Max Verstappen kicks off the post-Horner era with a win in the Spa sprint

Max Verstappen took advantage of the top speed of the RB21 to overtake Oscar Piastri at Les Combes and win the sprint race at the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver completed 15 laps in 26:37.997, delivering the Austrian team its first victory since the beginning of the new era without Christian Horner as team principal.

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Red Bull operates with used tires against McLaren

Red Bull's strategy was based on tire compound differences from the start. Verstappen ran with used medium tires while Piastri and Lando Norris had new tires of the same specification. The initial disadvantage was offset by the superior top speed of the Austrian car on the straights of Spa-Francorchamps.

Piastri had taken pole with 1:40.510, beating Verstappen by 0.412 seconds during Saturday's sprint qualifying. Piastri maintained the lead at the start but couldn't prevent Verstappen from using his slipstream to position himself better towards Turn 5.

Franco Colapinto received permission to start from the pit lane after Alpine modified the rear wing of his A525 under parc fermé conditions. Pierre Gasly couldn't take the start due to cooling system issues with his car, joining two laps later in what Alpine used as a development session.

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Norris closes gap with DRS assistance

Charles Leclerc took advantage of Verstappen's overtake to gain a position against Norris in the opening meters. Leclerc ran third until lap four, when Norris regained the position on the Kemmel straight using the available DRS zone.

The race turned into a three-car battle at the front. Norris progressively reduced the gap to the leaders until he was within six tenths of Piastri by mid-race. McLaren informed Norris about his teammate's "medium" battery level, information that might have facilitated an overtaking attempt.

Verstappen experienced brake system issues during the final laps. "I can't brake," he reported by radio after a tricky moment at the final chicane. The problem didn't affect his ability to maintain the lead under constant pressure from both McLaren drivers.

Piastri adds seven points in championship battle

Piastri's second place allowed him to extend his lead over Norris in the drivers' standings. With seven points for his final position and six for Norris, the gap between the McLaren teammates reaches nine units after three sprint races in 2025.

"I knew it was going to be very difficult to keep them behind, so it was like a cat-and-mouse game with DRS, battery usage, and the whole race was within seven tenths."

McLaren maintains the fastest car of the championship according to the performance shown at Spa. Piastri attempted the closest overtake on lap 11, closing in on Verstappen around the outside at Les Combes without completing the move.

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Hamilton and Mercedes struggle in lower positions

Lewis Hamilton finished a difficult performance in 15th place after being eliminated in the first stage of sprint qualifying. The Ferrari driver had finished 18th in that session and could only gain three positions during the 15-lap race.

Mercedes also had a complicated weekend in Belgian territory. George Russell finished 12th from his 13th starting position, while Kimi Antonelli couldn't move up from his 20th grid position and finished 17th.

Esteban Ocon kept Haas in the points with fifth place, while Carlos Sainz secured sixth for Williams. Oliver Bearman completed a strong performance for the American team by finishing seventh, with Isack Hadjar rounding out the points-paying positions in eighth with Racing Bulls.

Next activity in Saturday qualifying

Drivers will return to the Spa-Francorchamps track at 16:00 local time for the qualifying session that will determine the grid for the Belgian Grand Prix. The session will set the starting positions for Sunday's main race, which awards full championship points.

Sprint race results - 2025 Belgian Grand Prix