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The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Oscar Piastri breezes past Lando Norris to claim Belgian Grand Prix victory
Lando Norris' world championship bid was dealt a blow in Belgium after he allowed rival Oscar Piastri to breeze past him and win Sunday's rain-hit Grand Prix race. The start of the 13th round in Spa-Francorchamps was delayed by one hour and 20 minutes due to heavy rain in the Ardennes. But when it eventually got under way – following four precautionary laps behind the safety car – Norris was found wanting when a sloppy exit at the opening La Source corner provided Piastri with a race-winning opportunity too good to turn down. Despite being in Norris' spray, Piastri held his nerve and kept his foot on the accelerator at 170mph up through Eau Rouge and into Raidillon before jinking to his left and sailing clear of his McLaren team-mate on the Kemmel Straight. It was brave and superb in equal measure from Piastri but one Norris will be disappointed after seeing the his rival's championship advantage increase from nine points to 16 ahead of the final round before the summer break in Hungary next weekend. Norris crossed the line 3.4 seconds behind Piastri with Charles Leclerc third for Ferrari. Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished fourth, one place clear of Mercedes driver George Russell with Alex Albon an impressive sixth in his Williams. Lewis Hamilton started 18th and finished seventh following a string of fine moves in the early inclement conditions. At one point, there were fears the race – initially pencilled in for a start time of 3pm locally – could be abandoned after it was suspended following the formation lap due to poor visibility. Verstappen described the decision as 'silly' and 'too cautious'. However, there have been 49 fatalities at this track in the last 100 years – most recently Dutch 18-year-old Dilano Van 't Hoff in 2023. And race director Rui Marques could be excused for taking that grizzly statistic into his consideration. The drivers returned to their respective garages, and as the rain lashed down, memories were cast back to the event in 2021 – one which was abandoned after only two laps behind the safety car. But the grey skies parted, the sun broke through, and at 16:20, pole-sitter Norris emerged on track, albeit behind the safety car, to huge cheers from the record-breaking crowd with 389,000 spectators over the last three days. With visibility quickly improving, the safety car peeled in after four laps, and Norris bunched up the pack before attempting to put distance between himself and Piastri. The advantage was in Norris's hands with Piastri having to navigate his team-mate's spray. But a scrappy exit at La Source from the Briton provided Piastri with the momentum and he soared past Norris and into the lead. Piastri was 1.5 seconds quicker than Norris on the first racing lap leaving the Englishman – who arrived here hoping to claim a hat-trick of wins – facing a mammoth and improbable task. Further back and Hamilton, armed with a new engine, passed both Carlos Sainz and Franco Colapinto in only a handful of corners before breezing clear of Nico Hulkenberg on lap eight for 14th. That became 13th a lap later following a fine move on Pierre Gasly. On lap 11, Hamilton, who had described his Q1 elimination on Saturday as 'unacceptable', was then the first of the major players to move to the slick tyres. A slingshot manouvere on Liam Lawson in the moments after he left the pits promoted him to a net seventh when it all shook out. In came leader Piastri for dry tyres on lap 12, with Norris in on the next lap. Norris took on the hardest tyre compound – the only driver to do so – in the hope that Piastri's medium rubber would not make it to the end. But in a blow to Norris, Piastri's rubber lasted all 44 laps as he claimed his sixth win of the season – two more than Norris – with the championship momentum swinging back to Australia.
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
The key blueprint Oscar Piastri nailed to outfox Lando Norris in rain-impacted Belgian GP
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.
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Luis Diaz set for 75m euro move to Bayern Munich as Liverpool accept latest bid
Liverpool have agreed a 75 million euro deal with Bayern Munich for Reds forward Luis Diaz, the PA news agency understands. The agreement comes after the Bundesliga champions were understood to have reopened dialogue regarding a move after having an initial offer of 67.5 million euros (£59m) dismissed last week. Liverpool are currently on their pre-season tour in Asia and Diaz was still with the team when they arrived in Tokyo on Sunday, but now has permission to leave. The 28-year-old has two years left on his original contract and it is understood the Reds accepted the bid for what they consider to be his market value. Diaz joined Liverpool in January 2022 and made 50 appearances in all competitions last season – scoring 17 goals – as he helped the team clinch the Premier League title. His time on Merseyside also saw him lift the FA Cup and two Carabao Cups. Diaz was left out of Liverpool's 4-2 friendly defeat by AC Milan in Hong Kong on Saturday as speculation surrounding his future continued to mount. Speaking post-match, head coach Arne Slot said: 'In Lucho's (Diaz's) situation, there's a lot of rumours around him lately and I cannot go into that. 'He's training really well with us but we have decided for now not to play him yet. 'I'm used to talking to most of my players on a regular basis. I cannot comment much more about that.' Liverpool have been busy in the transfer window so far and have bolstered their attacking options with Florian Wirtz – who made his first start as a false nine on Saturday – and Hugo Ekitike joining the club. There have also been further arrivals on Merseyside, with Jeremie Frimpong, left-back Milos Kerkez and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili all signing and the trio played in the second half of Saturday's friendly.
