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Sprint Showdown at Spa: Verstappen Dominates, Hamilton’s Struggles Deepen

Spa‑Francorchamps served up drama and disappointment in equal measure during Saturday’s Belgian Grand Prix Sprint, where Max Verstappen took advantage of his raw straight‑line speed and racecraft to school McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

Verstappen, starting second behind Sprint pole‑sitter Piastri, slotted into position early and used the slipstream down the Kemmel Straight to dive past into Les Combes on lap 1—a move that effectively sealed his win . Piastri tried hard to stay within range, but Red Bull’s power advantage proved decisive: Verstappen crossed the line with a 0.753‑second margin, claiming eight valuable sprint points .

McLaren’s Lando Norris worked his way back up to third from a sluggish start, rounding out the sprint podium in front of a battling field .

Meanwhile, a low point came for Lewis Hamilton. Last Saturday’s qualifying woes had already sent him to 18th on the grid, and his sprint race only added to his woes. Struggling with rear grip issues and deeply frustrated with balance woes, Hamilton drifted into 16th before completing the race outside the top-scoring positions .

Spa remains a beloved track for Hamilton, but today offered nothing but pain. He admitted over the radio, “I’ve got no rear already,” as he fought a lonely battle at the tail of the pack .

Further back, Oliver Bearman impressed by keeping the DRS-induced pursuit at bay, securing seventh place ahead of Isack Hadjar to bring home points for Haas . Notably absent from the sprint lineup was Pierre Gasly, ruled out due to a suspected water leak in his Alpine—another blow for the troubled midfield squad .

Down in the midfield, Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon, and Carlos Sainz rounded out the points positions in fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively, in what became a rollercoaster of tactical overtakes and tyre choices .

In the end, it was a telling display from Verstappen—efficient, aggressive, and yet controlled. He immediately signalled his intent for the rest of the weekend, having silenced any lingering doubts over Red Bull’s post‑Horner era .

Verdict: Verstappen continues his dominance, McLaren showed pace but lacked the edge, and Hamilton’s weekend slid into real trouble. With the main race and full Grand Prix on Sunday, fans can expect even more twists—but today belonged entirely to the Dutchman.