Oscar Piastri clinches win at Belgian Grand Prix; strengthens F1 championship lead with sixth victory of 2025
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News18
12 hours ago
- News18
Max Verstappen To Mercedes No More! Defending F1 Champion Set To Stay At Red Bull: Report
Last Updated: Max Verstappen will stay with Red Bull Racing through 2026. His fourth-place finish at Spa removed a potential exit clause, making a Mercedes move in 2025 unlikely. It seems like the Max Verstappen to Mercedes saga can finally come to an end, as the Dutchman remains posied to stay wit Red Bull Racing though the 2026 Formula 1 season. But why? Well, with his fourth-placed finish at Spa on Sunday, he has now moved beyond the conditions of a potential exit clause in his contract during the Belgian Grand Prix. Speculation surrounding Verstappen's future had intensified in recent months. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff openly expressed interest in signing the four-time world champion for 2025, should an opportunity present itself. Although Verstappen's current contract with Red Bull runs until 2028, it includes clauses that could have allowed him to leave early under specific circumstances. ESPN reported that Verstappen would have been free to exit the team if he ranked fourth or lower in the championship standings following the Hungarian Grand Prix, which preceded Formula 1's August summer break. However, after the race weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, Verstappen extended his lead beyond the reach of fourth-placed George Russell. His victory in Saturday's sprint race gave him a 26-point buffer over Russell, a gap he widened by an additional two points during Sunday's grand prix. Given that a driver can earn a maximum of 25 points in a standard race weekend, Verstappen's lead effectively secured his contractual status. Notably, the Dutchman emphasized the importance of the remaining races this season in contributing to Red Bull's development for the new regulations in 2026. 'I think it's still important also this year to learn certain things because they will also have an effect on next year," Verstappen said on Sunday evening. 'Because the cars will be completely different, but there are still things that we can work on and take also to next year. 'So, of course, engineering and everything — the car design is already underway for next year — but we can still learn a lot also this year." view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Time of India
Lewis Hamilton reunites with former engineer to address performance issues at Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton (Image credit: Instagram) Lewis Hamilton's struggles at Ferrari since his move to the Italian team continue to impact both his image and performance in Formula 1. His confusing radio exchanges with his race engineer during races had caught the attention of many, suggesting that communication between the two was less than ideal. Now, Hamilton has reportedly been assigned a new race engineer — someone he has worked with before. Lewis Hamilton gets new race engineer he has worked before According to a report by The Mirror, Ferrari has hired a new race engineer who has previously worked with Lewis Hamilton. However, it is not clear whether the engineer is someone Hamilton collaborated with during his time at Mercedes. The report also claims that Riccardo Adami — the Ferrari engineer who came under scrutiny for unclear radio communication with Hamilton — continues to remain in his role. Lewis Hamilton's performance at Belgian Grand Prix Questions persist about Hamilton's performance at Ferrari, especially as his teammate Charles Leclerc secured third place on the podium at the Belgian Grand Prix — his fifth podium of the season. Hamilton had a disappointing outing at the Belgian Grand Prix, getting eliminated in Q1 ahead of both the F1 Sprint and the main race. He eventually finished seventh in the Sunday race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. He wrote in his latest Instagram post after the Belgium race, "Pit lane to P7 - We were faced with some difficult moments so to finish on a high note gives me real confidence heading into Budapest. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Live Comfortably: 60m2 prefabricated bungalow for the elderly in Setif Pre Fabricated Homes | Search Ads Search Now Undo Big thanks to everyone at the track for the massive effort, and the team back at Maranello for their continued hard work. This upgrade is a really positive step forward and I'm excited to explore it more next week. Now time to build momentum from here. " He apologized to his team over the radio after the Q1 exit, saying: "Sorry about this weekend, guys, losing you points. I'll work harder to come back stronger at the next race. Great job on the strategy and pit stops." Reflecting on his performance, Hamilton said, as per ESPN, "I think everyone in the team worked so hard. We obviously had these upgrades. Everyone back in the factory worked so hard. And then when you come and put in a performance like I had in these past two days, it's tough because that's not what the team deserves. It wasn't a case of necessarily coming in and not being in the right mindset through the weekend." "There were a few factors that affected things, particularly on Friday. Saturday was just me. But I recovered today. I got some points. We outscored Mercedes on points, which is great. Charles did a great job. Clearly, the car is improving because Charles was able to hold on to another podium. So I'm still going to work hard next week," he added. Also Read: Belgian Grand Prix results: Oscar Piastri beats Lando Norris once again to register sixth win of the F1 season Hamilton is currently sixth in the Formula 1 Drivers' Standings with 109 points and no podium finishes. He did, however, win the F1 Sprint in Shanghai, though that was not a grand prix. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
India Today
18 hours ago
- India Today
Watch: Oscar Piastri's heart-stopping move that won him Belgian Grand Prix
Oscar Piastri pulled off a bold early move on McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris to win a rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, extending his Formula One championship lead to 16 Charles Leclerc finished a distant third as McLaren secured their sixth one-two finish of the season - and their third in a row - cementing their dominance in the 2025 race at Spa-Francorchamps was red-flagged after the formation lap and delayed by 1 hour and 20 minutes due to heavy rain, standing water, and poor visibility. Once racing resumed with a rolling start after four laps behind the safety car, Piastri wasted no time in taking control. The 24-year-old Australian showed fearless commitment, using the slipstream through the iconic Eau Rouge before sweeping past Norris on the Kemmel Straight into Les Combes - a move that defined the Piastri wastes no time in seizing control of this race ??#F1 #BelgianGP Formula 1 (@F1) July 27, 2025"I knew lap one would be my best chance to win," Piastri said. "I got a good exit out of Turn One and lifted as little as I dared through Eau Rouge. We managed the race well overall, although the mediums were a bit tricky in the last few laps. Still, we kept it mostly under control."Piastri's sixth victory of the season puts him in elite Australian company, surpassing former world champions Jack Brabham and Alan Jones for most wins in a single who reported a brief battery issue early on, acknowledged that Piastri simply outperformed him."Oscar just did a good job. He was more committed through Eau Rouge, got the slipstream, and made the move. Nothing to complain about - he deserved it today," Norris said.A Championship Battle Between TwoWith 266 points to Norris' 250, Piastri now leads the championship by 16 points. Red Bull's Max Verstappen, the reigning champion, sits third with 185 points - 81 behind the leader - making it increasingly clear that this season's title fight is a McLaren-only also lead the constructors' standings convincingly with 516 points, more than doubling Ferrari's 248. Mercedes, meanwhile, dropped further back on proved crucial in Belgium. Piastri pitted on Lap 12 to switch from intermediates to medium tyres as the track dried. Norris followed one lap later, opting for hard tyres, but rejoined the race nine seconds Norris hoped his teammate might need a second stop, Piastri made the mediums last in a well-managed one-stop strategy. Despite a late push from Norris, who was chasing a third consecutive win, Piastri held on to win by 3.415 seconds, never appearing flustered even as the gap briefly Rest of the GridadvertisementSaturday sprint winner Verstappen finished fourth in Red Bull's first race since the departure of team boss Christian Horner. Mercedes' George Russell took fifth, while Williams' Alex Albon impressively held off Lewis Hamilton to claim last year's Belgian GP winner, started from the pit lane after receiving a new engine overnight. He capitalized on the rolling start and was the first to switch to slicks, gaining six Lawson finished eighth for Racing Bulls, followed by Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) and Pierre Gasly (Alpine), who rounded out the top ten with a valuable One now heads to Hungary next weekend, the final race before the August summer break. With momentum clearly on his side, Piastri will look to tighten his grip on the championship heading into the second half of the season.- EndsMust Watch
