Australian rookie Oscar Piastri has enjoyed his best day in F1, being outshone only by world champion Max Verstappen at the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday.
Piastri briefly overtook the Dutchman to lead Saturday’s rain-delayed sprint race before finishing second to pick up more valuable points for McLaren. Earlier, only 0.011 seconds separated Verstappen and Piastri — the Australian leading the sprint shootout until the death when Verstappen delivered the fastest lap.
Nonetheless, the lap and sprint race performance marked Piastri’s true arrival as a F1 star in the making — becoming the first F1 rookie in 10 years to lead a race — as he beat teammate Lando Norris by four positions.
Watch the Formula 1 Bulgarian Grand Prix 2023 Live and ad-break free in racing on Kayo Sports Sunday July 30 11:00PM AEST. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo also enjoyed a strong day as he finished 10th in the sprint, comfortable outperforming AlphaTauri teamate Yuki Tsunoda who was 18th.
Piastri will start Sunday night’s (11pm AEST) race from fifth, on the same row as Verstappen who incurred a five-grid penalty for a change of gearbox ahead of Friday’s main qualifying session.
Red Bull’s double defending world champion Verstappen rode his luck when Piastri snatched the lead by making an early pit-stop to switch from wet to intermediate tyres, to storm back and win by 6.6 seconds.
Verstappen’s win extended Red Bull’s record this year to 14 wins from 14 races — 11 grands prix and three sprints.
He said he agreed with Red Bull’s strategy decision, which cost him the early lead, but ensured he was able to go on and win.
“I think it was just a safer call,” he said. “I could come in first, but then I might be blocked by other cars. There might be a Safety Car and then you lose out massively, so I didn’t mind to stay out.
“I mean we lost one position, but we know we are quick and you could see that when we put the ‘inter’ tyres on we were flying so it was ok.” Looking ahead to Sunday’s Grand Prix, when he will start sixth after taking a five-place penalty, Verstappen said his chief concern was not only the possible change of conditions, but also the risk of a collision at La Source, the hairpin first corner.
“I need to pass a few cars so I think the biggest risk is just lap one, especially Turn One. It’s always very tricky there so, as long as we stay out of trouble, I think we will have a quick car.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start Sunday’s main event from pole. Piastri came home a strong second ahead of Pierre Gasly, who gave the beleaguered Alpine team something to celebrate, with Carlos Sainz and his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc finishing fourth and fifth.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton came home fourth on track for Mercedes, but was demoted to seventh behind Lando Norris, in the second McLaren, after taking a five-second penalty for a clash with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.
George Russell was eighth in the second Mercedes ahead of Esteban Ocon in the second Alpine and Daniel Ricciardo, enjoying his second weekend with Alpha Tauri.
“I am very happy,” said Piastri. “We tried out best and led for a few laps, but we were no match for Max. But it’s nice to be up there in P2. All credit to the team.”
The race began 35 minutes late, after delays caused by heavy rain, with all 20 cars on full-wet tyres for the start behind the safety car.
The race distance was reduced to 12 laps, but it was obvious that in the improving conditions all 20 cars would dive into the pits for intermediates as the race was reduced to 11 laps.
Finally, the safety car came in and Verstappen accelerated into Pouhon while Piastri, Sainz, Perez, Gasly and Hamilton all dived in immediately for intermediates leaving Verstappen leading Leclerc at the front.
‘SUFFERING’
“We need to box this lap,” said Verstappen, who then pitted, emerging second behind Piastri with Gasly, Perez and Hamilton behind him, all three gaining from their instant pit-stop decisions.
By lap three, the Australian was eight-tenths ahead, his wet-set-up car resisting the Red Bull, which had superior straight-line speed, before Fernando Alonso spun out at the exit of Pouhon.
He was unhurt, but he had his first non-finish of the season to mark his 42nd birthday.
The safety car was deployed while Red Bull told Verstappen Piastri’s left-hand tyres were “suffering”.
“I’m not surprised, he’s drifting everywhere,” said the Dutchman who picked his moment after the re-start, with five laps to go, to blast past Piastri down Kemmel Straight.
Gasly stayed third as Perez and Hamilton tangled when the Briton dived down the inside at Stavelot, but he succeeded later in the lap at La Source and both Ferraris followed in overtaking the Mexican.
His team-mate made short work of establishing himself as leader and was four seconds clear of Piastri by lap nine as Hamilton, fourth, was given a five-second penalty for his earlier contact with Perez
Belgian Grand Prix sprint race results
Race 1. Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull) 24:59.433, 2. Oscar Piastri (AUS/McLaren-Mercedes) 25:06.110, 3. Pierre Gasly (FRA/Alpine-Renault) 25:10.166, 4. Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari) 25:12.081, 5. Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari) 25:14.449, 6. Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes) 25:15.485, 7. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 25:16.190, 8. George Russell (GBR/Mercedes) 25:16.255, 9. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine-Renault) 25:21.843, 10. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/AlphaTauri-Red Bull) 25:22.239, 11. Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin-Mercedes) 25:24.440, 12. Alexander Albon (THA/Williams-Mercedes) 25:25.736, 13. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) 25:26.439, 14. Kevin Magnussen (DEN/Haas-Ferrari) 25:32.419, 15. Zhou Guanyu (CHN/Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) 25:35.775, 16. Logan Sargeant (USA/Williams-Mercedes) 25:37.004, 17. Nico Hülkenberg (GER/Haas-Ferrari) 25:37.260, 18. Yuki Tsunoda (JPN/AlphaTauri-Red Bull) 25:38.700 Did not finish: Fernando Alonso (ESP/Aston Martin-Mercedes), Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull)
SPRINT QUALIFYING
Piastri wasn’t totally satisfied with his qualifying performance, telling Sky Sports: “I’m mostly very happy of course, but when you cross the line and I saw myself in P1 and then I got the call I was P2 it’s a bit frustrating, especially when it’s by 11 thousandths.
“I did a really good lap and couldn’t have got much more out of that. I’m super happy to be on the front row. If there’s one track where you don’t want to be on pole it’s probably here.”
Ricciardo impresses despite deleted lap | 01:21
Nonetheless the praise has flowed for Piastri, led by Sky Sports pundit Antony Davidson who said the McLaren young gun has been “really on top of his game” in Belgium.
He added:
“I think running the higher downforce which McLaren are will help them still in those mixed conditions. I’m intrigued to see maybe tomorrow or later on when it’s fully dry how they get on because they could be a bit of a sitting duck in straight line performance.
“They’re around 6mph down on the Red Bulls. That is a big loss in the straight lines but in these conditions Oscar was flying and the car was just about in its happy place.
“To not make mistakes in that kind of conditions as a rookie driver with all the pressure on his shoulders is really, really impressive.”
Meanwhile, Ricciardo once again bested AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda over one lap.
Tsunoda was eliminated in the first session while Ricciardo made it through and went on to qualify for the sprint race in 11th.
BELGIUM SPRINT GRID – TOP 10
1) Max Verstappen
2) Oscar Piastri
3) Carlos Sainz
4) Charles Leclerc
5) Lando Norris
6) Pierre Gasly
7) Lewis Hamilton
8) Sergio Perez
9) Esteban Ocon
10) George Russell