Championship leader Oscar Piastri executed a brilliant manoeuvre through Spa's iconic Eau Rouge corner on the opening lap to claim victory at the Belgian Grand Prix. The McLaren driver seized his opportunity immediately after the rolling start.
"I knew lap one was going to be probably my best chance of winning the race, I got a good exit out of Turn One and then lifted as little as I did through Eau Rouge and it was enough," Piastri explained afterwards.
The decisive move came after securing strong momentum from the first corner.
"When I was going that close I just knew I was going to lift a little bit less than Lando [Norris] did and try and keep it on the track," he revealed.
Reuters
|Oscar Piastri took the lead with a great opening lap performance
"I was pretty disappointed with myself after yesterday but turns out starting second in Spa isn't too bad after all."
Piastri's teammate Lando Norris accepted the result with characteristic sportsmanship.
"Oscar just did a good job. Nothing more to say. Committed a bit more through Eau Rouge, and had the slipstream and got the run," Norris stated.
"Nothing to complain of. He did a better job in the beginning, and that was it. Nothing more I could do after that point.
"I would love to be up top, but Oscar deserved it today."
JUST IN: Martin Brundle writes off Max Verstappen as Oscar Piastri wins Belgian Grand Prix
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc successfully defended third position despite relentless pursuit from championship leader Max Verstappen throughout the race.
The Monegasque driver faced immediate challenges in the tricky conditions.
"I knew the first lap of the race would be the trickiest for us because we maybe didn't have the downforce that McLaren or Max had," Leclerc revealed.
Reuters
|Lando Norris made a few mistakes that cost him the victory
The Ferrari driver endured sustained pressure from Verstappen, who remained within striking distance.
"Max was behind the whole race within two seconds, so it's never easy," he acknowledged.
"At one point I told [my engineer] Brian to leave me alone!"
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Piastri, meanwhile, defended his tyre choice, explaining the strategic thinking behind opting for mediums.
"The medium was the safest tyre to be on at that point, you never know if someone is going to crash and there's a safety car and you want a medium for the restart," he reasoned.
The Australian expressed enthusiasm about next weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.
"It's going to be exciting to go back, it's another track I enjoy," he said, adding his hope to "continue the momentum because this weekend the pace has been incredibly strong."
Getty
|Charles Leclerc held of Max Verstappen to take another podium finish for Ferrari
Norris shared similar optimism about Budapest.
"It's where I started my Formula 1 career. So, always good memories, and normally one that suits me a bit better than Spa," he reflected.
The teams will go again next week for the Hungarian Grand Prix as the drivers will be looking to close the gap to Piastri before he runs away to his maiden world title.