Max Verstappen does not leave even the crumbs of the Sprint race. The two-time Dutch champion took over the short race in Belgium, which had been through the water, with spins, retirements from his two immediate pursuers (Checo Pérez and Fernando Alonso) and an ephemeral leader with Oscar Piastri, who took second place. Carlos Sainz took 5 points from fourth place.
After a 65-minute delay (it was supposed to start at 4:30 p.m.), firstly due to the delay in the morning Shootout classification and the regulatory obligation to distance 4 and a half hours from the start, and then due to the persistent rain in Spa, the third Sprint race of the year started behind the safety car and everyone wearing extreme wet tyres. Zero emotion, zero spectacle, with Verstappen chasing the peacekeeping green car that recognized the state of the track, and the rest behind.
The short race was scheduled for 15 laps (a third of Sunday’s, at 44), but the usual formation lap lasted five laps, which were deducted from the initial tally: the Sprint was reduced to just 11 laps and the start was released. , behind Verstappen, who raised a dense curtain of water.
Stops to fit the intermediate tires followed immediately: Piastri, Pérez, Sainz, Gasly, and Hamilton were the first to stop. Vestappen continued on the track, leading, followed by Leclerc, Norris, Ocon, Russell, Sargeant and Alonso, seventh.
The Dutchman saw that his extreme tires were not performing and stopped on the second lap. He was imitated by all those who had not stopped at the first turn. The result: Piastri swiped the top spot from Verstappen, who went wild for the Australian rookie, leading for the first time in his F1 career.
The pit-stop dance resulted, in addition to Verstappen’s pursuit of Piastri, Gasly’s third place, Pérez’s fourth, Hamilton’s fifth, Sainz’s sixth and Alonso’s 16th, far behind.
The Asturian, who was turning 42, suffered a spin on the third lap, went to the gravel and could not get out. A circumstance that led him to abandon – the first race that did not finish – and to force the exit of the safety car.
After the race resumed, Verstappen gave Piastri no option for more than six laps. The Dutchman, like a predator, stuck to the McLaren at the end of the finish straight, came close on the Eau Rouge climb, and on the Kemmel straight he hacked at it to take the lead.
The champion’s attack seemed to open the ban on overtaking. Sainz was encouraged to overtake a Pérez who was showing problems in fifth position and who ended up retiring on lap 8. Hamilton was fourth, but received a five-second penalty for touching Checo Pérez. The Englishman was dropped from fourth to seventh place.
Verstappen was unfazed by everything that was happening behind him. He took victory (8 more points in his account), his second this season in the Sprint Race, ahead of Piastri -his best result in F1- and Pierre Gasly.
The sanction on Hamilton made it possible for Carlos Sainz to rise to fourth place and add 5 points. Fifth was Leclerc, Norris sixth, Hamilton seventh and Russell eighth, closing the account with one point.