A maginificent Verstappen withstands Piastri's relentess pace to snatch win!
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A filmmaker with a soft spot for Ronnie Peterson, Gilles Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen and above all, Tazio Nuvolari and Ayrton Senna, is also a diehard Formula One fan since the age of 4 (mid-90's). An avid researcher of the past of Grand Prix Racing since before it was even named F1, and with a thirst for knowledge of the ins and outs of the actuality of the sport, as well as for the technical aspects that define it, is a member of GPblog since 2023, where he has put his love of racing to good use.
How it happened
At the start of the sprint race, Oscar Piastr's fears were confirmed, and Red Bull's low downforce gamble did pay off with the Dutchman overtaking the Australian down the kemmel straight.
Charles Leclerc overtook Lando Norris at the start, but the positions were again inverted in the fourth lap with the Brit overtaking the Monegasque into Les Combes.
Piastri stayed in the DRS range of Verstappen, as Norris edged closer to the battle at the front. Leclerc fell away lap after lap and by the halfway mark of the race the Monegasque had already drifted back to 3 seconds.
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Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz, Oliver Bearman and Isack Hadjar rounded off the top eight, the only point scoring positions in a Sprint race.
Lewis Hamilton's woes continued as on lap 7 he complained over the radio that he 'had no rear already.'
On lap 11 Verstappen encountered brake issues and ran wide a the bus stop which let Piastri get closer into La Source and then down the Kemmel straight.
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