Verstappen eyes Piastri but remains cautious ahead of Belgian Sprint

12:16, 26 Jul 2025

Co-author:Samson Ero

Tim Kraaij is Editor-in-Chief of GPblog.com and a Formula 1 analyst. With permanent FIA accreditation and direct access to the paddock, he delivers in-depth, data-driven analysis and insight into key developments within the sport.

Max Verstappen will do everything he can to beat Oscar Piastri during the sprint race in Belgium. However, the Dutchman doesn't think a victory is realistic.

"Our car is usually quite efficient on the straight, so of course we have to use that, but we also know where we fall short," said Max Verstappen on Viaplay. The RB21 mainly performed well on the straights, giving Max a chance to attack on the first lap of the sprint race.

What Verstappen expects from the sprint race in Belgium

"We're certainly going to try. They are a lot faster, so I can give it a shot. It's fun for everyone, but it's going to be difficult to keep such a car behind for the whole race. On the other hand, we don't have much to lose — we also want to have a bit of fun."

Verstappen, however, isn't considering a victory. "If I had qualified half a second on pole here, I wouldn't even be concerned with the man in second place. I know we would pull away. So I just have to run my own race," concluded the Dutchman.

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	156
2	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	90
3	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	88
4	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	75
5	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	60
6	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	58
7	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	43
8	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	29
9	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	26
10	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	26
11	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	18
12	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	15
13	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	13
14	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	6
15	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	5
16	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	3
17	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	2
18	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	1
19	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	0
20	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
21	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0
22	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0

Verstappen eyes Piastri but remains cautious ahead of Belgian Sprint

What Verstappen expects from the sprint race in Belgium

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