Oscar Piastri clinched his sixth victory of the 2025 Formula 1 season in a dramatic Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, leading a McLaren one-two ahead of teammate Lando Norris. Charles Leclerc completed the podium for Ferrari in a race that was heavily affected by torrential rain and evolving track conditions.
The race weekend at Spa lived up to its reputation for unpredictable weather. A downpour before lights out forced the formation lap to start behind the Safety Car, with all drivers on intermediate tyres. However, visibility concerns raised by several drivers prompted Race Control to red-flag the session after just half a lap, sending the field back into the pit lane.
A lengthy delay followed, with the start eventually pushed back by nearly 90 minutes. Once conditions improved, the race resumed behind the Safety Car. Four laps were completed under neutral conditions before a rolling start was initiated.
As the field thundered through Eau Rouge on the first racing lap, Oscar Piastri seized the lead from Norris with a well-timed move at Kemmel Straight. From that point on, the Australian driver controlled the pace at the front while the rest of the pack settled into the tricky conditions.
George Russell passed Alex Albon for position on Lap 6, while Carlos Sainz made a move on Lance Stroll further back. Starting from the pit lane, Lewis Hamilton carved his way through the field, climbing to 15th by Lap 8 after overtaking Franco Colapinto.
By Lap 12, parts of the circuit had begun to dry, prompting the first switches to slick tyres. Hamilton, Gasly, Alonso and Hulkenberg were among the first to take the gamble, moving onto mediums. One lap later, race leader Piastri dived into the pits, triggering a wave of stops across the grid. Norris, however, opted to stay out one more lap, briefly inheriting the lead before rejoining behind his team-mate.
After the pit cycle, Piastri led with a commanding nine-second advantage. The biggest winner from the shuffle was Hamilton, who had climbed to seventh by Lap 14.
Further down the order, Andrea Kimi Antonelli made a late second stop and rejoined in 16th ahead of Alonso. The Mercedes rookie later battled Esteban Ocon in a spirited fight but struggled to hold the position.
Carlos Sainz received a black-and-white warning flag after an off-track excursion on Lap 28, while Isack Hadjar switched to hards after struggling on mediums.
Despite the gap, Norris began closing in on his teammate. By Lap 20, he had cut the lead to eight seconds. Both McLaren drivers had opted for different strategies—Piastri on mediums, Norris on the hard C1 compound, which Pirelli had brought alongside the C3 and C4 for Spa.
As the laps ticked down, Norris continued to reduce the gap to seven seconds on Lap 36, 5.5 seconds on Lap 39, and just 3.8 seconds entering the final three laps. Both drivers pushed to the limit, setting personal bests on Lap 42, but Piastri held firm to secure the win with a margin of 3.4 seconds. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completed the podium.
2025 Belgian Grand Prix Race Results:
1) Oscar Piastri – McLaren Racing
2) Lando Norris – McLaren Racing
3) Charles Leclerc – Scuderia Ferrari
4) Max Verstappen – Red Bull Racing
5) George Russell – Mercedes AMG F1 Team
6) Alex Albon – Williams Racing
7) Lewis Hamilton – Scuderia Ferrari
8) Liam Lawson – Visa Cash App RB
9) Gabriel Bortoleto – Kick Sauber F1
10) Pierre Gasly – Alpine Racing
11) Oliver Bearman – Haas F1 Team
12) Nico Hulkenberg – Kick Sauber F1
13) Yuki Tsunoda – Red Bull Racing
14) Lance Stroll – Aston Martin F1
15) Esteban Ocon – Haas F1 Team
16) Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes AMG F1
17) Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin F1
18) Carlos Sainz – Williams Racing
19) Franco Colapinto – Alpine Racing
20) Isack Hadjar – Visa Cash App RB
Watch the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix race highlights here.
