The Championship returned to one of the sport’s most iconic tracks: Spa-Francorchamps. Nestled in the Ardennes forest, this legendary 7-kilometre circuit has been a proving ground where Formula 1’s boldest thrive. From 25 to 27 July, the Belgian Grand Prix kicked off the beginning of the 2025 season’s second half, and with it, a return to one of motorsport’s most revered challenges: Eau Rouge, Blanchimont, and the unpredictable Belgian skies. As in 2024, this year, fused the tradition-rich backdrop with the modern drama of a Sprint weekend—the third Sprint format of the 2025 season, following Shanghai and Miami.
With a Sprint weekend, it meant less time for teams and drivers to prepare and more time to attack. Friday offered just one practice session before Sprint Qualifying set the grid for Saturday’s 15-lap dash. Later that day, traditional Qualifying would set the stage for Sunday’s full-distance Grand Prix. And with the championship fight intensifying—especially between McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri—every point from every session would count.
Race Guide
Season: 2025 F1 World Championship
Race weekend: 25 July 2025 – 27 July 2025
Race date: Sunday, 27 July, 2025
Race start time: 15:00 local time
Circuit: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Laps: 44
Circuit length: 7.004km
2024 winner: Lewis Hamilton
| Pole position | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | Lando Norris | McLaren | |
| Time | 1:40.562 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | |
| Time | 1:44.861 on lap 32 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | |
| Second | Lando Norris | McLaren | |
| Third | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | |
Spa-Francorchamps is one of the crown jewels of the Formula 1 calendar—steeped in history, rich in character, and relentlessly demanding. Hosting its first world championship race 75 years ago, Spa (before the 2025 race) ranked fourth all-time in Grand Prix appearances. Stretching 7.004 kilometres through the forested hills of the Ardennes, it’s the longest circuit on the calendar and among the most technically complex. From flat-out straights to sweeping high-speed corners and tight, downhill turns, Spa delivers a full-throttle examination of both car and driver.
Each of its three sectors presents a distinct challenge: Sector 1 opens with the legendary Eau Rouge and Raidillon sequence, followed by a long straight and a heavy braking zone that has been a theatre of daring overtakes. Sector 2 slows the pace with mid-speed corners and elevation changes that punish any imbalance in setup. Then comes the more flowing Sector 3, where rhythm and traction are key. The diversity of these demands makes compromise inevitable—teams often find themselves fast in one sector but exposed in another. Recent resurfacing, completed ahead of the 2024 race, had smoothed out some of the circuit’s rough edges while boosting grip and slashing lap times. But even with modern upgrades, Spa remained every bit the classic: fast, unpredictable, and utterly unforgiving.
Circut Stats
This weekend marked the 70th running of the Belgian Grand Prix as part of the Formula 1 World Championship, and the 57th time the race was staged at its spiritual home—Spa-Francorchamps. Though Nivelles and Zolder had each hosted a handful of editions, Spa’s sweeping layout and historical weight make it the undisputed heart of Belgian motorsport. It’s a circuit forever linked to legends, none more so than Michael Schumacher, who made his debut here in 1991, scored his first F1 win at Spa a year later, and sealed his record-breaking seventh world title at the track in 2004. Before the 2025 race, Schumacher remained the most successful driver at Spa with six wins, while Lewis Hamilton held the records for most poles (6) and podiums (11) at the venue. Among constructors, Ferrari reigned supreme in Belgium, leading in wins (18), poles (17), and podium finishes (51).
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 25 July 2025 | Free Practice 1 (FP1) | 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm local time |
| 25 July 2025 | Sprint Qualifying | 4:30 pm – 5:14 pm local time |
| 26 July 2025 | Sprint | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm local time |
| 26 July 2025 | Qualifying | 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm local time |
| 27 July 2025 | Race | 3:00 pm local time |
In Saturday’s Sprint Race, Max Verstappen claimed his first Sprint victory of the 2025 Championship, overtaking pole-sitter Oscar Piastri on Lap 1 and holding on despite late pressure from both McLaren drivers. Piastri and Norris completed the podium, while Leclerc, Ocon, Sainz, Bearman, and Hadjar rounded out the top eight in a 15-lap dash that saw Mercedes and Alpine struggle. Despite Verstappen’s win, McLaren’s P2 and P3 kept them at the forefront heading into Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Later in the day, Qualifying saw Lando Norris take pole, narrowly beating teammate Oscar Piastri in a McLaren front-row lockout. Leclerc and Verstappen followed closely behind, while standout drives from Albon and Tsunoda shook up the top ten. Hamilton was eliminated early after a deleted lap, as Spa delivered drama and pace ahead of Sunday’s crucial race in the 2025 F1 World Championship.
On race day, Oscar Piastri emerged the winner at a rain-affected Belgian Grand Prix, holding off McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris for a McLaren 1-2 finish in a tense, strategic battle at Spa-Francorchamps. After an 80-minute delay due to heavy rain, Piastri seized the lead on Lap 5 with a bold move up the Kemmel Straight and never looked back, managing a medium-tyre stint masterfully to stay ahead of Norris, who stopped a lap later for hards and finished 3.4s adrift. Charles Leclerc completed the podium for Ferrari after fending off Sprint winner Max Verstappen, while Lewis Hamilton gained 11 places to finish seventh after starting from the pit lane. With this win, Piastri extended his 2025 F1 World Championship lead to 16 points.
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Championship background
Lando Norris headed to Spa-Francorchamps riding a wave of momentum after back-to-back victories in Austria and at home in Silverstone, slashing Oscar Piastri’s lead to just eight points in the Drivers’ standings. The intra-team battle at McLaren was becoming the defining narrative of the season—two young stars pushing the limits in cars that looked increasingly like the class of the field. But Spa, with its notorious weather and Sprint weekend format, has a way of unsettling the favourites.
Max Verstappen, now 69 points adrift of the lead, returned to familiar territory with an army of Dutch fans making the pilgrimage across the border to support their local hero. Yet Verstappen’s weekend wouldn’t just be about clawing back ground—it also marked a historic shift for Red Bull Racing. With Christian Horner sacked during the summer break, the team headed into its first-ever Grand Prix without him at the helm. New team principal Laurent Mekies stepped into the spotlight, facing intense scrutiny as he fronted the media on Friday before Sprint Qualifying. Meanwhile, Ferrari and Mercedes came to Spa targeting a reset of their own. Both teams were competitive here in 2024, and with final 2025 upgrades in place before the focus shifts to the 2026 regulations, this weekend could be decisive. Add in the unpredictability of a Sprint format and a forecast that threatened rain, and Spa was shaping up to be a turning point in a season already full of twists.
Race entries
The lineup of drivers and teams remained the same as the 2025 season’s entry list, apart from:
- A driver swap at the sister teams, Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls, where Yuki Tsunoda moved up to the parent Red Bull team and Liam Lawson headed in the opposite direction back to Racing Bulls, for round three at the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix.
- Jack Doohan stepping out of the race seat at Alpine (post Miami), beginning with the following round, the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. The team confirmed that former Williams and Alpine reserve driver, Franco Colapinto, would take his place alongside number one driver, Pierre Gasly.
Aside from these changes, all the drivers from the start of the season took to the track during FP1, Sprint Qualifying, the Sprint race, Qualifying, and the Grand Prix.
Tyre choices
Tyre strategy at Spa-Francorchamps is always a complex equation, but for the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix, Pirelli had thrown a unique twist into the mix. For the first time since the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, the tyre supplier opted for a non-consecutive compound selection: the C1 (Hard), C3 (Medium), and C4 (Soft). That meant skipping over the C2 entirely and introducing the most complex compound in the range as a fresh variable—one that hadn’t yet featured in race conditions for 2025. The Medium and Soft tyres remained unchanged from 2024, but the new Hard compound could be a game-changer, especially on a track as punishing and variable as Spa.
On paper, simulations suggested that this combination could favour two-stop strategies in Sunday’s Grand Prix, but with just one hour of free practice and the condensed Sprint weekend format, teams were left with minimal time to dial in tyre performance or understand degradation patterns. Each driver would have 12 sets of slicks instead of the usual 13, distributed across six Softs, four Mediums, and just two Hards.
Sprint Qualifying came with its own constraints too: only the Medium could be used in Q1 and Q2, while the Soft was mandatory for Q3. And then, there’s Spa’s wildcard—weather. The circuit is infamous for microclimates, where one section can be bone dry while another is soaked. With rain in the forecast, teams would have to be prepared for anything, including the potential deployment of Intermediates or even Extreme Wets .
FIND OUT MORE
Free Practice
Oscar Piastri topped the timesheets in Free Practice 1 at Spa-Francorchamps, setting the benchmark with a 1:42.022 in the only practice session of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. The McLaren driver finished four tenths clear of Max Verstappen, with team mate Lando Norris just a tenth further back in third, continuing their title fight at the top of the Championship. With just one hour of running ahead of the afternoon’s Sprint Qualifying, drivers wasted no time getting out on track, though early issues hampered Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll, while rookies like Kimi Antonelli and Franco Colapinto had off-track moments as they pushed the limits.
Red Bull debuted a major upgrade package, and Verstappen showed strong pace in Sector 1 before losing time in the middle of the lap. Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and Antonelli also looked competitive, while Hamilton, Stroll and Alonso rounded out a tight top 10. With Spa’s notorious weather still lurking and the Sprint format compressing the weekend into quick-fire sessions, teams now had little time before heading into Sprint Qualifying at 16:30 local time.
Full Free Practice Reports
Free Practice 1 Classification
FP1 of the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix was held on 25 July 2025, at 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm local time.
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | TIME / GAP | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:42.022 | 22 |
| 2 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | +0.404s | 22 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.504s | 21 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.576s | 26 |
| 5 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.906s | 21 |
| 6 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.957s | 23 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +1.063s | 23 |
| 8 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1.090s | 16 |
| 9 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +1.098s | 21 |
| 10 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +1.100s | 18 |
| 11 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +1.195s | 15 |
| 12 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +1.239s | 23 |
| 13 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | +1.240s | 24 |
| 14 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | +1.448s | 19 |
| 15 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1.456s | 20 |
| 16 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.548s | 21 |
| 17 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.907s | 20 |
| 18 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | +2.470s | 23 |
| 19 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +2.825s | 20 |
| 20 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +3.055s | 21 |
Sprint Qualifying
Oscar Piastri stormed to Sprint pole at Spa with a commanding lap (and lap record) of 1:40.510, outpacing Max Verstappen by nearly half a second in a high-stakes one-lap shootout. With all 10 SQ3 contenders limited to one set of soft tyres and just a single attempt, the pressure was sky-high—but Piastri rose to the moment, cementing McLaren’s dominance in the 2025 F1 World Championship battle. Lando Norris could only manage third after topping SQ2, while Charles Leclerc and Esteban Ocon completed the top five with impressive runs.
Sprint Qualifying saw several big names fall early, most notably Lewis Hamilton, who spun in SQ1 and ended up a shock P18. Oscar Piastri narrowly avoided elimination himself in SQ2 after a track limits violation forced him to rely on a slower backup time. George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda, and both Aston Martins also failed to reach the final session, setting up a mixed grid and plenty of intrigue for Saturday’s Sprint.
Sprint Qualifying Report
Sprint Qualifying Classification
Sprint Qualifying was held on 25 July 2025, 4:30 pm – 5:14 pm local time
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:41.769 | 1:42.128 | 1:40.510 | 11 |
| 2 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:42.043 | 1:41.583 | 1:40.987 | 9 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:42.068 | 1:41.412 | 1:41.128 | 12 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:42.763 | 1:41.786 | 1:41.278 | 12 |
| 5 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:42.822 | 1:41.801 | 1:41.565 | 12 |
| 6 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:42.776 | 1:42.051 | 1:41.761 | 11 |
| 7 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:43.024 | 1:42.019 | 1:41.857 | 12 |
| 8 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:43.171 | 1:41.949 | 1:41.959 | 12 |
| 9 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:42.711 | 1:42.088 | 1:41.971 | 11 |
| 10 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | 1:42.806 | 1:41.901 | 1:42.176 | 12 |
| 11 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:42.897 | 1:42.169 | 9 | |
| 12 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | 1:42.912 | 1:42.184 | 9 | |
| 13 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:42.650 | 1:42.330 | 8 | |
| 14 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:42.427 | 1:42.453 | 7 | |
| 15 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:42.736 | 1:42.832 | 8 | |
| 16 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:43.212 | 6 | ||
| 17 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | 1:43.217 | 6 | ||
| 18 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:43.408 | 6 | ||
| 19 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:43.587 | 6 | ||
| 20 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:45.394 | 6 |
2025 Belgian Sprint Starting Grid
The Sprint starting grid, with or without penalties, after the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying session.
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:40.510 |
| 2 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:40.987 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:41.128 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:41.278 |
| 5 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:41.565 |
| 6 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:41.761 |
| 7 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:41.857 |
| 8 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:41.959 |
| 9 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:41.971 |
| 10 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | 1:42.176 |
| 11 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:42.169 |
| 12 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | 1:42.184 |
| 13 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:42.330 |
| 14 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:42.453 |
| 15 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:42.832 |
| 16 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:43.212 |
| 17 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | 1:43.217 |
| 18 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:43.408 |
| 19 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:45.394 |
| 20 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:43.587 |
Sprint Race
Max Verstappen took his first Sprint win of the Championship at Spa-Francorchamps with a bold Lap 1 move on Oscar Piastri, passing the McLaren down the Kemmel Straight to take control of the race. Despite strong early pace and late pressure from both Piastri and teammate Lando Norris, Verstappen kept his cool to win by 0.753s, with Norris just over a second behind in third. Piastri had started from pole after a dominant showing in Sprint Qualifying, but couldn’t reclaim the lead as Verstappen managed tyre wear and battery deployment expertly across 15 laps.
Charles Leclerc finished a solid fourth after briefly holding third early on, followed by Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz, Oliver Bearman, and Isack Hadjar, who completed the points-scoring positions. Mercedes endured another rough session, with neither car finishing in the top 10 and Lewis Hamilton recovering only to 15th after his SQ1 exit. Alpine’s Sprint woes continued as Pierre Gasly failed to start due to a water system issue, joining the Sprint two laps down from the pit lane, while Franco Colapinto started from the pit lane on softs but ended up 19th. Verstappen’s victory added critical points to his title bid, but McLaren’s consistency kept them firmly in control of the championship narrative.
Sprint Race Report
Sprint Race Classification
The 2025 Belgian Grand Prix Sprint Race was held on 26 July 2025, at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm local time.
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | LAPS | TIME / RETIRED | PTS. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 15 | 26:37.997 | 8 |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 15 | +0.753s | 7 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 15 | +1.414s | 6 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 15 | +10.176s | 5 |
| 5 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 15 | +13.789s | 4 |
| 6 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 15 | +14.964s | 3 |
| 7 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 15 | +18.610s | 2 |
| 8 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 15 | +19.119s | 1 |
| 9 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | 15 | +22.183s | 0 |
| 10 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 15 | +22.897s | 0 |
| 11 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | 15 | +24.551s | 0 |
| 12 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 15 | +25.969s | 0 |
| 13 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 15 | +26.595s | 0 |
| 14 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 15 | +29.046s | 0 |
| 15 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 15 | +30.175s | 0 |
| 16 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 15 | +30.941s | 0 |
| 17 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 15 | +31.981s | 0 |
| 18 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | 15 | +32.867s | 0 |
| 19 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 15 | +38.072s | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 12 | DNF | 0 |
Qualifying
Lando Norris claimed pole position for the Grand Prix with a blistering lap of 1:40.562, leading a McLaren 1-2 alongside teammate Oscar Piastri. The session saw intense intra-team competition, with Piastri topping Q2 before Norris edged him by 0.085s in Q3. Charles Leclerc put Ferrari third ahead of Max Verstappen in fourth, while Alex Albon starred for Williams in fifth.
Further back, George Russell took sixth for Mercedes, followed by Yuki Tsunoda and the Racing Bulls duo of Hadjar and Lawson. Haas, Alpine, and Aston Martin endured tough outings, with Lewis Hamilton knocked out in Q1 after a track limits violation.
This was McLaren’s 68th front-row lockout, tying Ferrari for second in the all-time list. Mercedes had 82 front-row lockouts.
Full Qualifying Report
Qualifying Classification
Qualifying was held on 26 July 2025, at 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm local time.
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:41.010 | 1:40.715 | 1:40.562 | 20 |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:41.201 | 1:40.626 | 1:40.647 | 21 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:41.635 | 1:41.084 | 1:40.900 | 18 |
| 4 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:41.334 | 1:40.951 | 1:40.903 | 15 |
| 5 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:41.772 | 1:41.505 | 1:41.201 | 20 |
| 6 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:41.784 | 1:41.254 | 1:41.260 | 18 |
| 7 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | 1:41.840 | 1:41.245 | 1:41.284 | 17 |
| 8 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:41.572 | 1:41.281 | 1:41.310 | 19 |
| 9 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:41.748 | 1:41.297 | 1:41.328 | 20 |
| 10 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | 1:41.908 | 1:41.336 | 1:42.387 | 18 |
| 11 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:41.884 | 1:41.525 | 14 | |
| 12 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:41.617 | 1:41.617 | 13 | |
| 13 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:41.800 | 1:41.633 | 14 | |
| 14 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | 1:41.844 | 1:41.707 | 14 | |
| 15 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:41.691 | 1:41.758 | 13 | |
| 16 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:41.939 | 8 | ||
| 17 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:42.022 | 8 | ||
| 18 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:42.139 | 6 | ||
| 19 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:42.385 | 8 | ||
| 20 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:42.502 | 8 |
2025 Belgian Grand Prix Starting Grid
The Grand Prix starting grid, with or without penalties, after the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying session.
| Position | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 2nd | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| 3rd | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 4th | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 5th | Alex Albon | Williams |
| 6th | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 7th | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull |
| 8th | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls |
| 9th | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls |
| 10th | Gabriel Bortoleto | Stake |
| 11th | Esteban Ocon | Haas |
| 12th | Ollie Bearman | Haas |
| 13th | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
| 14th | Nico Hulkenberg | Stake |
| 15th | Franco Colapinto | Alpine |
| 16th | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| PIT-LANE | Carlos Sainz | Williams |
| PIT-LANE | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari |
| PIT-LANE | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes |
| PIT-LANE | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin |
Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso also start from the pit lane due to exceeding power unit component allocations.
Carlos Sainz also started from the pit lane due to parc fermé set-up changes.
What happened in the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix?
Oscar Piastri stood tall at Spa-Francorchamps on a day where strategy, nerves, and raw talent collided in a wet-to-dry epic. The McLaren driver mastered a delayed and drama-filled Belgian Grand Prix to lead home team-mate and championship rival Lando Norris, extending his lead in the 2025 F1 World Championship to 16 points.
Torrential rain ahead of the scheduled 44-lap start led to an 80-minute delay, but when the race finally ignited on Lap 5, it was Piastri who seized the moment. Launching out of Eau Rouge with supreme confidence, the Australian surged past Norris — who had started from pole — on the Kemmel Straight and swept into a lead he would never relinquish.
It was a decisive move. Norris, compromised through the uphill sweep of Eau Rouge, couldn’t match Piastri’s traction, and the #81 McLaren sailed by well before Les Combes. From that point on, Piastri built a slender but stable buffer of around one second, setting the stage for a race dictated by tyre calls and timing.
As the Spa circuit transitioned from soaked to slick, Piastri blinked first — a crucial call that would shape the race. On Lap 12, he boxed for medium tyres, switching early from the intermediates just as the track tipped into crossover conditions. Norris, forced to complete one more lap, pitted on Lap 13 but opted for the hard compound, rejoining nearly nine seconds behind his team-mate.
Despite being on the more fragile medium rubber, Piastri managed the gap with composure. Norris began chipping away in the closing stages, bringing the deficit down to just 3.1 seconds with two laps remaining. But any hope of a last-gasp lunge faded when the Briton locked up into La Source on the penultimate lap, handing Piastri breathing room. The margin at the flag: 3.415s.
Behind the duelling McLarens, Charles Leclerc brought home a solid P3 for Ferrari, 20.185s behind the winner. It was a gritty drive from the Monegasque, who had to fend off a persistent Max Verstappen for much of the race. The Dutchman, who had claimed Saturday’s Sprint win, ran within DRS range for the final stint but never found a way through. He finished 1.546s off the podium.
Mercedes’ George Russell endured a quiet yet efficient race to P5, making his way past Alex Albon early on and running unchallenged thereafter. Albon’s P6 result for Williams, however, came under sustained threat from Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who produced one of the standout drives of the day.
Starting from the pit lane after a setup change, Hamilton sliced through the field with veteran precision. He was also one of the first to gamble on slick tyres during the crossover phase, a move that saw him leapfrog several midfield runners en route to a seventh-place finish.
Top Ten and Standouts
Liam Lawson delivered more valuable points for Racing Bulls in P8, just ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto, whose P9 for Kick Sauber marked another milestone in a promising rookie campaign. Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten for Alpine, leading a multi-car DRS train that featured several drivers unable to break clear in Spa’s high-downforce sections.
Just missing out on points was Haas’ Oliver Bearman in P11, while team-mate Nico Hulkenberg dropped to P12 after a second stop scuppered his earlier running inside the top ten. Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda lost ground late and came home 13th, ahead of a struggling Lance Stroll in the lead Aston Martin.
Further back, Esteban Ocon (Haas), Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), and Carlos Sainz (Williams) all endured races to forget after pit lane starts and lacklustre pace in the drying conditions.
Rounding out the field, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar completed the full race distance — a testament to the field’s discipline, as all 20 cars made the chequered flag in a rare caution-free Grand Prix after the initial rain delay.
Spa’s unpredictable skies may have delayed the start, but the race delivered.
2025 Belgian Grand Prix race results
The 2025 Belgian Grand Prix Race was held on 27 July 2025, at 3:00 pm local time.
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | LAPS | TIME / RETIRED | PTS. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 44 | 01:25:23 | 25 |
| 2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 44 | +3.415s | 18 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 44 | +20.185s | 15 |
| 4 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 44 | +21.731s | 12 |
| 5 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 44 | +34.863s | 10 |
| 6 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 44 | +39.926s | 8 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 44 | +40.679s | 6 |
| 8 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 44 | +52.033s | 4 |
| 9 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | 44 | +56.434s | 2 |
| 10 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 44 | +72.714s | 1 |
| 11 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 44 | +73.145s | 0 |
| 12 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | 44 | +73.628s | 0 |
| 13 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | 44 | +75.395s | 0 |
| 14 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 44 | +79.831s | 0 |
| 15 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 44 | +86.063s | 0 |
| 16 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 44 | +86.721s | 0 |
| 17 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 44 | +87.924s | 0 |
| 18 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 44 | +92.024s | 0 |
| 19 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 44 | +95.250s | 0 |
| 20 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 43 | +1 lap | 0 |
2025 Belgian Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | LAP | TIME OF DAY | TIME | AVG. SPEED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 32 | 17:25:22 | 1:44.861 | 212.885 |
| 2 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | 39 | 17:37:43 | 1:45.068 | 213.421 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 42 | 17:41:52 | 1:45.257 | 216.344 |
| 4 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 43 | 17:43:34 | 1:45.706 | 216.489 |
| 5 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 32 | 17:25:24 | 1:45.849 | 212.835 |
| 6 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 30 | 17:21:58 | 1:46.073 | 212.668 |
| 7 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 40 | 17:38:37 | 1:46.096 | 215.574 |
| 8 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 30 | 17:22:00 | 1:46.104 | 212.537 |
| 9 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 40 | 17:38:36 | 1:46.174 | 215.639 |
| 10 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 43 | 17:44:16 | 1:46.534 | 214.783 |
| 11 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 43 | 17:44:10 | 1:46.566 | 215.025 |
| 12 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 38 | 17:35:32 | 1:46.649 | 214.312 |
| 13 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 43 | 17:44:48 | 1:46.709 | 213.441 |
| 14 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 44 | 17:46:48 | 1:46.744 | 212.912 |
| 15 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 38 | 17:35:20 | 1:46.813 | 214.814 |
| 16 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | 41 | 17:40:57 | 1:46.966 | 214.13 |
| 17 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 42 | 17:43:00 | 1:47.177 | 213.459 |
| 18 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 38 | 17:35:57 | 1:47.212 | 213.167 |
| 19 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | 42 | 17:43:01 | 1:47.241 | 213.348 |
| 20 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 44 | 17:45:35 | 1:47.667 | 211.033 |
2025 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings for Drivers’ and Teams after the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix.
2025 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren | 266 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren | 250 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | NED | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 185 |
| 4 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes | 157 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Ferrari | 139 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Ferrari | 109 |
| 7 | Kimi Antonelli | ITA | Mercedes | 63 |
| 8 | Alexander Albon | THA | Williams Mercedes | 54 |
| 9 | Nico Hulkenberg | GER | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 37 |
| 10 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | Haas Ferrari | 27 |
| 11 | Isack Hadjar | FRA | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 22 |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | Alpine Renualt | 20 |
| 13 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Mercedes | 20 |
| 14 | Liam Lawson | NZL | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 16 |
| 15 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | Aston Martin Mercedes | 16 |
| 16 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Williams Mercedes | 16 |
| 17 | Yuki Tsunoda | JPN | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 10 |
| 18 | Oliver Bearman | GBR | Haas Ferrari | 8 |
| 19 | Gabriel Bortoleto | BRA | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 6 |
| 20 | Franco Colapinto | ARG | Alpine Renualt | 0 |
| 21 | Jack Doohan | AUS | Alpine Renualt | 0 |
2025 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings
| Pos | Team | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren Mercedes | 516 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 248 |
| 3 | Mercedes | 220 |
| 4 | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 192 |
| 5 | Williams Mercedes | 70 |
| 6 | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 43 |
| 7 | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 41 |
| 8 | Aston Martin Mercedes | 36 |
| 9 | Haas Ferrari | 35 |
| 10 | Alpine Renualt | 20 |
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