Formula 1: Piastri wins after rain chaos – XXL waiting time in Spa

Spa-Francorchamps. After the patience game in the rain-ravaged Spa, Oscar Piastri celebrated in the arms of his mechanics and also celebrated extending his World Championship lead. "It was quite turbulent," said the McLaren driver with a grin after his sixth Formula 1 victory of the season. A first title win is becoming increasingly realistic for Piastri, more than halfway through the season.

The 24-year-old kept his nerve after a long wait before the start and cleverly distanced himself from his once again beaten teammate Lando Norris after an early overtaking maneuver. "At the beginning, I had the best chance to win. After that, I just managed it. The tires were degrading, but we had it pretty well under control," said Piastri.

One day after his surprising sprint victory, world champion Max Verstappen had to settle for fourth place in the Red Bull behind Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. For the Dutchman, successfully defending his title again could prove an impossible task.

Thanks to his victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, Piastri now has an 81-point lead over third-placed Verstappen, while Norris remains second, 16 points behind. "Oscar just did well, I can't say more than that," said the once again defeated Norris: "He deserves it. If he drives perfectly, there's nothing I can do."

Nico Hülkenberg was unable to repeat his much-celebrated podium finish at Silverstone three weeks later in the Ardennes. The German veteran missed the points, finishing twelfth in his Sauber.

The podium: winner Oscar Piastri (left), second-placed Lando Norris (center) and third-placed Charles Leclerc.

Source: IMAGO/PsnewZ

A heavy rain shower a good half hour before the scheduled start at 3 p.m. prevented the normal start. An initial attempt behind the safety car failed on the wet track, primarily due to poor visibility, and the start procedure was aborted. Even before the first lap of the 13th World Championship round of the year had been completed, the drivers had to return to the pit lane and get out of their cars.

"It's a bit silly. I mean, you should just do a few laps, for goodness' sake," Verstappen complained. "They're being way too cautious. Now the heavy rain is coming, and then there'll be a three-hour delay."

That wasn't exactly what happened, but it wasn't until after a break of more than an hour that the race resumed in significantly better conditions. Four laps were completed behind the safety car of German driver Bernd Mayländer before the race was finally restarted at 4:32 p.m., more than 90 minutes late. And pole-sitter Norris immediately lost first place to Piastri. The Australian quickly and cleverly closed in and overtook him effortlessly.

Too much rain: Every effort is being made to dry the track in Spa.

Source: IMAGO/PsnewZ

Quite a few feared that things would repeat themselves at the same venue four years ago. In 2021, the shortest race in Formula 1 history allowed only two laps behind the safety car. In even worse conditions, Verstappen was not declared the winner until more than three and a half hours after the originally scheduled race start, but only received half the championship points. There was fierce criticism at the time because fans were not refunded their ticket money, even though there was no actual race.

Now, spectators saw visibility improve in the sunshine. "It's drying out quickly," said record world champion Lewis Hamilton. The Ferrari superstar had won the Grand Prix last year in a Mercedes, but now had to start from the pit lane. After a completely botched qualifying session and an engine change, the 40-year-old worked his way up through the field, overtaking Hülkenberg in the process.

In the first race after his sensational third place at Silverstone, the Rhinelander was once again stuck in the midfield for a long time. In England, the 37-year-old had finally achieved his first podium finish late in his career, but in Belgium, in wet conditions, it wasn't nearly enough – partly because his tire strategy didn't work this time.

The lead remained unchanged even after the first tire change: Piastri led comfortably ahead of Norris, with Leclerc following at a greater distance, but Verstappen couldn't overtake him. The four-time champion had surprisingly won the sprint on Saturday, keeping the two McLaren cars behind him.

Verstappen thus gave his new team boss Laurent Mekies his first win at the first opportunity. The Frenchman had replaced Christian Horner just over two weeks ago, who had led the racing team for more than 20 years but was now dismissed with immediate effect.

Without any real racing action, the leading group racked up lap after lap. Norris only moved a little closer to Piastri. The Australian wanted to avoid another pit stop by taking it easy – and his tactic was successful.

RND/dpa