2025 Belgian Grand Prix in Review

The second half of the 2025 Formula One season commenced with the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, where Oscar Piastri was able to extend his championship lead over teammate Lando Norris in a race dominated by the two McLaren drivers and one shrouded with far more controversy off the track than occurred on it.

The Belgian Grand Prix weekend formed one of six Sprint Race weekends on the Formula One calendar, meaning additional points were up for grabs for those who could master the longest and arguably most iconic circuit in the sport. After qualifying second for the Sprint, Max Verstappen took home the Sprint Race victory, taking the lead from Piastri on the first lap at the
end of the famous Kemmel straight and holding off both McLarens’ attempts for the remaining 14 laps to claim his 12th career Sprint victory.

Lando Norris surprised many by edging out teammate Oscar Piastri to pole position, having seemed largely off the pace the weekend prior

A strong performance from midfield constructor Haas saw the American team claim six points from the Sprint, with French driver Esteban Ocon finishing in a season-high 5th place and rookie Ollie Bearman joining him in the points by finishing 7th. One notable underperformer in the Sprint was seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, starting in 16th after a spin in the Sprint qualifying session and finding himself unable to work his way through the field in this shorter session.

Hamilton’s struggles in the Sprint format continued into qualifying for the main race, with another shock Q1 exit as the result of the British driver exceeding track limits on his final attempt. At the top end of the grid, Lando Norris surprised many by edging out teammate Oscar Piastri to pole position, having seemed largely off the pace of the Australian throughout the weekend prior. Charles Leclerc also impressed by placing his Ferrari in 3rd position ahead of Verstappen in 4th, and a brilliant effort from Williams driver Alex Albon, who cracked the top five for the first time since the season opener in Australia.

Hamilton recovered from his second poor qualifying of the weekend to rapidly rise through the field in the slightly wet conditions, making 11 overtakes on his way to 7th place

This grid seemed set up for a fascinating Grand Prix, with fans eagerly anticipating a race-long battle between Piastri and Norris with championship ramifications. However, a 90-minute rain delay dampened fans’ spirits, with many feeling the FIA (Formula One’s governing body) were too cautious in delaying the race until the track dried and thus robbing the fans of
the excitement provided by a race in the wet. Once the race finally got underway, Piastri quickly dispatched of Norris midway through lap one and never looked back, cruising to his 6th victory of the season and extending his lead in the 2025 standings to 16 points.

Elsewhere, Hamilton recovered from his second poor qualifying of the weekend to rapidly rise through the field in the slightly wet conditions, making 11 overtakes on his way to 7th place before his progress was halted by the rapidly drying track. However, after the track dried and the grid switched from intermediate to slick tyres, dirty air, and DRS trains combined to restrict overtaking ability across the grid, resulting in a race many fans felt failed to meet expectations.

This disappointing outcome of Sunday’s Grand Prix has left many fans with unanswered questions: Why was the race not run in wet conditions? Why are cars struggling so much to overtake in dry conditions? And are the old tracks like Monaco, Imola, and now Spa becoming unsuited for modern Formula One?