Spa in Four Movements: A 2025 Belgian Grand Prix Recap
Jul 29
3 min read
The Belgian Grand Prix simmered, recalibrated, and quietly molded the championship narrative. The legendary circuit, Spa-Francorchamps, oversaw a weekend of mist and twists, where McLaren continued to deliver results, but the most compelling story came from the back of the grid.
THE SPRINT
Saturday’s Sprint was over almost as soon as it began. Starting second on the grid, Max Verstappen used the long pull-up to Les Combes to slip past Oscar Piastri, who had sprint pole, with the kind of overtake that simply happens. Verstappen didn’t look back after that and went for the jugular to win. Lando Norris, steady and unbothered, rounded out the top three. Further down the order, meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton clawed up a few spots after starting 18th, but the Ferrari, despite the upgrades, barely recovered in 15th place.
QUALIFYING
At Spa, qualifying is never just about speed, but it’s about symmetry. And McLaren, as per usual, found it. Lando Norris secured pole position with a lap that was precise, calm, and almost melodic. Oscar Piastri was just behind him, less than a tenth adrift. Behind them, Charles Leclerc muscled his Ferrari into third. Max Verstappen settled for fourth, an unideal outcome for a driver hoping to still have a fighting chance at a fifth championship title.
The biggest shock of the session came from Lewis Hamilton, whose deleted Q1 lap resulted from a Raidillon track limits violation, turning confidence into collapse.
THE RACE
Sunday began with a downpour that forced an 80-minute delay, turning the paddock into a waiting room. Drivers hung out in the garage, engineers enjoyed warm drinks and treats, and fans partied it up in the rain. Once the race started, the Safety Car led the procession until Lap 5, when the green flag finally unleashed the fury we’d come for.
Not everyone was happy about how the FIA handled the race start. Verstappen called the cautious start “over the top,” while Hamilton questioned the necessity of nearly five laps behind the safety car. Others, like Leclerc and Russell, defended the delay as critical - Spa, after all, does have its ghosts.
As soon as the Safety Car period was over, Oscar Piastri immediately leapfrogged Lando Norris and never looked back. Charles Leclerc held his position down in P3 while Max Verstappen found himself marooned in an awkward spot for its entirety - too far to challenge and too cautious to risk.
Oscar Piastri ultimately won and Lando Norris came in second, yet another 1-2 McLaren podium lock, while Charles Leclerc finished in third place.
The scene-stealer of the day, however, was Lewis Hamilton.
Knocked out in Q1 and relegated to a pit lane start after power unit penalties, the Ferrari driver rose to his classically calculated and swift form. On Lap 11, he and Ferrari rolled the dice and switched to slicks on a still-damp track. By Lap 14, he was in seventh. There he would stay, unable to break past a resurgent Alex Albon in the Williams, but the climb from P18 to P7 was the most exciting highlight of the race.
Sure, his race wasn’t one of triumph or dominance, but it was a masterclass in grit, an enduring quality of Hamilton that makes him one of the greats. “It wasn’t our day, but it was still a drive worth remembering,” Hamilton later said, soaked not just in rain but resolve. “We’ll come back stronger.”
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS, AS OF NOW
Piastri’s win extends his championship lead to 266 points, with Norris trailing at 250 - a four-point difference that still holds space for the Drivers’ Championship fight between the teammates. Max Verstappen remains in third place with 185 points.
McLaren still leads the Constructors’ Championship at 516 points. Ferrari is in second place at 248, Mercedes in third at 220, and Red Bull in fourth at 192 points.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Hungarian Grand Prix will mark the final race before the Summer Break. Everything after that will be a sprint to finish. At this point, no matter the outcome of the season, it’s safe to say that McLaren will come out on top in any conceivable scenario… Unless something completely unexpected were to catch us all off guard - which isn’t impossible.
To Hungary, we go!
