Oscar Piastri turns personal disappointment into motivation to win Belgian Grand Prix

Oscar Piastri turned his personal disappointment into motivation to succeed after he produced a brilliant drive in difficult conditions to clinch the Belgian Grand Prix.

Race winner Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren lifts his trophy on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Spa, Belgium.

Australian Formula One star Oscar Piastri has given his world championship hopes a massive boost after turning the tables on his English teammate Lando Norris to win a wet and wild Belgian Grand Prix.

Back behind the wheel of his McLaren for the first time since he was given a controversial 10-second penalty that cost him victory in the British Grand Prix and handed it to Norris, Piastri took matters into his own hands with a brilliant drive in difficult conditions to take a deserved win at the high-speed Spa circuit.

“It was very lively,” Piastri said. “I knew lap one was going to be probably my best chance of winning the race.

“I got a good exit out of Turn One and then lifted as little as I did through Eau Rouge and it was enough.”

McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri celebrates after winning the Belgium Grand Prix

Norris crossed the line second to give the McLaren garage its sixth one-two finish of the year and extend the team’s lead in the constructors’ championship to 268 points but he blew his chances of winning after making a slow getaway from pole position.

“Oscar did a good job. Nothing more to say. He committed more through Eau Rouge, but nothing to complain of, he had a better start. He deserved it,” Norris said.

“Shoulda, woulda, coulda. Oscar deserved it. I’m sure he would have made a couple of mistakes too and I’ll review my own. Great result for the team, our first one-two here in many years and a deserved result for the team and Oscar.”

Charles Leclerc came third in his Ferrari for his fifth podium finish of the season while the four-time defending champion Max Verstappen placed fourth, slipping 81 points behind Piastri with 11 races left in the season.

The Belgium Grand Prix started on a wet track

In taking the checkered flag, Piastri registered his sixth win of 2025 to break the long standing record for the most wins by an Australian driver in a single Formula One season.

Jack Brabham won five races when he won the second of his three world championships in 1960. Alan Jones equalled Brabham’s mark in 1980, when he won the title, but now Piastri has surpassed them both.

With the win, Piastri also extended his lead in the standings to 16 points heading into next weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the last race before the Summer Break.

“It’s going to be exciting to go back, it’s another track I enjoy,” Piastri said.

“I’m looking forward to getting back and hopefully we can continue the momentum because this weekend the pace has been incredibly strong.“

Oscar Piastri has already won six races in 2025

Starting from second on the grid, Piastri shot past Norris on the opening lap of the race, which was delayed by an hour and 20 minutes because of heavy rain.

The race eventually got underway with a rolling start because the surface was still slippery and visibility poor but that’s when Piastri made his daring move to take the lead from Norris.

The Australian briefly gave up the lead when he returned to the pits to switch from intermediate to medium compounds once the track started to dry out but carefully nursed his tyres through to the end to hold off Norris, who charged home late on hard rubber.

Just 24 and only in his third full season of F1, Piastri is on course to become just the third Australian to win the biggest prize in motorsport if he can keep it together in the second half of the 24-round season.

With none of the other teams able to consistently match the speed and reliability of the McLarens, Norris is looming as his only realistic rival for the crown.

Oscar Piastri overtook his McLaren teammate Lando Norris en route to winning the Belgium Grand Prix

Norris has won four races this season but Piastri has kept a cool head to chalk up wins in China, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Miami, Spain and now Belgium. He also has a total of 11 podiums for the season, another all-time record for an Australian driver.

Only two Aussies have won at Belgium, Brabham in 1960 then Daniel Ricciardo in 2014.

While Ricciardo won eight grands prix during his 357 race career, Piastri has already matched his career tally from just 59 starts and is hungry for more.

“I was a bit disappointed with the rolling start because I thought that was going to take away some opportunity,” Piastri said.

“It was a bit lively up over the hill but I managed to make it stick and then from there the tow helped me out.”

Originally published as Oscar Piastri turns personal disappointment into motivation to win Belgian Grand Prix