Max Verstappen wins the Belgian Sprint Race, teaching his closest rivals a masterful driving lesson. Despite a strong showing in qualifying by the two McLarens, they were powerless against the extraordinary driving skills of the four-time world champion. Mercedes's disappointing weekend continues, with both cars out of the points. Hamilton continues to struggle, while Leclerc remains fourth, ahead of a strong Esteban Ocon.
The Belgian Sprint Race begins with a battle between the top four
The Belgian Sprint Race got off to a clean and orderly start until the La Source funnel. The battle heated up after Eau Rouge, however, when the top four managed to challenge thanks to the slipstream. Piastri was the driver most in trouble, given his car's setup. McLaren, in fact, was more loaded than the Red Bull and Ferrari. This made the difference in qualifying, but in the race it could pose problems for Norris and Piastri. Indeed, at the end of the Kemmel straight, Verstappen attacked Piastri, completing the overtaking move at Les Combes.
Behind them, Charles Leclerc also launched an attack on Lando Norris and passed him on the outside at the same point. Now the Monegasque and the Dutchman must defend their positions, while the situation behind them remains unchanged. Ocon manages to maintain fifth place, as does almost all the rest of the top ten that had settled in yesterday during sprint qualifying. The two Mercedes, however, were struggling, with Russell unable to gain positions to get back into the points. Antonelli, meanwhile, was stuck behind Hamilton near the back of the grid.
Verstappen defends himself from the attacks of the two McLarens
Charles Leclerc's third place doesn't last long. The number 16 is more than a second behind the McLaren's exhausts on the fourth lap of the Belgian Sprint Race. Oscar Piastri. Norris took advantage of Leclerc's lack of DRS and managed to pass him, putting him back in pursuit of the top two. Meanwhile, Alpine's strategy on Franco Colapinto paid off. The Argentine was the only one on track with red tires and occupied the second-to-last position at the halfway point. Last, however, was Pierre Gasly, who had suffered some technical problems with his car in the pre-race. The Frenchman started from the pits, but was two laps down.
Also on lap four, Hamilton managed to pass Nico Hulkenberg, moving up to sixteenth place. On the following lap, Kimi Antonelli made the same move, thus putting himself back in the slipstream of the #44 Ferrari. The real show, however, was put on by Max Verstappen: in the first and third sectors, he managed to gain the upper hand thanks to the top speed of his Red Bull. In the middle sector, where McLaren was stronger, the four-time world champion put in a significant effort.
Max Verstappen performs a masterpiece ahead of Piastri and Norris
The Belgian sprint race moves quickly in its second half. Hamilton can't manage higher than sixteenth place. His team radio is worrying on lap eight, when he complains about a complete loss of the rear end. Leclerc's other Ferrari, however, holds steady in fourth place, well behind Esteban Ocon's Haas, still fifth, and now more than two seconds behind Lando Norris.
Meanwhile, the English of the McLaren He's now less than a second behind his teammate. Up front, Max Verstappen is producing a masterpiece: he manages to fend off the two papayas without giving them the slightest opportunity to overtake. Not even when on lap eleven he makes a slight mistake at the bus stop. Piastri tries to make himself visible, but frequently makes mistakes in his precision as he chases. Norris, on the other hand, tries to get himself noticed in the Australian's mirrors, also to entice him to push harder on Verstappen.
The laps ticked by, but Red Bull remained in first place, crossing the finish line ahead of the two McLarens. New team principal Laurent Mekies scored a first win in his first sprint race, but Max Verstappen gave the entire field a masterclass in driving. Leclerc finished fourth, the best he could have achieved today. Ocon took an excellent fifth place, followed by Sainz, Bearman, and Hadjar, with the Frenchman from Racing Bull rounding out the points. Russell was only twelfth, while Hamilton and Antonelli finished fifteenth and seventeenth, with #44 having passed Albon on the final corner.
