New Zealand driver Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls at the Belgian Grand Prix, 2025. Photo: FLORENT GOODEN / AFP
Oscar Piastri passed McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris with a bold early move to win the rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix and extend his Formula 1 lead to 16 points.
New Zealand driver Liam Lawson was in the points again, finishing eighth, thanks to an overtake on his team-mate Isack Hadjar early in the race.
Lawson started ninth on the grid but managed to get past Hadjar when the Frenchman went wide on a corner on lap 12.
As the track started to dry, Lawson was then given priority in the pits for a tyre change.
The 23-year-old was passed by Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton for seventh place just after coming out of the pits.
Hadjar finished last.
Liam Lawson finished eighth thanks to an overtake on his team-mate Isack Hadjar early in the race. Photo: ANTONIN VINCENT / AFP
It is Lawson's third points finish of the season and he is now 14th in the Drivers' Championship with 16 points.
Charles Leclerc was a distant third for Ferrari as reigning champions McLaren celebrated their sixth one-two finish in 13 races and the third in a row.
The race at Spa-Francorchamps was red-flagged after an initial formation lap and delayed by an hour and 20 minutes due to the weather, with standing water and heavy spray affecting visibility.
Piastri was not in a mood for hanging around when the racing got going with a rolling start after four laps behind the safety car.
The Australian charged through the spray to slipstream Norris through the daunting Eau Rouge and scythed past on the uphill straight.
Piastri pitted on lap 12 of 44 to switch from intermediates to medium tyres and Norris followed a lap later, but opting for hards, before both then went to the chequered flag on a one-stop strategy.
Piastri crossed the line 3.415 seconds clear of Norris, who had been chasing a third win in a row and managed to reduce the gap in the final laps with putting the ever-calm Australian under too much pressure.
Reigning champion and Saturday sprint winner Max Verstappen finished fourth, in Red Bull's first grand prix since the dismissal of team boss Christian Horner, with George Russell fifth for Mercedes.
Williams' Alex Albon held off Ferrari's seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton to secure sixth.
Lawson was eighth for Racing Bulls with Gabriel Bortoleto ninth for Sauber and Pierre Gasly securing the final point for Alpine.
- RNZ / Reuters
