning five races and scoring five fastest laps. Jones would put up a strong fight in the 1981 season, finishing third in the title race, but with Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost, and Nigel Mansell on the up and up, and Carlos Reutemann in peak form, it was going to be tough to mirror the success of the 1980 season. Neither Daniel Ricciardo nor Mark Webber won a Formula One World Championship, but Webber managed to finish third in the championship in the 2010, 2011 and 2013 seasons. Ricciardo managed the same in the 2014 and 2016 seasons. Sir Jack Brabham has the most wins with 14 | Image: Supplied Which Australian F1 Driver Has the Most Race Wins? Driver Total wins First victory Win span Sir Jack Brabham 14 1959 Monaco GP 1959‑1970 Alan Jones 12 1977 Austrian GP 1977‑1981 Mark Webber 9 2009 German GP (Nürburgring) 2009‑2012 Daniel Ricciardo 8 2014 Canadian GP 2014‑2021 Oscar Piastri 8 2024 Hungarian GP 2024‑2025 Scroll horizontally to view full table Oscar Piastri is on track to secure his first Formula One World Championship in 2025, but he's still a ways behind Sir Jack Brabham for outright titles. That said, Oscar has a very good chance of catching Sir Jack for total race wins in the not-so-distant future. Most recently, he tied Daniel Ricciardo with eight race wins after a first-place victory at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. His manager, Mark Webber, is next on the list with nine wins before Alan Jones on 12, and finally, Sir Jack Brabham with 14. Mark Webber has the most podiums with 42 | Image: Supplied Who Has the Most Podiums? Driver Career podiums First podium Most‑recent podium Podium span Sir Jack Brabham 31 1959 Monaco GP (P1) 1970 British GP (P2) 1959 – 1970 Alan Jones 24 1977 Austrian GP (P1) 1981 Caesars Palace GP (P1) 1977 – 1981 Mark Webber 42 2005 Monaco GP (P3) 2013 Brazilian GP (P2) 2005 – 2013 Daniel Ricciardo 32 2014 Spanish GP (P3) 2021 Italian GP (P1) 2014 – 2021 Oscar Piastri 21 2023 Japanese GP (P3) 2025 Belgian GP (P1) 2023 – 2025 Tim Schenken 1 1971 Austrian GP (P3) 1971 Austrian GP (P3) 1971 Scroll horizontally to view full table We dislike intergenerational comparisons as much as the next person, but podiums are the toughest to make because of the number of races in a season. The 1959 F1 season had a total of nine races, while the 2025 F1 season has a total of 24 Grands Prix (six of which include an F1 Sprint race). 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Piastri 'deserved' Belgian Grand Prix victory: Norris
Oscar Piastri has been hailed by title rival Lando Norris after taking a major step towards a first world championship title by defying wet conditions to win a rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix. Heading home McLaren teammate Norris, who had started on pole, means Australian driver Piastri's lead has jumped from nine to 16 points. It also halted his English rival's gathering momentum - Norris had won the previous two races to slash Piastri's overall lead to single figures. Norris, who was passed by Piastri on the first racing lap at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday, said: "Shoulda, woulda, coulda. Oscar deserved it." "Oscar just did a good job. Nothing more to say. Committed a bit more through Eau Rouge, and had the slipstream and got the run. "So nothing to complain of. He did a better job in the beginning, and that was it. Nothing more I could do after that point. I would love to be up top, but Oscar deserved it today." The decisive moment of the afternoon came moments after the race finally got underway. Piastri charged through the spray to slipstream Norris through the daunting Eau Rouge and scythed past on the uphill straight, with his overtaken teammate complaining of a possible battery issue. Piastri then proceeded largely untroubled as he powered on to finish 3.415 seconds clear of his arch-rival. Norris reduced Piastri's lead toward the end of the race but the Australian held on with worn tires with his teammate unable to get close enough to challenge. "I knew Lap 1 (after the safety car) would probably be my best chance of winning the race. I got a good exit out of Turn 1, lifted as little as I dared and yeah, we had it mostly under control," Piastri said after his eighth Formula One career win and sixth of this season. Piastri had been disappointed to qualify second for the race behind Norris, but it "turns out starting second at Spa is not so bad after all," he said. The world title initiative has suddenly swung back to Piastri, who heads to Hungary for next Sunday's grand prix having won his first race in Budapest last season. Norris added: "I'll review my things but still happy for the team, another 1-2 and our first 1-2 here for many, many years." The race had been red-flagged after an initial formation lap due to standing water and heavy spray affecting visibility. That resulted in a delay of an hour and 20 minutes as officials waited for conditions at the notoriously weather-prone circuit to improve. Charles Leclerc was a distant third for Ferrari as dominant champions McLaren celebrated their sixth one-two finish in 13 races and the third in a row. Titleholder Max Verstappen, in his first full race under a new Red Bull chief following the departure of Christian Horner, finished fourth. George Russell, of Mercedes, who crossed the line first in Spa last year but was disqualified due to his car being underweight, was fifth this time and Williams' Alex Albon came home sixth. With agencies Oscar Piastri has been hailed by title rival Lando Norris after taking a major step towards a first world championship title by defying wet conditions to win a rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix. Heading home McLaren teammate Norris, who had started on pole, means Australian driver Piastri's lead has jumped from nine to 16 points. It also halted his English rival's gathering momentum - Norris had won the previous two races to slash Piastri's overall lead to single figures. Norris, who was passed by Piastri on the first racing lap at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday, said: "Shoulda, woulda, coulda. Oscar deserved it." "Oscar just did a good job. Nothing more to say. Committed a bit more through Eau Rouge, and had the slipstream and got the run. "So nothing to complain of. He did a better job in the beginning, and that was it. Nothing more I could do after that point. I would love to be up top, but Oscar deserved it today." The decisive moment of the afternoon came moments after the race finally got underway. Piastri charged through the spray to slipstream Norris through the daunting Eau Rouge and scythed past on the uphill straight, with his overtaken teammate complaining of a possible battery issue. Piastri then proceeded largely untroubled as he powered on to finish 3.415 seconds clear of his arch-rival. Norris reduced Piastri's lead toward the end of the race but the Australian held on with worn tires with his teammate unable to get close enough to challenge. "I knew Lap 1 (after the safety car) would probably be my best chance of winning the race. I got a good exit out of Turn 1, lifted as little as I dared and yeah, we had it mostly under control," Piastri said after his eighth Formula One career win and sixth of this season. Piastri had been disappointed to qualify second for the race behind Norris, but it "turns out starting second at Spa is not so bad after all," he said. The world title initiative has suddenly swung back to Piastri, who heads to Hungary for next Sunday's grand prix having won his first race in Budapest last season. Norris added: "I'll review my things but still happy for the team, another 1-2 and our first 1-2 here for many, many years." The race had been red-flagged after an initial formation lap due to standing water and heavy spray affecting visibility. That resulted in a delay of an hour and 20 minutes as officials waited for conditions at the notoriously weather-prone circuit to improve. Charles Leclerc was a distant third for Ferrari as dominant champions McLaren celebrated their sixth one-two finish in 13 races and the third in a row. Titleholder Max Verstappen, in his first full race under a new Red Bull chief following the departure of Christian Horner, finished fourth. George Russell, of Mercedes, who crossed the line first in Spa last year but was disqualified due to his car being underweight, was fifth this time and Williams' Alex Albon came home sixth. With agencies Oscar Piastri has been hailed by title rival Lando Norris after taking a major step towards a first world championship title by defying wet conditions to win a rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix. Heading home McLaren teammate Norris, who had started on pole, means Australian driver Piastri's lead has jumped from nine to 16 points. It also halted his English rival's gathering momentum - Norris had won the previous two races to slash Piastri's overall lead to single figures. Norris, who was passed by Piastri on the first racing lap at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday, said: "Shoulda, woulda, coulda. Oscar deserved it." "Oscar just did a good job. Nothing more to say. Committed a bit more through Eau Rouge, and had the slipstream and got the run. "So nothing to complain of. He did a better job in the beginning, and that was it. Nothing more I could do after that point. I would love to be up top, but Oscar deserved it today." The decisive moment of the afternoon came moments after the race finally got underway. Piastri charged through the spray to slipstream Norris through the daunting Eau Rouge and scythed past on the uphill straight, with his overtaken teammate complaining of a possible battery issue. Piastri then proceeded largely untroubled as he powered on to finish 3.415 seconds clear of his arch-rival. Norris reduced Piastri's lead toward the end of the race but the Australian held on with worn tires with his teammate unable to get close enough to challenge. "I knew Lap 1 (after the safety car) would probably be my best chance of winning the race. I got a good exit out of Turn 1, lifted as little as I dared and yeah, we had it mostly under control," Piastri said after his eighth Formula One career win and sixth of this season. Piastri had been disappointed to qualify second for the race behind Norris, but it "turns out starting second at Spa is not so bad after all," he said. The world title initiative has suddenly swung back to Piastri, who heads to Hungary for next Sunday's grand prix having won his first race in Budapest last season. Norris added: "I'll review my things but still happy for the team, another 1-2 and our first 1-2 here for many, many years." The race had been red-flagged after an initial formation lap due to standing water and heavy spray affecting visibility. That resulted in a delay of an hour and 20 minutes as officials waited for conditions at the notoriously weather-prone circuit to improve. Charles Leclerc was a distant third for Ferrari as dominant champions McLaren celebrated their sixth one-two finish in 13 races and the third in a row. Titleholder Max Verstappen, in his first full race under a new Red Bull chief following the departure of Christian Horner, finished fourth. George Russell, of Mercedes, who crossed the line first in Spa last year but was disqualified due to his car being underweight, was fifth this time and Williams' Alex Albon came home sixth. With agencies Oscar Piastri has been hailed by title rival Lando Norris after taking a major step towards a first world championship title by defying wet conditions to win a rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix. Heading home McLaren teammate Norris, who had started on pole, means Australian driver Piastri's lead has jumped from nine to 16 points. It also halted his English rival's gathering momentum - Norris had won the previous two races to slash Piastri's overall lead to single figures. Norris, who was passed by Piastri on the first racing lap at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday, said: "Shoulda, woulda, coulda. Oscar deserved it." "Oscar just did a good job. Nothing more to say. Committed a bit more through Eau Rouge, and had the slipstream and got the run. "So nothing to complain of. He did a better job in the beginning, and that was it. Nothing more I could do after that point. I would love to be up top, but Oscar deserved it today." The decisive moment of the afternoon came moments after the race finally got underway. Piastri charged through the spray to slipstream Norris through the daunting Eau Rouge and scythed past on the uphill straight, with his overtaken teammate complaining of a possible battery issue. Piastri then proceeded largely untroubled as he powered on to finish 3.415 seconds clear of his arch-rival. Norris reduced Piastri's lead toward the end of the race but the Australian held on with worn tires with his teammate unable to get close enough to challenge. "I knew Lap 1 (after the safety car) would probably be my best chance of winning the race. I got a good exit out of Turn 1, lifted as little as I dared and yeah, we had it mostly under control," Piastri said after his eighth Formula One career win and sixth of this season. Piastri had been disappointed to qualify second for the race behind Norris, but it "turns out starting second at Spa is not so bad after all," he said. The world title initiative has suddenly swung back to Piastri, who heads to Hungary for next Sunday's grand prix having won his first race in Budapest last season. Norris added: "I'll review my things but still happy for the team, another 1-2 and our first 1-2 here for many, many years." The race had been red-flagged after an initial formation lap due to standing water and heavy spray affecting visibility. That resulted in a delay of an hour and 20 minutes as officials waited for conditions at the notoriously weather-prone circuit to improve. Charles Leclerc was a distant third for Ferrari as dominant champions McLaren celebrated their sixth one-two finish in 13 races and the third in a row. Titleholder Max Verstappen, in his first full race under a new Red Bull chief following the departure of Christian Horner, finished fourth. George Russell, of Mercedes, who crossed the line first in Spa last year but was disqualified due to his car being underweight, was fifth this time and Williams' Alex Albon came home sixth. With agencies
