Max Verstappen held off both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to win the Sprint Race at Spa-Francorchamps, giving new Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies the perfect start in charge.
Verstappen made a strong move at the start, overtaking pole-sitter Piastri into the Les Combes chicane. Although Piastri stayed close throughout the 15-lap race, he couldn’t match Red Bull’s straight-line speed and never found a way past.
By the end, just 1.4 seconds separated the top three, but Verstappen crossed the line first for his 12th career Sprint win. Piastri extended his championship lead over Norris to nine points.
Red Bull’s win comes after a tough few weeks, following the departure of long-time team boss Christian Horner.
Behind the top three, Charles Leclerc took fourth, ahead of Esteban Ocon (Haas), Carlos Sainz (Williams), Oliver Bearman (Haas), and Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls), who grabbed the final point.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli started from the back row after recent Sprint pole positions in China and Miami. Hamilton struggled with car balance and finished 15th, while Antonelli ended up 17th.
Alpine’s race was one to forget. Franco Colapinto started from the pit lane and finished 19th. Pierre Gasly, who had qualified 8th, didn’t take the start due to a suspected water leak, only joining from lap three as a test run.
