"Starting second at Spa is not too bad after all": Piastri after Belgian GP

Written by Chloe Buckley, Edited by Meghana Sree

Top three drivers of the Belgian GP during the post-race press conference | Credit: Formula One

The 2025 Belgian Grand Prix kicked off 80 minutes after its scheduled start time due to rain delays. Following a Safety Car and rolling start, Oscar Piastri quickly overtook his McLaren teammate Lando Norris to gain the lead and win the race.

Oscar Piastri after winning in Belgium | Credit: Formula One

Here are the top three drivers of Spa reacting to this afternoon's race.

Oscar Piastri - P1

Piastri's quick overtake at the beginning of the race has helped extend his championship lead by 16 points. Piastri commented on how it felt behind the wheel in that moment:

"Lively. Very lively. I knew that Lap 1 was going to be probably my best chance of winning the race. I got a good exit out of Turn 1 and lifted a little as I dared through Eau Rouge and that was enough.

"The rest of the race we managed really well. Struggling a little bit by the end, maybe the medium wasn't the best for the last five or six laps, but we had it mostly under control, which is what I wanted.

"I was pretty disappointed with myself after yesterday but turns out starting second at Spa is not too bad after all."

Looking forward to next week, Piastri is looking to win for the second time at the Hungarian GP:

"It's going to be exciting to go back. It's a track I enjoy. Yeah, scene of my first win last year, I'm looking to getting back and hopefully we can continue the momentum because the pace has been incredibly strong."

Lando Norris finished P2 in Belgium | Credit: Formula 1

Lando Norris - P2

When speaking to the media, Norris stated that battery issues did not cost him at the start of the race:

"No, the slipstream, and we saw it already on Saturday. The slipstream, especially when it's wet and especially when you're the first car, you have to push through the first bit of water, which means the following effect in the rain like this is even more than usual.

"I didn't get the best Turn 1 so I need to go and look at things. I had two snaps on the exit, and maybe that could have got me out of trouble. But I think it only would have given Oscar an even bigger slipstream to pass me."

Later in the race, Norris attempted to catch Piastri and hopefully take back the lead, but too many mistakes were made to catch up.

"I had a couple lock ups in Turn 1, I went off in Pouhon, I had a big bump. I lost a couple of seconds there.

"At the same time, Oscar made some mistakes as well. It's just the conditions were tricky. I'm sure everyone makes mistakes like that.

"But that's racing, that's life. In a way, I'm not unhappy. I need to look what much more I could have done today. I felt like I still did a good job, I felt like I was quick, I felt like I was on top of things, but just Lap 1 let me down."

Charles Leclerc on the podium at Spa | Credit: @F1 via X

Charles Leclerc - P3

Leclerc has brought Ferrari back onto the podium, but that didn't come without any pressure in Spa.

Leclerc said: "Max was behind the whole race within two seconds, so it's never easy. But I knew that the first part of the race was the trickiest one for us because we maybe didn't have the downforce that McLaren or Max had, as they compromised a little bit in qualifying to be better in the rain today.

"But luckily, it dried up pretty quickly and then the pace was good. But still, Max was right behind the whole race, so I'm pretty happy we managed to keep that place."

In his parc fermé interview, Leclerc was asked his thoughts on the car's performance:

"I'm pleased with the steps forward we are doing, and I think we should all be proud about that because I know that behind that, there's a lot of work behind the scenes from the people back at home for us to have this upgrade here. It definitely helped us to get the podium when you see how close it was with Max today.

"However, we are all aware that this is not enough, and we need to keep pushing in order to be closer to the McLaren. This is very clear for the whole team. It doesn't change that we shall be satisfied with what we've done this weekend."

Up next: Hungaroring

Next weekend, Formula One returns to the Hungaroring. Can Piastri use his momentum from today to win in Hungary for the second year in a row?