Overview

• Max Verstappen used Red Bull’s low-downforce setup to draft past polesitter Oscar Piastri into Les Combes on the opening lap and held off persistent DRS challenges for his 12th sprint victory
• Oscar Piastri’s second-place finish moves him nine points clear of teammate Lando Norris in the standings following the sprint race
• Lando Norris recovered to third after losing slipstream battles but says his performance still falls short of his own expectations despite recent Grand Prix wins
• Both McLaren drivers face potential grid penalties after fitting their fourth allocated power-unit elements ahead of Belgian Grand Prix qualifying
• The result delivers a morale boost for Red Bull under new team principal Laurent Mekies after Christian Horner’s departure