Max Verstappen powered his Red Bull to a dominant win in the Belgian Grand Prix sprint at Spa-Francorchamps, pulling clear of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri after a tense start in tricky wet conditions.
The Dutch driver, starting from second on the grid, wasted no time in challenging pole-sitter Piastri. As the lights went out, Piastri held the lead into La Source, but Verstappen stayed close through the early laps behind the safety car, which was deployed due to heavy rain delaying the start.
Once racing resumed on lap four, Verstappen made his move stick at Kemmel Straight, diving past Piastri to seize control. From there, he built a gap, crossing the line 6.677 seconds ahead.
Piastri fought back to secure second, fending off a late charge from teammate Lando Norris, who started eighth but climbed to third. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took fourth, ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz in fifth.
Mercedes struggled in the damp, with Lewis Hamilton sixth and George Russell seventh. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the points in eighth.
The sprint sets up an intriguing grid for Sunday’s main race, where Verstappen aims to extend his championship lead over Norris.
