Oscar Piastri secured his sixth win of the 2025 Formula 1 season with a commanding performance in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday. His clever and daring move early in the race allowed him to outwit teammate Lando Norris, significantly impacting the championship battle by extending his lead to 16 points. The race was delayed by rain and produced tense moments where tactical brilliance determined the outcome.

Despite Norris earning pole position after a fiercely competitive qualifying session on Saturday, Piastri overtook him at the crucial start phase near the Les Comes corner. This decisive maneuver changed the course of the Belgian GP, allowing the championship leader to maintain control throughout the event.

How Piastri’s Strategy at the First Corner Gave Him the Edge

Former Formula 1 driver and current Sky F1 analyst Anthony Davidson highlighted a pivotal moment in the battle between Piastri and Norris that turned the race around. According to Davidson, the critical move happened as the safety car withdrew, bringing a rolling start. Norris accelerated slightly too soon before the Bus Stop chicane, giving Piastri the opportunity to close the gap quickly.

Davidson used the Sky Pad to explain that Piastri’s cunning plan involved a subtle feint under braking for the first corner, La Source. By shifting to the right aggressively, Piastri forced Norris to defend on the inside line, which compromised his trajectory through the corner. This manoeuvre allowed Piastri to achieve a cleaner exit, setting him up for a successful overtaking opportunity soon after.

At Eau Rouge, Piastri was able to carry greater momentum and benefited from slipstreaming Norris, enabling him to pass decisively on the approach to the chicane.

This is where, as a driver, you have to have your wits about you,

Davidson explained.

You are trying to feel the track. You haven’t been in these conditions all weekend. You are living by your senses. It’s natural driving, coming into it.

—Anthony Davidson, Sky F1 Analyst

Davidson continued to detail the tactical exchange between the teammates:

Piastri, on the attack, trying to upset the rival into the first corner, goes to the inside. Lando is looking into the mirror at where his teammate is. He can see Piastri on the inside. This is what Piastri wants Lando to do – to turn in early. As Lando turns in early, on a slightly compromised line, Piastri turns left and crosses the line as Lando moves in. In doing so, he gives himself a much better exit.

—Anthony Davidson, Sky F1 Analyst

This forced Norris into oversteer, a direct consequence of Piastri’s deceptive approach. With Piastri cleanly positioned on the exit of turn one, the Australian driver took a gamble on speed and proved braver than his competitor by pushing harder through unfamiliar conditions.

Now the next phase comes in: bravery. You’ve never been into this corner at these speeds on these tyres. It is a gamble – how fast do you go? Oscar goes ‘however fast you’re going, I will go quicker’. He had an advantage in the slipstream. He has momentum not just from Turn 1, but through Eau Rouge, from the extra bravery and because he’s got someone in front to judge the speed. It is harder when you are the car in front.

—Anthony Davidson, Sky F1 Analyst

Reflecting on the tactical move at the opening corner, Davidson summed up the significance:

But at Turn 1? I feel that Lando was tricked into it. It wasn’t Oscar’s intention to turn down the inside, he planned it very well, brilliant stuff. In a way, it gave him a huge part of the race victory.

—Anthony Davidson, Sky F1 Analyst

Pitstop Decisions Worsen Norris’s Challenge

The advantage Piastri gained in the opening laps extended into the pitstop phase, as the track conditions improved and teams switched to slick tyres. Piastri was able to pit promptly, aligning himself with many of the leaders, while Norris was forced to stay out an additional lap on worn intermediate tyres, leaving him vulnerable on a drying circuit.

It is advantage Piastri, as the car in front, he gets to pit first,

Davidson remarked.

It’s a normal pitstop by McLaren’s standards. Lando was a lap later to pit. His intermediate tyres are completely destroyed, he’s wishing he could have pitted when his teammate did. It was slow [to change the left-front tyre at the pitstop]. It doesn’t go on at the right angle. Another second-and-a-bit wasted.

—Anthony Davidson, Sky F1 Analyst

This delay, combined with slower lap times on degraded intermediates, meant Norris lost crucial seconds, exiting the pits about seven seconds behind Piastri despite having been close initially.

McLaren’s decision to split tyre strategies saw Piastri take medium tyres, while Norris’s car was fitted with hard tyres, aiming to give him a performance edge late in the race. Although Norris’s tyre choice helped him close the gap somewhat, he was unable to catch Piastri before the finish, crossing the line over three seconds adrift.

For Lando the decision to go onto hard tyres was brilliant,

Davidson said.

But because he was fighting so hard he starts to make mistakes in his quest to drive flat-out like a quali lap. Into Turn 1, it cost him big time. It was five tenths to a second, at Turn 1. I excuse those mistakes at the end because he was up against it.

—Anthony Davidson, Sky F1 Analyst

Implications for the Championship Battle

Oscar Piastri’s performance in Belgium reinforced his status as the driver to beat this season, combining tactical intelligence with courage under pressure. His ability to outthink and outpace Lando Norris both at the start and during critical moments such as pitstops has widened his championship lead, putting additional pressure on his McLaren teammate.

Norris’s struggles with tyre management and the delayed pitstop illustrate how fine margins often dictate the outcome in F1, especially when teammates fight closely at the front. As the season progresses, teams will continue to monitor tyre strategies and driver decisions closely, knowing that any minor error or brilliant insight can decisively swing race results and points standings.

The Belgian GP highlighted the tactical depth and unpredictability that define Formula 1 racing, underlining why split-second decisions remain crucial. Piastri’s calculated risks and Norris’s response will become key storylines as the championship race intensifies in the upcoming rounds.

Our Reader’s Queries

Q. Is Lando Norris shy?

A. When Lando joined as a Test and Simulator Driver in 2017, he was a little shy but had a fun sense of humor and a youthful charm. Over time, he has developed into a mature and self-assured leader, known for his quick thinking and clever remarks.

Q. Is Lando Norris’ father a millionaire?

A. Lando Norris’s dad, Adam, is a multimillionaire featured on the Sunday Times Rich List. His wealth helped Lando advance in motorsport and reach Formula 1.

Q. Is Lando Norris’ father rich?

A. Lando Norris was born on November 13, 1999, in Bristol, England. His dad, Adam Norris, used to work as a pensions manager and is among Bristol’s richest people. In 2018, he ranked as the 501st wealthiest person in the UK. Lando’s mom, Cisca Wauman, comes from the Flanders area in Belgium.