Max Verstappen seized the lead from Oscar Piastri right at the launch of the Belgian Grand Prix Sprint, powering his Red Bull past the McLaren into Les Combes on the opening lap at a rain-soaked Spa-Francorchamps.
Piastri, starting from pole after a strong qualifying, held the inside line through La Source but couldn’t fend off Verstappen’s bolder move on the run to the braking zone. The Dutch driver, chasing his third straight title in 2025, quickly built a gap, leaving Piastri to defend against the chasing pack.
Behind them, Lando Norris in the other McLaren slotted into third, fending off challenges from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and the fast-starting Sergio Perez, who climbed from seventh on the grid.
The session, delayed by heavy downpours, ran under safety car conditions initially before going green, with teams opting for intermediate tires amid tricky visibility.
Verstappen controlled the pace from there, crossing the line first to bank maximum points, boosting Red Bull’s constructors’ lead over McLaren in a tightly contested season. Piastri held second, with Norris completing the podium.
