The key blueprint Oscar Piastri nailed to outfox Lando Norris in rain-impacted Belgian GP

Independent

a day ago

In hindsight, Oscar Piastri 's wry smile was indicative of the events that followed. Sitting on pole for Saturday's sprint race, the Australian was powerless to stop Max Verstappen storming past him on the first racing lap. But for the grand prix, with McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris out in front, second-placed Piastri had the opportunity to follow suit. When asked, he attempted a poker face, but could not hide his clear agenda.
And after a start which was delayed by one hour and 20 minutes following a heavy downpour on a murky day at Spa-Francorchamps, Piastri stole a march on Norris at the start – after four laps behind the safety car – with what turned out to be a simple overtake on the first racing lap. It would be the race-winning moment.
As the track quickly dried up, the McLaren pair went on different strategies and it was Piastri who managed to keep the lead despite his set of worn-out tyres to claim his fifth victory of the season – and first in four races. The gap between the pair at the top is now 16 points, heading into round 14 in Hungary next weekend.
Charles Leclerc took home a respectable third place for Ferrari, with Max Verstappen largely powerless in fourth. Lewis Hamilton, who started in the pit-lane, recovered impressively to come home in seventh to conclude a wretched weekend for the seven-time world champion.
For Piastri, however, a rare expletive-led show of joy at the chequered flag: 'Nicely f****** done.'
He later added: 'It was very lively! I knew lap one would be my best chance of winning the race. I lifted as little as I dared through Eau Rouge and it was enough.
'We had it mostly under control. Turns out starting second is not too bad after all.'
Amid heavy rain at Spa-Francorchamps – four years on from a farcical two laps behind the safety car in treacherous conditions here – the race started behind the safety car with the formation lap.
However, with the majority of drivers reporting poor visibility, including pole-sitter Lando Norris, the FIA took a cautious approach and the start was suspended. Max Verstappen, a master in the wet, disagreed with the call but was a lone voice in criticising the decision.
The race was delayed for 80 minutes before the sun emerged over the hills of the Ardennes Forest, yet race director Rui Marques opted for the unorthodox rolling start, seemingly handing the initiative to pole-sitter Norris.
TOP-10 - BELGIAN GRAND PRIX
But Piastri, starting in second, crept up on the gearbox of his McLaren teammate and, at the start of the Kemmel Straight, pounced with a comfortable move and, in no time at all, opened up a sizable one-second lead in the rain.
After a dozen laps, dry tyres were the optimal rubber and Hamilton – positioned at the start in de facto 17th after technically starting in the pit-lane – gambled first, in an attempt to make up some quick positions.
Race leader Piastri dived into the pit-lane a lap later, given priority in the team-mate stakes courtesy of his superior position, and after a slow stop for Norris, the Australian had a seismic six second lead. 'No rush here,' said Norris's engineer Will Joseph, with a nod to Norris going to the end of the race on his set of hard tyres. The other 19 cars all switched to mediums.
Further back, Ferrari's Leclerc was performing admirably in staving off a challenge from Verstappen while Hamilton was flying up the field: by lap 15, he was seventh, trailing George Russell in fifth and Alex Albon in sixth.
The great unknown now was whether the medium tyre would stretch to the end of the 44 laps, particularly for race leader Piastri. With 10 laps to go, and backmarkers pitting for a second time, Piastri's lead of around eight seconds was diminishing at a dramatic rate, but when told by his engineer that a second stop wasn't an option, the cool-headed Aussie responded: 'I'm happy with that.'
As it played out, Piastri's confidence was justified, with a winning margin of 3.4 seconds. And amid Norris's mid-season resurgence, a crucial swing back in Piastri's direction, as this to-and-fro papaya title race takes another twist.