Max Verstappen won the Formula 1 sprint race in Belgium on Saturday (July 26), taking advantage of the slipstream on the opening lap to pass Oscar Piastri, and holding on to the position for the remainder of the race. Piastri finished second, followed by Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc.
“It worked out really well,” Verstappen said in the post-race interview. “That’s the only opportunity we’re going to get against them, and we took it. For us, it was a great result to keep them behind. I’m very happy with what we did.”
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS #F1SPRINT AT SPA 👏👏👏#F1 #BelgianGP @Gatorade pic.twitter.com/78Mq3jwRB7
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2025
Esteban Ocon finished in fifth, followed by Carlos Sainz in sixth. Oliver Bearman posted a strong result for Haas to take seventh, with Isack Hadjar, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Liam Lawson rounding out the top 10.
Piastri lined up in pole position for the first European sprint race of the year, having dominated Friday’s sprint qualifying to post a time around half a second ahead of both Verstappen, starting in second, and main title rival Norris, starting in third.
Verstappen’s Red Bull was running with a lower downforce set-up compared to the two McLarens, giving him a theoretical advantage on the long straights that characterize the first sector of Spa Francorchamps.
The slipstream did, indeed, play into Verstappen’s hands, allowing him to pass Piastri at the top of the hill. Leclerc also benefited, taking third position from the second McLaren of Norris, who fell back into fourth.
Here comes Max Verstappen!
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2025
The moment the Red Bull driver took the lead 🎥#F1Sprint #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/UrxSyhXrS4
Despite losing first place, Piastri continued to follow closely behind Verstappen, and a similar situation unfolded between Leclerc and Norris. By lap four, Norris was able to return the favor, passing Leclerc to retake third position at the top of the hill, but over two seconds behind his teammate.
The cleaner air allowed Norris to begin closing in on Piastri, who remained within one second of Verstappen, but was unable to get past. By lap nine, Norris had also closed to within one second, meaning that both McLarens had the use of the Drag Reduction System (DRS).
LAP 10/15
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2025
We could be in for a grandstand finish here! 😮#F1Sprint #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/2nL8epVLg2
With just over a second separating the top three cars, Verstappen held on to win the Belgian sprint, the first race since Christian Horner’s departure from the team.
2025 F1 Belgian Grand Prix Sprint Results
Qualifying for the main race begins in less than four hours, and with the possibility of rain for the main race tomorrow, there’s still plenty of action ahead this weekend. Sunday’s race will get underway at 9 a.m. ET with coverage on ESPN.
Peter Molloy began following Formula 1 during the 1985 Australian Grand Prix. He cheered for a certain Ayrton Senna, who was driving the same black and gold colors as a toy F1 car that Pete had been given. Pete continued to be a fan of Senna throughout his childhood. Fast forward many moons, and Peter now combines significant journalistic experience with decades of watching F1 to cover the latest on-track and off-track action.