Verstappen pips Piastri in Belgian GP sprint

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium — Max Verstappen kicked off Red Bull’s post-Christian Horner era with an impressive sprint race victory.

Reigning world champion Verstappen passed Oscar Piastri on Lap 1 and then held off the Australian and his McLaren teammate Lando Norris to clinch the victory.

It was the Red Bull’s first race victory of any kind since its debut in 2005 not overseen by Horner, who was replaced as CEO and team principal by Laurent Mekies two weeks ago.

“Nice! Very well done, great job with the gaps and the battery. Really nice,” Verstappen said on the team radio.

Mekies replied: “Well done Max. Very, very impressive defence, very well controlled. You didn’t leave anything on the table there.”

The sprint format, introduced in 2021, is a shortened version of Sunday’s grand prix and gave Verstappen eight championship points, although gains over the McLarens was minimal, with Piastri claiming seven and Norris gaining six.

The result meant Piastri extended his championship lead over Norris to nine points, with Verstappen now 68 points behind.

Verstappen said afterwards he had to do qualifying laps to keep the McLarens behind him.

“It worked out really well. The start was the only opportunity we had against them and we got it into Turn 5,” he said. “Then I knew it would be very tough to keep them behind, so it was playing cat and mouse with DRS and battery usage. The whole race was within seven tenths, so I couldn’t afford to make big mistakes.

“You have to drive over the limit of what’s possible. Tyre management goes out of the window. That’s what makes it difficult.

“I did 15 qualifying laps to keep them behind on a track where tyre management is important.”

New Red Bull boss Mekies said on Friday his number one priority is to give Verstappen a fast car — something which could cool recent speculation of him leaving before his contract expires in 2028 — and Saturday’s victory will be a morale boosting one for the driver, boss and team after a challenging few weeks.

The lead three drivers were in a battle of their own, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finishing the 15-lap race over seven seconds off Verstappen.

Teammate Lewis Hamilton, who spun out of Q1 on Friday afternoon, toiled to 15th in the other Ferrari. His team Mercedes also failed to score, with George Russell 12th and Andrea Kimi Antonelli 17th.

Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman converted a strong qualifying performance into fifth and seventh, finishing either side of Williams driver Carlos Sainz.

Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar finished eighth, continuing his impressive season.

Verstappen’s win perhaps offered a glimpse of how Red Bull can beat McLaren to victory in Sunday’s main event, although there will be more strategy options at play for the orange cars.

Piastri held the lead at the start, emerging from the slow La Source hairpin ahead of Verstappen.

That left him a sitting duck in the next part of the circuit, which snaked up Eau Rouge and then down the long Kemmel Straight — Verstappen was able to use the slipstream of the McLaren to pass in time for the Les Combes chicane.

Piastri stayed close to Verstappen and had several stabs of the DRS overtaking aid down the same part of the circuit but never attempted to pass.