Max Verstappen claimed his first Sprint Race win of the year with a composed drive at Spa-Francorchamps. After losing out on pole to Oscar Piastri in Sprint Qualifying, the Red Bull driver struck back on Lap 1, using the slipstream to take the lead down the Kemmel Straight. From there, he controlled the pace under constant pressure from both McLarens.
Piastri finished just 0.753s behind, while Lando Norris completed the podium in third after passing Charles Leclerc in the early stages.
Piastri leads briefly, but Verstappen strikes early
Piastri had taken pole with a 1:40.510, over four tenths clear of Verstappen. He held the lead through Turn 1, but Verstappen used the slip stream and battery deployment to pass him into Turn 5. It was the only lead change of the race.
Behind them, Leclerc made a move on Norris at the start to take third, but the Briton reversed the order later, reclaiming the position and finishing just 0.661s behind Piastri at the flag.
Esteban Ocon stayed fifth from lights out to the finish. Carlos Sainz ran sixth throughout. Ollie Bearman and Isack Hadjar completed the points-paying positions in seventh and eighth respectively.
Close but controlled at the front
For most of the Sprint, the gap between the top three remained under one second. Piastri remained glued to Verstappen’s gearbox, and Norris drew closer in the final stages. Verstappen reported brake issues and admitted after the race that one small mistake into the final chicane nearly cost him.
But despite pressure and a cat-and-mouse battle over DRS and energy management, Verstappen didn’t put a foot wrong. It was his first Sprint win of 2025 and his first at Spa since 2023.
Alpine’s disaster, Mercedes nowhere
Alpine’s day was undone before the race even began. Franco Colapinto was forced to start from the pit lane due to a rear wing change under parc fermé conditions. Pierre Gasly’s car was pulled from the grid moments before the formation lap due to a water system issue. He rejoined the race two laps down but was later classified as retired.
Mercedes also struggled. Kimi Antonelli qualified 20th and only managed 17th in the Sprint, passing Nico Hülkenberg mid-race. George Russell started 13th and finished 12th. Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in SQ1 and finished 15th. “I’ve got no rear already,” Hamilton reported on Lap 7, as tyre degradation and balance issues continued to plague the team.
Full finishing order
The top eight scorers were Verstappen (8 pts), Piastri (7), Norris (6), Leclerc (5), Ocon (4), Sainz (3), Bearman (2), and Hadjar (1).
Just outside the points were Gabriel Bortoleto (P9), Liam Lawson (P10), Yuki Tsunoda (P11), Russell (P12), Stroll (P13), Alonso (P14), Hamilton (P15), Albon (P16), Antonelli (P17), Hülkenberg (P18), Colapinto (P19) and Gasly (retired).
The entire field ran on medium tyres, except for Colapinto, who started on softs from the pit lane.
Verstappen: “Cat and mouse” to the finish
Speaking after the win, Verstappen said:
“It worked out really well. That was the only real opportunity you’re going to get against them, and we got it into Turn 5. It was very much like cat and mouse with DRS and battery usage, and the whole race was within seven tenths. I couldn’t afford big mistakes. One little hiccup at the final corner, but I’m very happy. It’s only a Sprint, but a win at Spa is still a win.”