Hello and welcome to this Total Motorsport live blog for Sprint Race at the F1 2025 Belgian GP from the most beautiful circuit in the world, Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
Oscar Piastri delivered a sensational performance in Sprint Qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, seizing pole position at Spa-Francorchamps with a lap that left even Max Verstappen and Lando Norris trailing in his wake. The McLaren star’s 1m40.510s in the final moments of the session was nearly half a second quicker than Verstappen’s best, with Norris unable to join his team mate on the front row after a scrappy finish.
Total-Motorsport.com’s F1 2025 Belgian GP live updates for Sprint Race will bring you real-time news, and team developments, as the Sprint Race continues the weekend’s competitive acton. Stay with us as we bring you all the latest from Spa.
F1 Belgian GP 2025 Sprint Race LIVE: Latest Updates
Verstappen reveals how intense his Belgian GP Sprint Race was
An absolute masterclass in tyre management and consistency allowed Max Verstappen to shrug off the McLaren pair behind to come home for another win in his storied career.
He reveals just how intense the race actually was for him, declaring he had to do 15 consecutive qualifying laps to make sure he fended off Oscar Piastri.
“It worked out really well. The start was the only opportunity we had against them and we got it into Turn 5,” Verstappen said. “Then I knew it would be very tough to keep them behind, so it was playing cat and mouse with DRS and batter usage.
More from the Azerbaijan GP
Catch up with Total Motorsport’s latest Azerbaijan GP coverage, including George Russell’s dramatic Baku victory, the full race classification, the fastest lap result, and the Driver of the Day from the 2026 race.
“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.
“And to have a win here in Spa, yes it’s a Sprint win, but it still counts and I’m very happy with what we did out there.”
He added: “I did 15 qualifying laps to keep them behind on a track where tyre management is important. It wasn’t easy but we managed to do it and I’m very happy with that.”
Oscar Piastri hints McLaren may have the advantage on Sunday
Whilst Red Bull’s Max Verstappen managed to evade Oscar Piastri on Saturday, the Australian McLaren driver hints the team may hold the advantage for Sunday instead.
Rain is forecast for July 27 and that means the extra downforce he had could pay rewards against the low-wing concept of the Red Bull.
“I tried my best to snake my way through the straights and not give too much of a tow [at the start],” Piastri told F1 TV. “But didn’t have enough straight-line speed and then obviously didn’t have enough speed for the next 15 laps either.
“Still a good result, still good points. It is only a Sprint, the main points are tomorrow, so pretty happy with it but a bit frustrated I couldn’t get past.
“The weather is looking pretty bad for tomorrow, which means you probably don’t want to take off too much wing, but I don’t want to repeat the Sprint we just had. So we will have a look and see what we can do.”
Lando Norris reacts to Belgian GP Sprint result
Lando Norris had another Lap 1 error as he dropped behind Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, although he did make it up for it later on. Nonetheless, it cost him a good chance to try to overtake Oscar Piastri in Spa.
That means the championship lead moves slightly further away from him, so how does he feel about his afternoon? Was he left wanting for more?
“Not a lot going on! A bit of fun at the start,” Norris said to F1 TV. “Maybe I could have positioned myself a bit better. Otherwise, a bit too difficult to get past Max. He drove a good race.
“I wasn’t going to get past anyone unless Oscar got past Max. They drove good races. I was hoping for a bit of battling but the Red Bull was too quick in the straight for us to catch up.
“Maybe some tweaks for us to make in qualifying, I don’t know. We will reassess and see what we can do.”
Your order at the end of the Belgian GP Sprint
Max Verstappen comes home first for another Sprint Race victory in Formula 1 and a rare win as far as things go in this 2025 season at the Belgian GP.
He led home McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in second and third, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in fourth.
Then came: Esteban Ocon (Haas), Carlos Sainz (Williams), Oliver Bearman (Haas), Isack Hadjar (Sauber) to round out the points.
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS BELGIAN GP SPRINT RACE
Max Verstappen makes minimal errors to come home and win the 2025 Belgian GP Sprint Race ahead of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris with a masterful showing.
There’s a reason why he’s a four-time world champion and is regarded as the best driver on the grid as he makes a low-drag strategy work without ruining his tyres or taking a trip off the track.
Interesting for Sunday’s Grand Prix that the mediums didn’t fall off for the Red Bull in comparison to the McLaren, although they only ran with around a third of the fuel.
Lap 15/15: Last chance saloon for Piastri
Oscar Piastri now has one more chance to try to overtake Max Verstappen for the lead, but with Lando Norris behind, he’s probably quite comfortable with the order.
He could have made a lunge into Turn 4 but he thinks the better of it and that will allow Red Bull’s leader to cruise home to the chequered flag in this Belgian GP Sprint Race.
Lap 13/15: Gap at 0.7
Max Verstappen is keeping the gap at around 0.7 seconds when they get onto the Kemmel Straight, which is perfect as it means Oscar Piastri is not able to get close enough to attack him.
That’s unless the McLaren chooses to go for a desperate lunge…
LEADER: VERSTAPPEN. Then comes: Piastri, Norris, Leclerc, Ocon, Sainz, Bearman and Hadjar in the points.
Lap 12/15: Verstappen survives scare
Max Verstappen does enough to recover the gap to around half-a-second to Oscar Piastri behind and the Red Bull gets away with the mistake he made a couple of laps ago.
The Dutchman looks as though he could have this covered, but it’s going to take immense concentration to hold that place whilst making sure he doesn’t make an error as the medium tyres start to slowly fall off.
Lando Norris is right there in third too, so a big error could be very costly.
Lap 11/15: Piastri almost takes the lead!
Max Verstappen makes a rare mistake and he immediately knows it, moving to defend the inside as he gets onto the Kemmel Straight.
Oscar Piastri gets a run on him but it’s not enough to overcome that top speed.
The Red Bull had to go off-line at the end of the straight, could that cost him the valuable lap time needed to defend the place?
Lap 9/15: Three-way battle for the lead in Spa 👌
Lando Norris is now back in contention and within DRS range of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after his Lap 1 mistake that saw him drop behind Charles Leclerc.
We’ll find out if he’s quicker than his teammate or if he’s about to hit the same wall Piastri has, unable to pass the top speed of the defending world champion.
Lap 7/15: DRS train from 11th downwards
Yuki Tsunoda has around half of the Formula 1 field trapped in a DRS train due to that top speed of the Red Bull. He’s currently 1.6 seconds behind Liam Lawson but nobody else can get close.
That’s making sure that George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli can’t make progress from 12th, 16th and 17th respectively.
Your order after 1/3 of the Sprint Race
Max Verstappen continues to lead the Belgian GP Sprint Race for Red Bull, around half-a-second ahead of Oscar Piastri in the chasing McLaren behind.
Then comes Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz, Oliver Bearman and Isack Hadjar in the points positions at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
Here’s how Verstappen took the lead:
Lap 5/15: Oscar Piastri is pushing 👀
Oscar Piastri dips a wheel into the gravel in his pursuit of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen but manages to get away with it and keeps up the chase.
He’s not leaving much margin for error out there, and he also holds the fastest lap too. He needs to be careful to make sure he doesn’t loose the rear of his MCL39 car.
Lap 4/15: Norris up to third
Lando Norris picks off Charles Leclerc for third place in the Sprint Race at the 2025 Belgian GP, using DRS at the end of the Kemmel Straight.
The Ferrari isn’t racing the McLaren today, and Leclerc didn’t offer up too much of a fight. He’ll turn his eyes to Esteban Ocon behind to manage his own race here on out.
Lap 3/15: McLaren drivers told to cool the car
Anthony Davidson tells Sky Sports F1 that both McLaren drivers have been told to manage their engine temperatures, the team are wary of potential unreliability from the Mercedes engine.
Meanwhile Max Verstappen’s top speed in the Red Bull? It’s reminiscent of Ferrari’s infamous engine in 2019. Piastri simply cannot get close to the Sprint Race leader.
At least, in his eyes, he’s ahead of Lando Norris.
Lap 2/15: DRS activated
DRS is now online and drivers within one second can pop the rear wings open for some extra top speed, something Oscar Piastri desperately needs if he hopes to fight back against Max Verstappen.
LEADER: VERSTAPPEN. Then comes: Piastri, Leclerc, Norris, Ocon, Sainz, Bearman and Hadjar in the Top 8, the points-paying positions.
LIGHTS OUT: Verstappen takes the lead!
Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen both get away well and the McLaren driver fends off the Red Bull out of Turn 1 but it’s a long straight and that allows the defending world champion to fight back!
The 27-year-old pulls alongside and goes around the outside of Piastri to take the lead of the Sprint Race and at the same time, Lando Norris drops behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc!
That’s not what McLaren wanted. Can he fight back when DRS is open?
FORMATION LAP BEGINS: Piastri leads field
Oscar Piastri gets the formation lap underway ahead of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. This will be critical for generating tyre temperatures and brake temperatures for the run off the line and traction out of Turn 1.
All drivers are on the medium tyres as per the lack of mandatory pit stop, so expect everyone to go to the end unless they have notable damage.
Your grid for the Belgian GP Sprint Race
Franco Colapinto starts from the pit-lane for Alpine and look to the trio of Kimi Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to come through the field.
They are drastically out of position following miserable Friday Sprint Qualifying efforts. Meanwhile at the front, can Oscar Piastri repel Red Bull’s Max Verstappen down the Kemmel Straight?
Pierre Gasly out of Belgian GP Sprint Race
It’s a technical problem for Pierre Gasly, who is officially out of the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix Sprint Race this Saturday morning.
That’s disappointment for Alpine, who had qualified eighth and in the final points spot.
Where to Watch 2025 Belgian GP Sprint Race
For fans in the United States, the F1 Sprint Race from the Belgian GP will be broadcast live on ESPN2, with streaming available via the ESPN app and ESPN+ for subscribers.
In the United Kingdom, every session from the Belgian GP, including the F1 Sprint Race, is shown live on Sky Sports F1. Australian viewers can watch the Sprint on Fox Sports 506 (via Foxtel) and stream it on Kayo Sports.
Fans in other regions can also access live coverage through F1 TV Pro where available.
What time is F1 Sprint Race at the 2025 Belgian GP?
The F1 Sprint Race at the 2025 Belgian GP is scheduled for Saturday, July 26. The session begins at 12:00pm local time (CEST) in Belgium.
That means the F1 Sprint Race at the 2025 Belgian GP begins at 11:00am for fans in the UK, while those in the USA can catch the Sprint Race at 6:00am ET and a very early 3:00am PT on the West Coast. Down Under, it’s a 8:00pm AEST start.
