Max Verstappen held off the challenge of championship leader Oscar Piastri to take Sprint victory in Belgium after the Red Bull driver overtook the polesittting McLaren racer soon after the start. Lando Norris recovered from losing out to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and passed the Monegasque to reclaim third at the flag. 

When the lights went out at the start, both Piastri and Verstappen got away well and though the Dutchman tried to attack around the outside into La Source, the Australian defended well to hold the lead. Norris tucked in behind Verstappen, with Lecler in fourth and sticking to the back of the second McLaren. 

Aided by a strong slipstream and a lower downforce set-up, Verstappen closed in on Piastri along the long Kemmel straight and as they went into Les Combes the Red Bull driver pulled out from behind the Mclaren and powered around the outside to take the lead. It was a move mirrored by Leclerc, who roared past Norris to take third place. 

The Ferrari driver couldn’t hold on to the place, however, and on lap four Norris closed in under and breezed past the Monegasque racer to reclaim third place. 

Behind the top four, Haas’s Esteban Ocon held onto his starting place of fifth ahead of Williams’ Carlos Sainz with the second Haas of Oliver Bearman in seventh. Behind them Alpine’s Pierre Gasly missed the start due to a water leak on the grid, and though the joined race two laps down, eight place at lights out was taken by Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, with Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto ninth ahead of the second Racing Bull of Liam Lawson. 

Midway through the race, Piastri began to close in on Verstappen. On lap 11, Piastri got to within four tenths of a second of the Dutchman an under DRS into Les Combes he launched his first attack. 

The Red Bull driver resisted but was quickly on the radio to report that he was struggling with his brakes. Piastri had another look lap 12 but now the championship leader was coming under pressure from team-mate Norris, and as the Sprint reached its final two laps just 1.3 seconds separated the top three. 

However, aided by greater speed on the straights, Verstappen was able to ward off any further challenges and after 15 laps the Dutchman crossed the line to take his 12th F1 Sprint victory and his first since last year’s US Grand Prix. 

Piastri took second ahead of Norris and Leclerc finished fourth, 10 seconds behind Verstappen. Behind the top four, the points order remained static to the flag, with Ocon taking fifth ahead of Sainz, Bearman and Hadjar.