Oscar Piastri extended his lead in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship by winning a rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix, narrowly defeating his McLaren teammate Lando Norris who started on pole position. The race was delayed by over an hour because of heavy rain and standing water that affected visibility, common at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Piastri’s victory moves his points advantage to 16, up from 9 before the race. Here’s all you need to know about Piastri’s important win and the closely fought contest against Norris.
The race saw Piastri overtake Norris on the very first racing lap after the safety car restart. Piastri is alleged to have benefited from a slipstream and committed more through Eau Rouge, the notorious uphill corner, which allowed him to take second place and then maintain it till the finish. Norris complained over the radio about a possible battery issue which is meant to have affected his car’s performance during critical moments of the race.
Other than this, Norris had chosen the hard compound tyres compared to the mediums used by Piastri in the only pit stops, which meant he lost time later despite closing a substantial gap. The update is claimed to bring out the significance of tyre strategy in race outcome. McLaren’s Team Principal Andrea Stella commented on the close rivalry, mentioning the drivers are operating at the standards of past world champions and that precision and execution quality would likely determine the championship winner.
Furthermore, this podium finish was Piastri’s sixth win of the season and eighth overall in Formula 1. Norris praised his teammate after the race, admitting that Piastri deserved the victory for his commitment and performance. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari was a distant third, with championship leader Max Verstappen finishing fourth. The result reinforced McLaren’s strong form this season.
Having said that, the championship remains competitive, and fans will look forward to the next race in Hungary where the dynamics could shift again. Do you think the strategic tyre choices greatly influenced the outcome at Belgium? Let us know in the comments below.
