Piastri outpaces Verstappen in opening practice at Belgian GP
The 24-year-old Australian, reacting positively to his disappointment at Silverstone where he was handed a controversial penalty, clocked a best lap in one minute and 42.022 seconds to beat the four-time champion by four-tenths of a second in a keenly-contested session.
Verstappen was driving for the first time since Red Bull dismissed former boss Christian Horner two weeks earlier. Frenchman Laurent Mekies took his place on the pit wall.
Piastri's McLaren team-mate Lando Norris was third ahead of Mercedes' George Russell, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and rookie Kimi Antonelli in the second Mercedes with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari seventh.
Lance Stroll was eighth for Aston Martin ahead of team-mate two-time champion Fernando Alonso and Racing Bulls' rookie Isack Hadjar and the two Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon.
Verstappen takes part in the first practice. — AFP
On a cool misty morning in the forests of the Ardennes, Antonelli set an fast lap before Norris and then Verstappen took command on mediums as the heavy mist began to lift with intermittent sunshine lighting up the majestic circuit.
The champion remained in charge as he trimmed his time to 1:44.236 until Leclerc went quicker in 1:44.148, running his Ferrari on a hard compound tyre as Hamilton, his team-mate, complained of instability and 'rear locking'.
- 'Nose for success' -
Norris, bidding for a third consecutive victory to overhaul Piastri in the title race, laughed at suggestions that he had developed a 'nose for success' - the scarred result of a facial injury suffered after winning the British Grand Prix.
"It's healing nicely", he revealed. "I had a professional repair job. If I ever want to look in the mirror and think of something great, I look at my nose!"
Verstappen looks on during the first practice. — AFP
His misfortune, when a photographer fell on him as a trackside fence collapsed, had no apparent effect on his upbeat mood at a circuit revered by the drivers.
With 10 minutes remaining, as most teams switched to race simulation work, some took softs and this resulted in Stroll going top in 1:43.112, a full second faster than Leclerc's previous best to spark a spate of more late fast laps on softs.
Piastri and Verstappen led the gang with the Australian going top in 1:42.123, half a second faster than the Red Bull driver who went second, before the Mercedes of Russell and Antonelli climbed to second and fourth on mediums.
Norris made a mistake at Stavelot where he dropped two wheels into the gravel, as compatriot Oliver Bearman ran off, but he recovered to go third behind his McLaren team-mate and the Dutchman. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times of Oman
an hour ago
- Times of Oman
Piastri wins rain-hit F1 Belgian GP to extend title lead
BEIJING: McLaren's Oscar Piastri prevailed in a rain affected Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday, overtaking teammate Lando Norris on the opening racing lap to score his sixth win of 2025 and extend his championship lead. McLaren's 1-2 finish solidified the Woking-based squad's dominance all weekend long, and came after a 90-minute start delay caused by heavy rain and poor visibility. Race control suspended the formation lap behind the safety car after half a lap, sending the field back to the pits before resuming with multiple laps under the safety car. When green flag racing finally began, Piastri launched past pole-sitter Norris through Eau Rouge into Les Combes in a decisive move that set the tone for the rest of the Grand Prix. Piastri and Norris both adopted a one-stop strategy, switching from intermediates to slick tyres as the track began to dry. Piastri opted for medium tyres on lap 12 and rejoined ahead of Norris, who was obliged to wait an extra lap to make his stop and opted for hard tyres. Norris mounted a late charge as Piastri struggled with tyre degradation, and the Briton closed the gap between the two from eight seconds to just three by the start of the penultimate lap, setting the stage for an unlikely last-gasp challenge for the lead. However, Norris ran wide and lost momentum after the La Source hairpin as he began his 43rd lap of 44, ensuring Piastri was not threatened as he crossed the finish line 3.415 seconds clear of his teammate. Charles Leclerc secured third place for Ferrari, surviving intense early pressure from Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who had to be content with fourth after having won Saturday's Sprint race in dry conditions. George Russell finished a disappointed fifth, bemoaning his performance as Mercedes' "worst of the season," and adding that the team must try to understand why its car struggled in conditions that should have suited its characteristics. Alex Albon took a solid sixth for Williams, and Leclerc's teammate Lewis Hamilton rose from a pit lane start to take seventh after an early switch to dry tyres paid dividends. Liam Lawson finished eighth for Racing Bulls, ahead of an impressive Gabriel Bortoleto in his Sauber, with Pierre Gasly rounding out the top ten for Alpine. After having been beaten by Norris in the previous two Grands Prix, Piastri's triumph in Belgium sees him extend his championship lead over his teammate to 16 points, with Verstappen a further 65 points adrift in what increasingly looks like an-McLaren battle for the title. McLaren's perfect day was the team's third 1-2 finish in a row and its sixth so far in 2025, and the papaya squad's current Constructors' Championship points tally of 516 is more than double that of second-placed Ferrari on 248, while Mercedes sits third on 220. The next round of the 2025 Formula 1 season is the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring near Budapest on August 3
Observer
17 hours ago
- Observer
Piastri beats Norris in rain-hit Belgian Grand Prix
Oscar Piastri passed McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris with a bold early move to win the rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix and extend his Formula One lead to 16 points on Sunday. Charles Leclerc was a distant third for Ferrari as reigning champions McLaren celebrated their sixth one-two finish in 13 races and the third in a row. The race at Spa-Francorchamps was red-flagged after an initial formation lap and delayed by an hour and 20 minutes due to the weather, with standing water and heavy spray affecting visibility. Piastri was not in a mood for hanging around when the racing got going with a rolling start after four laps behind the safety car. The Australian charged through the spray to slipstream Norris through the daunting Eau Rouge and scythed past on the uphill straight. "I knew lap one would be my best chance of winning the race. I got a good exit out of Turn One, lifted as little as I dared out of Eau Rouge," he said. Winner McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri lifts the first place trophy after winning the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Spa. — AFP "The rest of the race we managed really well. I struggled at the end. Maybe the mediums were not the best for the last five or six laps. We had it mostly under control." If Norris had a battery issue, the Briton asking over the radio why he had "no pack" before his race engineer assured him it was coming back, he was not looking for any excuses afterwards. "Oscar just did a good job. Nothing more to say. Committed a bit more through Eau Rouge, and had the slipstream and got the run," he said. "So nothing to complain of. He did a better job in the beginning, and that was it. Nothing more I could do after that point. I would love to be up top, but Oscar deserved it today." Piastri pitted on lap 12 of 44 to switch from intermediates to medium tyres and Norris followed a lap later, but opting for hards, before both then went to the chequered flag on a one-stop strategy. Piastri crossed the line 3.415 seconds clear of Norris, who had been chasing a third win in a row and managed to reduce the gap in the final laps with putting the ever-calm Australian under too much pressure. Reigning champion and Saturday sprint winner Max Verstappen finished fourth, in Red Bull's first grand prix since the dismissal of team boss Christian Horner, with George Russell fifth for Mercedes. Williams' Alex Albon held off Ferrari's seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton to secure sixth. Liam Lawson was eighth for Racing Bulls with Gabriel Bortoleto ninth for Sauber and Pierre Gasly securing the final point for Alpine. — Reuters
Observer
2 days ago
- Observer
Australian Groves wins Tour de France stage 20
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar was left standing on the cusp of a fourth Tour de France title as Alpecin rider Kaden Groves won Saturday's stage 20 after a long-range escape that saw the Australian finish well ahead of the big guns. Runaway overall race leader Pogacar maintained his lead over Jonas Vingegaard ahead of Sunday's 21st and final stage in Paris. The Team UAE rider has a 4min 24sec advantage heading into what could be a tricky finale, a 132km ride from Mantes-la-Ville to the Champs-Elysees, but featuring three ascents of the cobbled streets of Montmartre. A fourth title now looms for Pogacar who said after a dominant ride across the peaks and plains of France he felt he's won. 'It's starting to sink in,' said the 26-year old, who previously won the sport's most prestigious cycling stage race in 2020, 2021 and 2024. 'Tomorrow, all being well, I'll be celebrating with my team,' added a weary Pogacar. 'This has been another level of hard, all the way. I enjoyed it though and I'm really looking forward to the last day tomorrow.' FIFTH STAGE TILT Pogacar refused to rule out a tilt at a fifth stage win if he could escape up the climbs to Montmartre. 'We'll see how we feel and how the others act, maybe we'll try something in Montmartre.' The champion-in-waiting was left shaking his head after almost getting taken down in a fall 500m from the line on Saturday as lashing rain made the roads hazardous on the run in to Pontarlier. This was a third stage win for Alpecin after Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel took the two opening wins. 'They gave me a free role in the final days,' Groves said after both Philipsen and Van der Poel pulled out. 'I'm going to enjoy this one and celebrate with my team and enjoy the Champs tomorrow.' Just 158 riders crossed the rolling hills at the foot of the Jura and many looked haggard after the fast racing in the Alps. So along the Swiss border, most of the peloton seemed happy to let an escape get a 7min lead after an exhausting slog that started July 5. Pogacar has dominated the 2025 Tour winning stages on rolling runs in the north and west at Rouen and the Mur de Bretagne in the first week, then on the mountain slopes of the Pyrenees on the Hautacam and Peyragudes in week two. As the Tour entered its end game Pogacar unexpectedly sat tight to protect his lead through the Alps rather go on his trademark all out attacks. Vingegaard, the 2022 and 2023 Tour champion, had two off days, first on a time trial and secondly at Hautacam, leaving Pogacar to surge into a lead he never looked like surrendering. Pogacar said he'd be back on the bike by Tuesday. 'I travel home Monday. Tuesday I'll be going out for a ride with friends, stop somewhere for a coffee and start enjoying the summer, I've earned it.' Pogacar will be back in competitive action in September at Kigali, Rwanda, in defence of his world title. — AFP
