Piastri beats Norris to win Formula 1's rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — Oscar Piastri had to wait, and wait some more. Then he made his move.
Piastri beat his McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris to win Formula 1's Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday after heavy rain delayed the start.
Piastri powered past his teammate and title rival Norris on the first racing lap after the safety car pulled into the pits on lap four, following a delay to the start of more than an hour.
'I knew I was going to try and lift (off the accelerator) a little bit less than Lando did and try to make it stick,' said Piastri, admitting his car felt 'lively' as he took on the extra risk through the steeply uphill Eau Rouge corner.
Norris suggested over the radio he was having issues with the battery providing his electric power. McLaren chief executive Zak Brown told broadcaster Sky Sports that there was 'a small battery issue which we've got to look at.'
Norris reduced Piastri's lead toward the end of the race but the Australian held on with worn tires and Norris couldn't get close enough to challenge.
Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari after he kept Red Bull's Max Verstappen behind him all race. Title battle
Piastri extended his championship lead over Norris from nine points to 16 and denied his British teammate a third Grand Prix win in a row.
It was the second straight day that Piastri held off Norris after taking second place ahead of his teammate in Saturday's sprint, won by Max Verstappen.
Except for the weather, Piastri's overtake of Norris was almost a copy of Verstappen's opening-lap pass on the Australian from second on the grid in the sprint.
Piastri had been disappointed to qualify second for the Grand Prix behind Norris, but it 'turns out starting second at Spa is not so bad after all,' he said.
Piastri took his sixth win of the season and is the first McLaren driver to win the Belgian Grand Prix since Jenson Button in 2012. Hamilton's surge to seventh
Unlike the thrilling and chaotic last race in Britain, there was no significant rain after the race finally got underway and Sunday's race was largely a procession after a few early attacks on the still-wet track. Most key contenders switched to dry tires at roughly the same time and didn't have to stop again.
In Red Bull's first Grand Prix since the firing of Christian Horner as team principal, Verstappen failed with an attempt to get past Leclerc at the start and spent the rest of the race behind the Ferrari driver on his way to fourth.
George Russell was fifth for Mercedes after an early pass on Alex Albon, who finished sixth for Williams after holding off Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, who was seventh.
The seven-time champion started 18th and Hamilton carved his way through the field on the wet track early on but then lost momentum. Liam Lawson was eighth for Racing Bulls, with Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto ninth and Pierre Gasly 10th for Alpine.
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
2 minutes ago
- Associated Press
UAE to host cricket tri-series ahead of T20 World Cup
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United Arab Emirates will host a Twenty20 tri-series including Afghanistan and Pakistan later this month as part of the teams' buildup for next year's T20 World Cup. Sharjah will host all seven games of the tri-series, starting Aug. 29. Teams play against each other twice before the top two qualify for the final. Pakistan and Afghanistan have already secured direct qualification for the T20 World Cup to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. UAE could also qualify but it has to play ICC's Asia-East Asia and Pacific qualifiers in Oman in October. Afghanistan, which finished seventh in the last T20 World Cup, hasn't played a T20 since a bilateral series against Zimbabwe late last year. Pakistan is currently playing a T20 series against West Indies in the United States. The tri-series will be followed by the Asia Cup, also scheduled to be held in the UAE, from Sept. 9 when Afghanistan takes on Hong Kong in the opening game. ___ AP cricket:
Fox Sports
3 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
UAE to host cricket tri-series ahead of T20 World Cup
Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United Arab Emirates will host a Twenty20 tri-series including Afghanistan and Pakistan later this month as part of the teams' buildup for next year's T20 World Cup. Sharjah will host all seven games of the tri-series, starting Aug. 29. Teams play against each other twice before the top two qualify for the final. Pakistan and Afghanistan have already secured direct qualification for the T20 World Cup to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. UAE could also qualify but it has to play ICC's Asia-East Asia and Pacific qualifiers in Oman in October. Afghanistan, which finished seventh in the last T20 World Cup, hasn't played a T20 since a bilateral series against Zimbabwe late last year. Pakistan is currently playing a T20 series against West Indies in the United States. The tri-series will be followed by the Asia Cup, also scheduled to be held in the UAE, from Sept. 9 when Afghanistan takes on Hong Kong in the opening game. ___ AP cricket: in this topic
Hamilton Spectator
3 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Enhanced Games (no drug testing) signs its first female athlete, world-champion swimmer Megan Romano
The Olympic-style sports venture that will run an event next year with no drug testing signed world-champion swimmer Megan Romano as its first female and first American athlete Thursday. The Enhanced Games will debut next May in Las Vegas, featuring swimming, track and weightlifting competitions in an event that will allow athletes to use performance enhancers. Romano calls competing in the event 'an opportunity to push the boundaries of human performance in a transparent and scientifically-backed environment, and to compete on a stage where female athletes are valued and compensated fairly. equally. I believe this is the future of sport.' The Enhanced Games will offer a prize purse of $500,000 for each event with $1 million bonuses going to anyone who breaks a world record in the 100-meter sprint (track) and 50-meter freestyle (swimming). Those marks would not count as 'official,' because world records need to be ratified by international federations, which require record-breakers to pass doping tests. The International Olympic Committee has condemned the concept of the Enhanced Games, saying, 'If you want to destroy any concept of fair play and fair competition in sport, this would be a good way to do it.' But the games have built some momentum and raised money in the 'double-digit millions,' according to founder Aron D'Souza. Four male swimmers, including Olympic medalist James Magnussen of Australia, have committed to the games. Romano, a standout swimmer at Georgia in college, anchored the U.S. 4x100 freestyle relay team to a gold medal at world championships in 2013. ___ AP sports:
