Verstappen admits P3 was the best he could do at Spa: 'I gave it everything'

Starting from second on the grid, Verstappen briefly grabbed the lead at the start by overtaking Antonelli. However, the championship leader reclaimed first place on the Kemmel Straight, with Charles Leclerc also finding a way through as the pair went on to battle for victory.

The four-time world champion then had to fend off Oscar Piastri before later coming under pressure from Lewis Hamilton. Despite recovering strongly after serving a five-second penalty and losing further time following an incident in the pit lane, Hamilton crossed the line in fourth, ultimately running out of laps to mount a challenge for the podium.

Speaking after the race, Verstappen said he was satisfied with third place, believing he had extracted the maximum possible from the car.

The Dutchman felt his opening stint was competitive, although he struggled more after his pit stop, and also suggested that both he and Antonelli lost out due to the timing of the Virtual Safety Car. Overall, he considered a podium finish to be a very positive result, insisting there was little more he could have done.

With his podium at Spa, Verstappen secured his third top-three finish of the season after his previous podiums in Montreal and at the Red Bull Ring. The result moved him up to 91 points in the championship standings, leaving him just one point behind Oscar Piastri and 12 adrift of Lando Norris.