Belgian Grand Prix 2025: F1 coverage from SB Nation

Max Verstappen took home the F1 Sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday.

But the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will start up front when the big points are on the line in the main event later today.

McLaren put in a strong effort in qualifying for the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, as Lando Norris captured pole position and teammate Oscar Piastri will start alongside him on the front row.

But the job is not done, and with Pirelli throwing the grid a curveball not seen since 2022, the Belgian Grand Prix may be a voyage into the unknown.

Oscar Piastri started in pole position for the F1 Sprint at the Belgian Grand Prix.

But Formula 1’s king of sprints took the lead on the opening lap and held on to give his new Team Principal a victory in his debut.

Entering this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, one of the biggest storylines in the paddock was how Oscar Piastri would bounce back after his frustrating British Grand Prix. Piastri was running at the front of the field during a Safety Car, but was given a ten-second penalty for suddenly braking, which opened the door for teammate Lando Norris to take the checkered flag in front of him.

If the only hour of practice this week is any indication, Piastri is going to bounce back just fine.

We have made some NFL media comparisons for Max Verstappen before here at SB Nation.

One such comparison was to Marshawn Lynch before Super Bowl XLIX, who famously answered every question during that Media Day with the line, “I’m just here so I won’t get fined.” Over and over again came that answer, for more than five minutes.

Lewis Hamilton has won seven Formula 1 Drivers’ Championships.

If he is to win an eighth, it will come at Ferrari, the team he moved to for the 2025 F1 season following a tremendous run of success. But he would also have to avoid something that befell other legends of the sport, namely Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, who failed to win titles after moving to one of the most famous brands in sport.

George Russell is not losing any sleep over his position with Mercedes, even as rumors regarding his Formula 1 future swirl.

In recent weeks, speculation over Max Verstappen making a shocking move from Red Bull to Mercedes has dominated the paddock, but there has been a noticeable shift in the conversation over the past few days, which might explain Russell’s line of thinking. Speaking with Austrian outlet ORF earlier this week, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff indicated that the “priority” for the team is to have Russell and Kimi Antonelli in the car next season, and when Russell met with the media Thursday ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, the driver outlined how he is not losing any sleep over his contract status.

The Formula 1 world has been dominated in recent weeks by speculation that Max Verstappen would make a shocking move to Mercedes, leaving Red Bull behind. Those rumors only picked up pace when Red Bull parted ways with Christian Horner following the British Grand Prix, the only Team Principal in the team’s history.

But speaking with Austrian outlet ORF ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff made it clear that the team’s “priority” is their current driver lineup, George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli.

In a statement on Tuesday, Formula 1 confirmed that the sport is looking into adjusting the deposit fees for protests, appeals, and right of reviews, as well as potentially introducing fees for investigations.

The statement follows the third meeting of the Formula 1 Commission, held at the Formula One Management offices in London. In recent weeks, several team principals, led by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, have taken up the issue in the media. Speaking ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix during the Friday FIA Press Conference, Wolff, whose team has been the subject of two post-race protests from Red Bull this season, discussed the issue at length. One such protest came at the Canadian Grand Prix, where George Russell crossed the finish line first but was not confirmed as the winner until roughly five hours had passed, and a protest from Red Bull was denied.

Formula 1 returns this weekend following a two-week layoff with the Belgian Grand Prix.

The race will feature something not seen in the sport since the 2022 season.

Formula 1 has reached the midway point of the 2025 campaign.

While two race weekends remain until the August summer shutdown 12 races are in the rear-view mirror, and 12 more remain. This week’s Belgian Grand Prix kicks off an F1 double-header, that will take the grid from historic Spa-Francorchamps this week to the Hungaroring next week at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The second half of the 2025 Formula 1 season is upon us.

After a two-week layoff, the grid returns to action with the Belgian Grand Prix, one of two races before the August summer shutdown. But with 12 race weekends left, the Drivers’ Championship remains a fight between McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Piastri maintains an eight-point lead over Norris, but the British driver has won consecutive Grands Prix for the first time in his career and heads to Spa in fine form.