Piastri wins rain-hit F1 Belgian GP to extend title lead

by F1 correspondent Michael Butterworth

BEIJING, July 28 (Xinhua) -- McLaren's Oscar Piastri prevailed in a rain affected Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday, overtaking teammate Lando Norris on the opening racing lap to score his sixth win of 2025 and extend his championship lead.

McLaren's 1-2 finish solidified the Woking-based squad's dominance all weekend long, and came after a 90-minute start delay caused by heavy rain and poor visibility.

Race control suspended the formation lap behind the safety car after half a lap, sending the field back to the pits before resuming with multiple laps under the safety car. When green flag racing finally began, Piastri launched past pole-sitter Norris through Eau Rouge into Les Combes in a decisive move that set the tone for the rest of the Grand Prix.

Piastri and Norris both adopted a one-stop strategy, switching from intermediates to slick tyres as the track began to dry. Piastri opted for medium tyres on lap 12 and rejoined ahead of Norris, who was obliged to wait an extra lap to make his stop and opted for hard tyres.

Norris mounted a late charge as Piastri struggled with tyre degradation, and the Briton closed the gap between the two from eight seconds to just three by the start of the penultimate lap, setting the stage for an unlikely last-gasp challenge for the lead.

However, Norris ran wide and lost momentum after the La Source hairpin as he began his 43rd lap of 44, ensuring Piastri was not threatened as he crossed the finish line 3.415 seconds clear of his teammate.

Charles Leclerc secured third place for Ferrari, surviving intense early pressure from Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who had to be content with fourth after having won Saturday's Sprint race in dry conditions.

George Russell finished a disappointed fifth, bemoaning his performance as Mercedes' "worst of the season," and adding that the team must try to understand why its car struggled in conditions that should have suited its characteristics.

Alex Albon took a solid sixth for Williams, and Leclerc's teammate Lewis Hamilton rose from a pit lane start to take seventh after an early switch to dry tyres paid dividends. Liam Lawson finished eighth for Racing Bulls, ahead of an impressive Gabriel Bortoleto in his Sauber, with Pierre Gasly rounding out the top ten for Alpine.

After having been beaten by Norris in the previous two Grands Prix, Piastri's triumph in Belgium sees him extend his championship lead over his teammate to 16 points, with Verstappen a further 65 points adrift in what increasingly looks like an-McLaren battle for the title.

McLaren's perfect day was the team's third 1-2 finish in a row and its sixth so far in 2025, and the papaya squad's current Constructors' Championship points tally of 516 is more than double that of second-placed Ferrari on 248, while Mercedes sits third on 220.

The next round of the 2025 Formula 1 season is the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring near Budapest on August 3. ■