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Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Lando Norris: You are the biggest loser of the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix
The 2025 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps delivered a thrilling and consequential race, marked by a significant shift in the championship standings and numerous strategic gambles. After an 80-minute rain delay and a rolling start behind the safety car, the action unfolded with impressive overtakes and costly errors. Let's break down who came out on top and who left feeling disappointed. Related: Belgian Grand Prix Biggest Winner: Oscar Piastri | McLaren Oscar Piastri secured a spectacular and dominant victory at the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix, holding the race lead from his brilliant first-lap move to the checkered flag. After qualifying on pole for the sprint race, his strong form in dry sprint qualifying on Friday suggested a win was possible. Despite Lando Norris starting from pole in the main race, Piastri pounced at the start, showing immense pace and being the furthest ahead when conditions were sketchiest. He executed a gutsy move on Norris out of La Source on Lap 1, using the slipstream to slingshot past and take the lead. Piastri then managed his more brittle medium tires perfectly to the finish, never putting a wheel out of place. This victory was his eighth Grand Prix win and doubled his lead over teammate Norris to a whopping 16 points in the drivers' championship as they head to Hungary. Biggest Loser of Belgian Grand Prix: Lando Norris | McLaren Lando Norris had a frustrating day at Spa, converting a convincing pole position into a mere second-place finish. He admitted that Piastri 'did a good job' and deserved the win. Despite Norris's reputation for strong performances in wet conditions, Piastri's excellent run from the start allowed him to seize the lead early on. Norris overcompensated for having to wring lap time out of the slower hard tires, leading to three mistakes totaling over four seconds in the second half of the race. Being second on the road also forced him to do an extra lap before pitting, which cost him over six seconds. Ultimately, finishing second is a loss, and it significantly widened the points gap to his teammate Piastri. Read More: Winner: Charles Leclerc | Ferrari You might think Charles Leclerc's third-place podium finish was down to a good qualifying and setup choice, but that would understate his tenacious drive. Boosted by the track drying quickly and a setup leaning towards dry conditions, Leclerc's biggest challenge was fighting off Max Verstappen in the early wet stages. He managed his Ferrari expertly, even admitting he told his engineer to 'leave me alone' at one point due to the pressure. A clean pit stop, combined with Verstappen losing time, allowed him to manage his cushion to the finish. This marks his fourth podium in six races, and Ferrari's latest upgrades, including rear suspension changes, appear to be working, helping them secure a more stable second place in the constructors' standings. Related: Loser: Max Verstappen | Red Bull Max Verstappen had a disappointing Sunday, powerless to repeat his sprint race heroics. Red Bull had anticipated a full wet race and set up their car with significantly more downforce, which proved costly when the majority of the Grand Prix was held in dry conditions. Verstappen was stuck behind Charles Leclerc's more slippery Ferrari for the entire race, unable to make a pass. He expressed frustration after the race, blaming his peers for urging race control to delay the start due to visibility. This strategic gamble backfired significantly, contributing to his fifth-place finish and allowing Piastri to extend his championship lead. Related: Winner: Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari Despite a 'disastrous' qualifying that saw him start from 18th position and then opt for a pit lane start, Lewis Hamilton delivered a flawless comeback drive at the Belgian Grand Prix. He gained an impressive 11 positions, finishing in seventh place. Hamilton was the only pit lane starter to move up the order significantly. His rush through the field was thanks in no small part to a decisive move to be the first to pit for slicks, and he passed more cars than anyone else on track. Ferrari's updated suspension, which addresses ride height issues, seems to have provided a positive step forward. His performance was a 'brilliant day's work' and a 'glimmer of better things soon to come' in his first year with Ferrari. Read More: Loser: Aston Martin Aston Martin had a dreadful weekend at Spa. The sight of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll battling for second-to-last place in the early stint pointed to their predictable outcome. A lack of qualifying pace was the biggest culprit, setting up an underwhelming race. Similar to Red Bull, Aston Martin's car had been set up for a wet race, but the dry conditions exposed their compromise, leading to them looking about as competitive as they had all weekend. Stroll failed to move up the order significantly, and pitlane starter Alonso never looked like he was making any progress throughout the slog. Their struggle on various circuits, which require both high top speeds and firm medium-to-high-speed cornering grip, was evident.
Khaleej Times
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- Khaleej Times
Piastri and Norris racing like champions in F1 title battle
McLaren boss Andrea Stella says teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are racing like champions and the Formula One title will probably be decided by fine margins and individual brilliance. The pair are 16 points apart in a two-horse race, with Australian Piastri leading McLaren's sixth one-two of the season in Belgium on Sunday and taking his sixth win of the campaign. Red Bull's Max Verstappen is third but 81 points behind with his hopes of a fifth successive title fast receding. There are 11 races left and the intra-team rivalry will be the major focus with McLaren set to retain the constructors' crown with ease as they now a massive 268 points clear of second-placed Ferrari. Norris won in Britain after Piastri was penalised for braking erratically behind the safety car but the Australian triumphed at Spa by slipstreaming past from second on the grid. "There is very, very little between our two drivers and this is because the two drivers are racing at a very, very high level," Stella told reporters. "I think the difference will be made by the accuracy, the precision, the quality of the execution," added the Italian, who worked with champions at Ferrari and said Piastri and Norris were both operating at that level. At Spa, the regular grid lineup was replaced by a rolling start in wet conditions after four laps behind the safety car, with Norris finding pole position was no real advantage once the race got going. Piastri had discovered the same during the Saturday sprint, when Verstappen won from second on the grid after seizing the lead on the opening lap. "We saw in Silverstone that an issue, a sporting issue for Oscar, during the safety car restart and the consequent penalty cost him the race," said Stella. "Here we saw that, somehow related to the circuit characteristic, it would have been very difficult for Lando to keep the position, starting first at the safety car restart." Stella discounted a battery problem that appeared to be an issue initially, saying a slight anomaly had occurred on both cars and Norris should not have been any worse off. "It would have always been very difficult for Lando to keep the position starting first at the safety car restart, but at the same time I think Lando didn't help himself by not having a great gap...," he said. "So I think the execution is what is going to make the main difference." Piastri was not unhappy after qualifying second, observing that Spa was probably the best place not to have the best lap and planning his next move already. "The move through Eau Rouge, I knew it was going to be by far my best opportunity to try and win the race. I'd been thinking about it for a while, put it that way," said the Australian.
The Australian
17 hours ago
- Sport
- The Australian
Norris bounces back to take Belgian GP pole ahead of Piastri
Lando Norris said he had not lost any confidence in his ability to outpace McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri after he bounced back on Saturday to claim pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix. The 25-year-old Briton, who was beaten by series leader Piastri in Friday's sprint qualifying, said it was tough for both McLaren drivers as they battle for supremacy in their intra-team rivalry – and slug it out for the drivers' world championship. After 12 of this year's 24 races, Piastri leads with 241 points and five wins ahead of Norris on 232 and four wins. Defending four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull is third on 173 after two Grand Prix wins. Norris, who is chasing a third consecutive Grand Prix win on Sunday to overhaul the 24-year-old Australian, admitted he was aware that 'everyone was worried' after Friday when he was three-tenths slower. 'I wasn't that far off, but there were a couple of little issues and everyone was pretty worried,' he said. 'But I was confident after yesterday and I was confident coming into today so it's nice to see that I could get back to the top.' Asked where his improvement came from, he said: 'Three-tenths is just slipstream and not being the first out of the pit-lane. 'It was nothing to worry about, but people like to make a lot of things up. 'I felt good and the car has been flying all weekend.' READ MORE Six races Piastri must dominate to overturn worrying Norris history The front three on the grid for the Belgian Grand Prix. Picture: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP Norris has been accused of mental fragility and being over-sensitive to his own high expectations and media criticism. He said that it was intense and challenging for both McLaren drivers to maintain a strong relationship as teammates while fighting for the drivers' title. 'Oscar has been doing a good job all weekend and we've been pushing each other a lot,' said Norris. 'It's tough because you see where your strengths and weaknesses are clearly – and then you learn from each other quickly. It's good, but it's a tough battle that we have at the minute.' Piastri agreed that maintaining a balanced approach was difficult. 'We're a good teammate pairing and we learn a lot from each other each weekend. That's what makes us a good team, but it also makes it difficult to fight each other.' Norris said he wanted Sunday's race to be run in dry conditions, despite forecast heavy rain for the Ardennes. 'I prefer it to stay dry honestly. For the fans! I think it's rained here for the last 10 years or something so it would be nice to have a dry Sunday.' Verstappen wins sprint race as Red Bull start new era Max Verstappen welcomed new Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies to the race team on Saturday with an immaculate gift-wrapped triumph in the sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix. The 27-year-old Dutchman, who started from second on the grid, seized the lead on the opening lap and then resisted all threats from series leader Oscar Piastri who had to defend attacks from McLaren teammate Lando Norris who finished third. It was a consummate performance from Verstappen who ran with a low downforce set-up to give him a straight-line speed advantage – for which he was congratulated by Mekies, appointed on July 9 to replace Red Bull's former boss Christian Horner who was dismissed unexpectedly after 20 years at the helm. 'That worked out really well,' said a delighted Verstappen after thanking Mekies on the team radio. 'We got an opportunity at turn five and took it and then it was tough to keep those two behind. 'It was cat and mouse with battery usage and I couldn't afford to make any mistakes, although I had one lock-up – it is so difficult to keep faster cars behind so it was all really at the limit. Not easy! But we did it.' Mekies was equally satisfied. 'Max was brilliant and all the guys did a great job,' said the former boss of Reb Bull's 'B' team Racing Bulls. 'He was under massive pressure and he made almost no mistakes and the team extracted everything from the car and the tyres.' – Hamilton misery – The leading trio were separated by only 1.4 seconds at the finish, leaving Charles Leclerc a distant fourth for Ferrari, 10 seconds adrift, ahead of Haas's Esteban Ocon and Carlos Sainz of Williams. Sprint winner Max Verstappen between second placed Oscar Piastri third placed Lando Norris. Picture:Piastri said: 'I tried my best to snake through on the straight and not give too much tow (on the opening lap) but I didn't have enough straight-line speed. Still, this is a good result, good points and it's only the sprint. Yeah, but it's annoying I couldn't get past him. Norris said: 'There wasn't a lot going on after, obviously, a bit of fun at the start and maybe I could have positioned myself a little better. But it was too difficult to get past Max. He drove a good race.' Piastri's success in beating Norris, who on Sunday will seek a third consecutive Grand Prix win, extended his lead in the title race from eight points to nine. Piastri made a good start from pole position, but Verstappen showed he had greater straight-line speed with his 'skinny' rear wing set-up and after pulling alongside into Raidillon, he powered into the lead at Les Combes. Lewis Hamilton's miserable weekend continued as he toiled to advance after starting from 18th, following his spin at the chicane in Friday's sprint qualifying. On lap 12, Piastri moved within 0.3 seconds of Verstappen, but he was unable to execute a move on the run uphill from La Source while behind him Norris forced him to defend vigorously against his teammate. McLaren's intra-team tussle did little to help either driver haul in Verstappen and he was in charge as he delivered his 12th sprint win to mark new boss Mekies' maiden race with Red Bull following Horner's exit.
The Australian
17 hours ago
- Sport
- The Australian
Belgian F1 Grand Prix: Max Verstappen wins sprint race ahead of Oscar Piastri
In a year where every single point counts, Oscar Piastri adopted a pragmatic approach to his world title quest as he secured a second-placed finish in the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race behind Red Bull's reigning world champion Max Verstappen. Careful not to put a foot wrong after the drama of Silverstone, polesitter Piastri settled for the runner-up finish behind Verstappen in a result which extended his world title lead to nine points ahead of teammate Lando Norris who finished in third. It was a risk-free run from the sensible Australian, knowing it was better to pocket seven points than push the limits and risk not taking home any rewards. Oscar Piastri during sprint qualifying. Picture:'I tried my best to snake my way through the straights and not give too much of a tow (off the start) but I just did not have enough straight line speed and then obviously did not have enough straight line speed for the next 15 laps either,' Piastri said. 'It is still a good result, still got points. This is only the sprint, the main points are tomorrow. Pretty happy with it but just a bit frustrated that we couldn't get past. 'The weather is looking pretty bad for tomorrow … but I don't really want to repeat the sprint we've just had. 'We will have a look and see what we can do. But there are a lot of things to look into for tomorrow.' Verstappen's race win capped a remarkable turnaround for the Red Bull outfit, after they sacked team principal Christian Horner in the break after Silverstone. Proving he is the ultimate racer, Verstappen cast aside all the team distractions to pilot his Red Bull to a 12th sprint victory in his F1 career and now sits 68 points behind Piastri in the world title battle. Piastri had started on pole position for the 15-lap Saturday race after smashing the lap record during qualifying by a remarkable seven tenths of a second, four tenths clear of Verstappen. But the one-lap speed meant little at the race start as Verstappen's flatline speed advantage proved decisive, as the Red Bull champ used the slip stream down the back straight to execute an overtake heading into turn five. Mario Isola, Director of Pirelli F1 presents Sprint Pole qualifier Oscar Piastri with his Pirelli Sprint Pole award. Picture:'It worked out really well, that is the only real opportunity you're going to get against them around here,' Verstappen said. 'I knew it would be tough to keep them behind, it was cat and mouse. 'I couldn't afford any mistakes. 'For us a great result to keep them behind … it's a sprint win but still it counts.' Piastri had feared that exact sequence would play out prior to the race, telling Sky Sports he was wary of Verstappen's speed advantage off the start. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc did the exact same manoeuvre on Norris to take third place on the opening lap, but the Briton managed to use DRS three laps later to reclaim third place. Even with the benefit of DRS, Piastri could never challenge Verstappen's Red Bull and pull alongside or make a dive with late braking. The big question facing McLaren now is how can they compete with Verstappen's superior straight line speed in the race on Sunday - where wet weather is predicted. 'The Red Bull is just too quick in the straight for us to catch up,' Norris said. 'I'm not too fussed about sprint races, main races I prefer to win. 'I am still confident we can have a good result later.' Ferrari's Leclerc finished fourth in the sprint, ahead of Esteban Ocon of Haas, with Carlos Sainz (Williams), Oliver Bearman (Haas) and Izack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) completing the top eight to collect points.
The National
21 hours ago
- Automotive
- The National
Belgian GP talking points: Piastri's pole prediction, Horner's absence and Hamilton's recovery
Spa remains one of Formula One's most demanding venues and Sunday proved no exception, with Oscar Piastri rising to the challenge on a wet weekend in Belgium. After a cautious rolling start, he made a bold move on teammate Lando Norris to seize the lead and never looked back, delivering another clinical victory. Behind him, Lewis Hamilton carved through the field with a series of brilliant overtakes, climbing from deep on the grid into the points with a drive that showcased his experience and control. After another memorable weekend in Belgium, here are the key talking points. Piastri's prediction comes true A portrait of calm in the eye of the storm, Piastri drove with quiet authority and flawless execution at Spa-Francorchamps, mastering the conditions to take his sixth win of the season and tighten his grip on the championship lead. After missing out on the Sprint win and qualifying second for the Grand Prix, Piastri arrived on Sunday looking to reassert control. When the lights finally went out after a rain-delayed start, he did exactly that. Having started on pole for the Sprint, Piastri joked: 'Spa's probably one of the worst places to have pole position. It is what it is.' On Sunday, from second, he proved himself right. Despite the limitations of the rolling start, he breezed past teammate Norris on the straight in the first racing lap with a clean and confident move. The British driver would later report a battery issue, but by then Piastri had already taken charge. At one stage, it looked as though Norris' one stop strategy might tilt the race in his favour. Piastri, who had stopped a lap earlier for mediums, expressed concern that his tyres would not last the distance. The prospect of a second stop lingered in the background, while Norris, running long on hards, looked to close the gap. But as the laps wore on, Piastri managed his pace, never allowing the threat to fully materialise. Norris gradually closed the gap, reducing Piastri's advantage to under four seconds in the final stint. But small mistakes, such as the one at Pouhon and later at La Source, stalled his momentum just as it began to build. Piastri remained composed and crossed the line 3.415 seconds clear to seal McLaren's sixth one-two finish of the season. 'I knew that Lap 1 was going to be probably my best chance of winning the race,' Piastri said. 'I got a good exit out of Turn 1 and lifted as little as I dared through Eau Rouge, and then it was enough.' Red Bull begin new era without Horner For the first time in over two decades, Red Bull arrived at a Grand Prix without Christian Horner in charge. Laurent Mekies, the French engineer and former Racing Bulls team principal, took the reins for the first time. Speaking on Friday, he acknowledged Horner's legacy and confirmed the two had remained in contact. 'Yes, we have spoken, he has been nothing other than supportive,' Mekies said. 'Even this morning and yesterday, we texted. It's very impressive in the context.' Max Verstappen began the weekend on the front foot, winning the Sprint with a well-timed move on Piastri up the Kemmel Straight and securing his first victory since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in May. For Sunday's race, however, Red Bull opted for a higher downforce set up in anticipation of sustained rain. When the race finally got under way after an 80-minute delay and the track dried more quickly than expected, that decision proved costly. Verstappen spent the afternoon chasing Charles Leclerc but lacked the straight line speed to mount a serious challenge, eventually crossing the line in fourth. 'All in all, with the decision making and the set up that we chose with the wing didn't help,' he said. 'P3 was probably the maximum possible with the ideal scenario and, unfortunately, this didn't happen today.' Ferrari's upgrades paying off Ferrari arrived at Spa having implemented another development package, including a revised rear suspension. Building on the new floor rolled out in Austria, the upgrades appeared to offer immediate benefits – at least for Leclerc. He capitalised on the improvements with a composed and consistent weekend, securing his fifth podium of the season and a third straight third-place finish at Spa. 'Max was behind for the whole race, within two seconds, so it is never easy, and the first part of the race was the trickiest for us,' said Leclerc after spending the whole afternoon holding off Verstappen. Hamilton, meanwhile, endured a difficult start to the weekend. He was eliminated in the first round of both Sprint and Grand Prix qualifying, starting near the back in both races and finishing 15th in Saturday's short run. But on Sunday, in mixed conditions and with a pit-lane start, Hamilton produced a dazzling recovery race. Pulling off a string of decisive overtakes in the early laps, he worked his way up to seventh and was voted Driver of the Day. It wasn't the outcome he had hoped for, but it was a determined recovery from a weekend that had come close to falling apart. Russell bemoans 'worst' weekend George Russell left Spa with growing concerns about Mercedes' direction, describing it as the team's worst performance of the season after finishing a distant fifth. He crossed the line nearly 35 seconds behind Piastri and well off the pace of Verstappen's fourth-placed Red Bull. Russell attributed the team's recent struggles to a development shift made earlier in the year, which he now believes has backfired. 'We made a clear change of direction a couple of months ago and it's been since that point we've taken a step backwards,' he said.
