Max Verstappen held off McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to claim a Belgian Grand Prix Sprint victory for Red Bull in the team’s first race since Christian Horner’s sacking.
The reigning world champion took advantage of his superior straight-line speed to pass Piastri up the Kemmel Straight on the opening lap, before expertly managing the inferior cornering ability of his lower-downforce car to hold off the Australian.
Piastri was still able to extend his world championship lead over team-mate Lando Norris by one point – to nine points – as the Brit recovered to his starting position of third, having also been passed on the opening lap by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Despite Verstappen’s victory, McLaren’s pace advantage will ensure they start as favourites for Grand Prix qualifying later on Saturday – live on Sky Sports at 3pm – and Sunday’s full-length race.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Max Verstappen overtakes Oscar Piastri for P1 on the opening lap of the Belgian Sprint.
Red Bull were racing for the first time in the team’s history without Horner at the helm, following his sacking after the British Grand Prix earlier in July after more than 20 years at the helm.
The victory represents a perfect start for Horner’s replacement Laurent Mekies, who congratulated Verstappen over team radio after the Dutchman took the chequered flag.
Mekies said: “Well done Max. Very, very impressive defence, very well controlled. You didn’t leave anything on the table there.”
While the victory represents a symbolic triumph for Red Bull, Verstappen gains just a solitary point on Piastri and remains 68 points back from the championship leader, with his hopes of a fifth successive drivers’ title remaining extremely faint.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Lando Norris moves into P3 for the Belgian GP Sprint, overtaking Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen said: “It worked out really well. The start was the only opportunity we had against them and we got it into Turn 5.
“Then I knew it would be very tough to keep them behind, so it was playing cat and mouse with DRS and battery usage.
“The whole race was within seven tenths, so I couldn’t afford to make big mistakes. I had one tiny lockup in the last corner, but apart from that it was, for us, a great result to keep them behind.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Max Verstappen secures victory in the Belgian GP Sprint after holding off Oscar Piastri in the final lap.
Leclerc took fourth as positions third to seventh finished in starting order, with the Haas sealing a fine result as Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman claimed fifth and seventh, respectively.
Carlos Sainz produced one of his best performances yet for Williams by taking sixth, while Isack Hadjar claimed the final point for Racing Bulls in eighth.
George Russell finished 12th and Lewis Hamilton 15th, with the British duo powerless to recover from poor qualifying performances that left them starting towards the back of the grid.
Verstappen: It’s been a very good start with Mekies
Amid continued speculation over his future with the team, Verstappen produced another reminder as to why he is in his own stratosphere as the most-wanted driver on the grid.
The lower-downforce setup opted for by him and Red Bull made him quicker on the straights but left the McLarens with a significant pace advantage over the rest of the lap.
The option also made Verstappen’s car more difficult to handle during the more intricate parts of the lap, but he overcame the challenge in supreme style – with only a single error giving Piastri half a chance at the start of lap 11.
While the reality is that Mekies can’t have had a major impact on the team during his two weeks in charge, it is to the Frenchman’s credit that an apparently smooth transition has laid the foundation for a strong start to the post-Horner era.
Asked after the Sprint about Mekies’ influence, Verstappen said: “It’s very difficult to, within two weeks, suddenly say that a lot of things need to change, out of the blue.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Laurent Mekies felt that Max Verstappen extracted everything out of the car to claim the Sprint victory at the Belgian GP.
“It’s about starting the relationship, and just understanding how everyone is operating, and then at one point, you come to conclusions and maybe you want to change something. This is something that will happen over the coming weeks, months.
“It’s really early days, but so far, he’s very keen and very motivated, and that’s exactly I think what you want also. And I get on very well with him, so it’s been a very good start.”
Sky Sports F1’s live Belgian GP schedule
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Look back at some of the most dramatic moments throughout the years at the Belgian Grand Prix
Saturday July 26
12.40pm: F2 Sprint
2pm: Belgian GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: Belgian GP Qualifying
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday July 27
7.25am: F3 Feature Race
8.55am: F2 Feature Race
10.40am: Porsche Supercup Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Belgian GP build-up*
2pm: THE BELGIAN GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Chequered flag: Belgian GP reaction*
5pm: Ted’s Notebook
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
The 2025 Formula 1 season resumes this weekend with the Belgian Grand Prix as the Sprint format returns, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime.
