28/07/2025 14:30
The Belgian Grand Prix at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps was an
underwhelming affair, following a lengthy 80-minute delay to allow
poor weather to pass over. Once green flag running finally got
underway, what was set to be a wet race turned into a largely dry
afternoon. Oscar Piastri struck back to claim his first win since
Barcelona, whilst Kimi Antonelli's European nightmare continued in
16th. So, who has made the RacingNews365 list of winners and losers
for the 2025 F1 Belgian Grand Prix? Winner - Oscar Piastri Oscar
Piastri had shone excellent pace throughout the weekend in Spa, to
the extent he claimed Sprint pole by almost five-tenths of a
second. However, he was defeated by Max Verstappen in the 15-lap
dash, before Lando Norris pipped him to pole for the grand prix.
In championship leader fashion though, Piastri learnt from how
Verstappen took the sprint win from him and applied the same
tactics on Norris into Les Combes. Piastri overtook Norris on the
first lap of green flag running, before controlling the race to win
by just over three seconds. As a result, he leads the F1 drivers'
title by 15 points. Loser - Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli's
European horror show just will not end for the Mercedes teenager,
who suffered back-to-back early qualifying exits in Spa. Antonelli
started towards the back in both the sprint and the main event, and
was spotted with a tissue in hand after being eliminated in Q1 on
Saturday afternoon. Despite feeling better in the race, the
18-year-old could only manage 16th, continuing his run of six
consecutive European races without a point. The pressure is
starting to increase on the Italian to deliver better results,
particularly with his current form hurting the Silver Arrows in the
constructors' standings. Winner - Charles Leclerc Following the
introduction of new rear suspension, Charles Leclerc enjoyed a very
successful few days in Belgium, collecting a fifth podium of the
season. The Monegasque finished fourth in the sprint before
qualifying in third for the grand prix, ahead of Max Verstappen.
Leclerc showed aggression when needed but also consistent pace,
which saw him convert third on the grid into the final spot on the
rostrum. He now has the same number of podiums in 2025 as
Verstappen and George Russell, an impressive achievement given the
documented Ferrari difficulties this year. Loser - Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton is a difficult one, as the seven-time world champion
did actually make 10 places in the race and received the 'Driver of
the Day' award. However, the Briton needed to make up the places
after being eliminated in Q1, following a mistake at Turn 4 where
he exceeded track limits. The mistake occurred 24 hours after the
40-year-old was also knocked out in SQ1, resulting in a painful
sprint. In a complete contrast to Silverstone, Hamilton boasted
excellent pace in the damp conditions early in the race and timed
his switch to slicks perfectly. Unfortunately, his pace vanished
when the track completely dried, with Alex Albon being too
difficult to pass for sixth. Winner - Alex Albon On the topic of
Albon, the Williams driver enjoyed a strong weekend, securing
strong points for the Grove-based outfit. After watching Stake F1
score huge points in Silverstone with Nico Hulkenberg's podium,
Albon converted fifth on the grid into sixth in the race. Russell
was the only driver to overtake Albon, who managed to keep himself
ahead of Hamilton. It strengthened the 29-year-old's eighth
position in the drivers' standings, and increased Williams'
advantage over Stake to 27 points in the fight for fifth. Loser -
Isack Hadjar It was an unfortunate Belgian GP for Isack Hadjar, who
had scored a point in the sprint and qualified in eighth for the
grand prix. Once again, Hadjar was ahead of Racing Bulls team-mate
Liam Lawson, but suffered a disastrous race. The French-Algerian
tumbled to the back of the field and finished in a distant last, as
a result of an issue which started early in the race.
