Belgian Grand Prix: Oscar Piastri soaks in the moment at Spa-Francorchamps

At Spa-Francorchamps, unpredictability is tradition. The inevitable rain around the Ardennes region in Belgium always adds a layer of risk and chaos to the 7km-long circuit — the longest track on the calendar — which rewards the brave and punishes hesitation.

The clouds had been looming for hours, and when the showers began, the start of the Belgian Grand Prix was pushed back for more than an hour. But in a weekend of shifting fortunes and grabbing at strands of opportunity, it was Oscar Piastri  who prevailed.

The 24-year-old made the boldest impression, outmanoeuvring and outlasting his teammate Lando Norris in a race of fine margins that now define McLaren’s season, and the championship battle.

Making a move

The advantage swung back and forth between the McLaren drivers almost from one session to the next. The papaya pair split the poles — Piastri dominated the sprint qualifying, while Norris struck in the main race, edging his teammate by barely a tenth.

But pole position is often seen as a double-edged sword at Spa-Francorchamps, and they were both at the receiving end. It was last in 2021 that the front-runner was able to maintain his advantage, albeit in an uncharacteristic fashion — Max Verstappen won the two-lap affair, which awarded half points to drivers.

First in line for the harsh reward was Piastri, who lined up ahead of the Dutchman (a three-time Belgian GP winner in the Sprint). The looming threat for the Australian was not his teammate starting from third, but the Red Bull sandwiched in between.

One can always expect Verstappen to pull off a stunning overtake on the opening lap, and the events unfolded soon enough. Flat out through Eau Rouge and into the Kemmel Straight — the first few turns of the track — the reigning champion used the tow to soar past Piastri in remarkable, gutsy, Verstappen-like fashion.

From there, he remained in total control of the 15-lap affair to win his first sprint of the season. It was his 12th career sprint victory — more than all other sprint winners combined (9). Piastri finished second, Norris third, but the psychological edge had begun to shift.

Learning curve

Bouncing back from a disappointing result in the 100-lap shootout, Piastri was not at his usual best during qualifying. A rare inaccuracy by Piastri allowed Norris to grab pole, but a window of opportunity was now wide open.

Sunday began in classic Spa fashion — a rain delay, five Safety Car laps, and a rolling start on Lap 6. As the field cautiously peeled away, Piastri pounced, and quite bravely at that. He proved he can be a quick learner, mimicking Verstappen’s overtake to perfection. Norris could only watch as his rival drifted away into the spray.

The rain stayed away thereon, and the track dried up soon enough. The one who triggered a wave of pit stops was Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, whose revival drive powered his pit-stop-to-points finish. The tyre change was the right call — McLaren brought Piastri in first for mediums, and Norris a lap later for hards, betting on long-term gain.

Norris lost time with a slower pit stop but stayed close, managing his tyres and waiting for Piastri to pit again. But the medium tyres lasted longer than expected, and suddenly, the advantage was back with Piastri.

It became clear that McLaren’s tyre split strategy would shape the final act of the race. Norris had to push, but Piastri had the track position and enough grip to defend it.

Right on time

By Lap 39, Norris had slashed the gap to under three seconds. Overtaking a teammate with equal machinery and high stakes is rarely straightforward. He had gotten all too familiar with playing catch-up, but might have left too much to do towards the end once again.

With two laps to go, Norris made a mistake, undoing the painstaking charge and sealing his fate. Piastri crossed the line over three seconds ahead to clinch his eighth career victory and extend his lead to 16 points. He reasserted himself in what is becoming the most compelling intra-team rivalry of the year.

Behind the battling McLarens, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc quietly executed one of his most assured drives of the season to take the final podium place. Yet another perfect qualifying lap helped him oust sprint winner Verstappen, who couldn’t find a way past the Ferrari driver in the 44-lap event.

But when the top two crossed the line, Leclerc was nowhere near. The gap? Almost 20 seconds. The sight of the McLarens thriving up front is all too common by now, but what is becoming increasingly difficult to predict is how close the fight keeps getting.

Each weekend seems to tilt the scale in a different direction — and at Spa, it swayed back towards Piastri.

MotoGP

Marc Marquez has been the embodiment of pushing the limit this season.

Back-to-back race weekends saw Marquez emerge victorious in Germany and Czechia, en route to becoming the first Ducati rider to win five consecutive MotoGP races.

The Spaniard secured his ninth victory at Sachsenring, an event that was marked by multiple crashes, with only 10 out of 18 riders finishing. He staged a lights-to-flag victory while his brother, Alex Marquez, finished second despite a fractured hand, and Francesco Bagnaia came home third.

A week later at the Dutch TT in Assen, Marquez was off to a rough start. He recovered from two crashes in practice and overcame a poor qualifying to charge through the field. He finished clear of Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi and his Ducati teammate Bagnaia, who was denied a fourth straight win here.

With a 120-point gap and 10 rounds remaining, catching Marquez will be next to impossible.