Three things we learned from Belgian F1 Grand Prix
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While old school racers including multiple champions Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen favoured a prompt start on a tricky circuit, younger drivers and team chiefs preferred to back race director Rui Marques's caution and wait for dry weather.
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Piastri secured his sixth win of the season, with great aplomb that makes him favourite to beat McLaren team-mate Lando Norris to the drivers' title.
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The Australian's consistency and mental strength helped him into a 16-point lead after 13 of this year's 24 races, but his drive was overshadowed by post-race arguments about racing in the rain.
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Ferrari's Hamilton and Red Bull's Verstappen slammed the long delay and choice of rolling start, but others including Mercedes' George Russell and Williams' Carlos Sainz backed the 'safety first' decision at a track with a dark history of fatal accidents.
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'We could've gone miles earlier, an hour earlier,' said Verstappen.
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'It was a shame. It just ruins a nice classic wet race. Either we push to go for a wet race — or we just stop racing in the wet… and wait for it to be dry. But that's not what you want, right?'
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Verstappen's car was set up for extreme wet conditions, as forecast, but the decision meant he and others were disadvantaged. He finished fourth.
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Triumphant McLaren team boss Andrea Stella, celebrating a sixth 1-2 this year, praised the move.
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'I think the race was managed in a very wise way by the FIA,' he said.
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'We knew there was a lot of rain coming and I think at a circuit like this if you make the calls late, it may be too late — and the outcome could be difficult.'
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He emphasised the unique risks of the high-speed track through the forested valleys of the Ardennes.
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'I understand it would be entertaining, but the average speed is so high at Spa that in wet conditions it's impossible to see.'
New Red Bull chief Laurent Mekies, in his first outing after replacing Christian Horner, said: 'I think we were all surprised by how late we started.'
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