In a race drenched in suspense and soaked with tension, Oscar Piastri emerged victorious at a rain-disrupted Belgian Grand Prix, fending off a relentless charge from teammate and title rival Lando Norris to extend his championship lead by 16 points.
The skies over Spa opened up before the start, delaying the race by nearly 80 minutes. But when the lights finally went out on Lap 5, the drama ignited immediately. Piastri launched a bold assault through Eau Rouge, using the treacherous climb to slingshot past Norris on the Kemmel Straight—a move of courage and precision, completed well before Les Combes.
From there, Piastri took control of the race. When the track began to dry, McLaren’s strategic gamble saw Piastri pit on Lap 12 for slicks. Norris, forced to stay out another lap, lost vital time. When he rejoined, the gap was nine seconds. Yet he hunted, closing to within 3.1 seconds in the dying laps, only for a small error at La Source to seal Piastri’s triumph with a 3.4-second margin.
Behind them, Charles Leclerc fought off a menacing Max Verstappen to secure third, the Red Bull ace lurking just 1.5s behind but unable to strike. George Russell ran a lonely race to P5, while Alex Albon delivered a controlled defence against a resurgent Lewis Hamilton, who stormed from a pit lane start to P7 in his Ferrari.
The midfield was a battleground. Liam Lawson claimed eighth for Racing Bulls, rookie Gabriel Bortoleto impressed in ninth, and Pierre Gasly clung to tenth after holding off a snarling DRS train.
Remarkably, all 20 drivers finished—a rarity at Spa—with no safety cars or retirements once the race began. But the true story was at the front: a battle of nerve, speed, and rain-soaked resolve between two McLaren drivers. And on this day, under Spa’s brooding skies, Oscar Piastri stood tall.
