Oscar Piastri emerged triumphant from a rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix, fending off a late charge from team-mate Lando Norris to extend his World Championship advantage. Charles Leclerc sealed the final spot on the podium after a stout defence against reigning champion Max Verstappen.
The race got underway after four laps behind the safety car, with the green flag dropping over 90 minutes after the scheduled start time. When Norris led the field across the line for a rolling start, he was immediately put under pressure by his team-mate, who snatched the lead comfortably before the Les Combes chicane.
As the dry line started to appear, the McLaren drivers checked out at the front. In the fight for the final step of the podium, Leclerc fought tooth and nail to keep Verstappen behind, despite his intermediate tyres going off at an alarming rate.
Lewis Hamilton was the first driver to take a punt on dry tyres, and by the time the rest of the field reacted, the seven-time world champion climbed into the top seven. Out front, Piastri came in first for McLaren, while Norris was forced to take another lap, losing critical time.
When he emerged from the pit lane exit, the gap was daunting. Norris was banking on his hard compound tyres swinging the pendulum back toward him later in the race, and as the lap count approached the single digits, he started taking chunks out of Piastri’s advantage.
