At the 2025 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri celebrated a commanding victory at Spa-Francorchamps, reinforcing McLaren’s unstoppable development trajectory. Despite visible signs of progress for Scuderia Ferrari, the Woking-based outfit remains untouchable from a technical standpoint, with its relentless upgrade path delivering continued results.
With his win at Spa, Oscar Piastri responded directly to team-mate Lando Norris in what has increasingly become a tennis-like back-and-forth duel for the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship title. The dominance of the “papaya duo,” powered by a McLaren team that consistently brings effective upgrades, makes it hard to imagine any rival threatening their supremacy this season. The British team’s rapid progress risks overshadowing the noteworthy strides Ferrari has made with its newly introduced rear suspension system—an innovation that has helped the Maranello-based squad strengthen its hold on second place in the Constructors’ Championship standings.
A Duel That Continues to Intensify
Oscar Piastri earned his first-ever victory at Spa with authority, displaying strong racecraft as he launched an aggressive attack on Lando Norris following the restart after the Safety Car. The Australian driver remained glued to Norris through the Bus Stop chicane and La Source hairpin before executing a decisive overtake on the Kemmel Straight. Lando Norris reported a lack of hybrid power deployment during the restart, but McLaren’s engineers identified a minor anomaly affecting both cars—meaning neither driver gained or lost a clear advantage due to the issue.
Piastri was therefore granted the strategic priority to be the first to switch to slick tyres. This decision allowed him to build a lead of around seven seconds over Norris. At that point, Lando opted for a different tyre compound, switching to the hard tyres instead of the mediums. Given the step in compound performance, the hard tyres were estimated to be roughly one second per lap slower, and Norris lost a further two seconds as he struggled to bring the harder rubber into the optimal temperature window. The low track temperatures further compromised the hard compound’s advantage in terms of tyre degradation, and Norris also made costly errors at La Source and Pouhon that amounted to a combined three-second time loss.
While Piastri celebrated a crucial win, the championship dynamic remains largely unchanged. Both McLaren drivers are now locked in a closely fought title battle. According to team principal Andrea Stella—who has worked with several past Formula 1 world champions—Piastri and Norris are currently performing at a level worthy of championship status.
McLaren’s Technical Supremacy Cemented
Despite Piastri’s personal success, the real winner in Belgium was McLaren as an organisation. The British team continues to solidify its technical superiority as the season progresses. The strategic decision to introduce their new floor at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone—despite limited spare parts—proved pivotal. It allowed McLaren to gather essential data and come fully prepared for the more chaotic Sprint weekend format at Spa.
The MCL39 impresses with its consistent upgrades, which improve aerodynamic load without compromising driveability. This perfect blend of downforce and stability now appears to be sealing the season finale in McLaren’s favour, with a clear path toward multiple race wins and potentially both titles.
Ferrari’s New Suspension Gets a Pass Mark
Charles Leclerc was the best of the rest in Belgium, securing a valuable third-place finish. The Monegasque driver managed to extract the maximum from his Ferrari SF-25, which demonstrated performance levels comparable to those of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing RB21—at least during the race. Leclerc’s ability to qualify third on Saturday played a critical role, as he capitalised on hesitation from the reigning world champion.
Although Charles Leclerc initially struggled with tyre degradation in wet conditions, this time the performance drop-off appeared to stem more from Ferrari’s low-downforce setup than the team’s traditional wet-weather shortcomings. Once the circuit dried, Leclerc’s pace on slick tyres was competitive with the McLarens, albeit aided by cold temperatures and minimal tyre wear.
Seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton also benefited from a strategic setup change. The Ferrari driver switched to a higher downforce rear wing before the race start, allowing him to carve through the field with stronger aerodynamic grip. He gained additional positions by perfectly timing his switch to slick tyres, making full use of his adjusted setup.
From a broader perspective, Spa validated the effectiveness of Ferrari’s newly introduced rear suspension. Team principal Frédéric Vasseur remarked that some upgrades yield instant results, while others require more time to fine-tune and understand—especially in terms of brake interaction, ride height, and overall mechanical balance. Even between the Sprint race and the Grand Prix, Ferrari appeared to make incremental progress by adjusting the car setup based on the data collected.
Looking ahead, the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest—where rear grip is even more critical—will provide a clearer test of the new suspension’s capabilities. However, like Spa, the Hungaroring and the following circuit in Zandvoort are both dominated by medium-speed corners. These types of corners continue to be McLaren’s strongest domain, reinforcing the notion that Ferrari’s best chances lie on circuits better suited to their SF-25, such as Monza.
Red Bull Struggles Continue
Max Verstappen continued to show signs of post-Silverstone vulnerability. In Belgium, the reigning World Champion started the race with a high-downforce rear wing to avoid the setup issues he had experienced in wet conditions during the British Grand Prix. However, the track dried quicker than expected, rendering his aerodynamic advantage moot.
Furthermore, Red Bull Racing encountered energy deployment problems, which forced the RB21 power unit to reduce output at the end of the straights. This limitation prevented Verstappen from making any meaningful attacks on Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari during the race. Still, the Austrian team left Belgium encouraged by the effectiveness of their latest update package and remains hopeful of securing at least one more victory before the end of the season.
George Russell finished in fifth position, but his Mercedes-AMG W16 appeared lacklustre throughout the sweeping corners of Spa. The Brackley-based team is visibly regressing in performance relative to competitors who are progressing with steady car development. George Russell narrowly held off Alex Albon, whose Williams showed renewed potential thanks to a significant update package. The British-Thai driver’s strong result will be tested further at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where the team expects more challenges. Nevertheless, the points scored in Belgium were crucial in maintaining a lead over the surging Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, which moved up to sixth in the Constructors’ Championship with ninth place from rookie Gabriel Bortoleto.
When the Problem Isn’t Just the Rain
Beyond the sporting narrative, the Belgian Grand Prix sparked debate for its lack of on-track spectacle. Few questioned the decision to delay the race restart by more than an hour due to poor visibility—especially on a circuit as fast and unforgiving as Spa-Francorchamps. The only criticism surrounded the extended use of the Safety Car, which some believed led to unnecessary laps behind the pace car.
Comparisons with the past and outdated safety standards offer little value, especially when the real issue lies in how Formula 1 cars have evolved. The massive spray clouds behind the cars are no longer caused by the tyres but by the increasingly powerful diffusers. Over the years, these sprays have become thicker as aerodynamic downforce has increased to compensate for the ever-rising minimum weight requirements—arguably the sport’s most pressing structural issue.
Even after the green flag waved, the Grand Prix proved disappointing. The unusually cold track surface—around 15°C cooler than on Saturday—minimised tyre degradation, equalising performance across different compounds and neutralising strategic variation. On top of that, overtaking was difficult due to weaker slipstream effects, caused by low-downforce setups and worsening aerodynamic turbulence when following another car.
Sensor data from the car noses suggests that, despite the 2025 season being the final year under ground effect regulations, the quality of dirty air is still better than in 2021. Nevertheless, it is clear that the sport can no longer delay the 2026 regulation changes, which will strip car surfaces of complex flaps and intricate aerodynamic appendages. That reset offers one of the few certainties in a regulatory overhaul still shrouded in question marks.
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