Belgium - Sprint

Friday's sprint qualifying was filled with many surprises, but what everyone expected was to see a McLaren take the coveted pole. This time, it was Oscar Piastri who triumphed, while Lando Norris had to settle for the third spot on the grid, having been beaten not only by his teammate, but also by the always-impressive Max Verstappen. With the three of them so close to the front, a fight for the win was bound to take place over the 15 laps around the stunning Spa-Francorchamps. 

Only 18 drivers lined up on the grid, all with the medium tires on their wheels. Both of the Alpine drivers were missing from their spots. Franco Colapinto decided to make some changes to his vehicle and start the race from the pit lane, while Pierre Gasly was set not to participate in the race at all. He did eventually appear on track, but, being two laps down from the rest of the grid, he did so to gather some useful data rather than participate in the racing. 

The fight for the lead began as soon as the lights went out. Piastri managed to keep his position in the first corners, but was overtaken by Verstappen at the end of the first big straight. Behind the two leaders, the second McLaren also lost a position, passed by the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. The only other early change in the field was Lance Stroll moving past his teammate, Fernando Alonso. 

Piastri was determined to get the lead back from Verstappen, but seemed unable to get close enough. His teammate was in a better position and, on lap 4, managed to reclaim P3 and virtually erease Leclerc's chances of getting a sprint podium. 

It wasn't long before Norris left Leclerc far behind and moved closer to Piastri, who was still trying to find a way past Verstappen. He had a good opportunity on lap 11, but couldn't finish the move and the order remained unchanged. It seemed like he didn't have what it would take to tear the victory away from Verstappen. By the end of the race, the gap between him and Norris was smaller than the one between him and the lead. 

There weren't too many changes neither at the front nor the back of the race. Both Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli managed to overtake Nico Hulkenberg, and the former also found a way past Alex Albon. This put the Brit at P15 and the young Italian at P17 by the end of the race. 

The Australian tried to save battery in order to perform a last lap attack, but his reserves weren't enough. Verstappen, the man who had won more sprints than any other driver, succeeded once more, much to the disappointment of all McLaren fans. Leclerc finished the race in 4th, followed by the ever-impressive Esteban Ocon. 

Order of the grid:

1. Max Verstappen

2. Oscar Piastri

3. Lando Norris

4. Charles Leclerc

5. Esteban Ocon

6. Carlos Sainz

7. Oliver Bearman

8. Isack Hadjar

9. Gabriel Bortoleto

10. Liam Lawson

11. Yuki Tsunoda

12. George Russell

13. Lance Stroll

14. Fernando Alonso

15. Lewis Hamilton

16. Alex Albon

17. Kimi Antonelli

18. Nico Hulkenberg

19. Franco Colapinto

20. Pierre Gasly