F1 news LIVE: Lewis Hamilton disagrees with Ferrari boss over Belgian GP start

F1 constructor standings after Belgian GP

7. Racing Bulls – 41 points

8. Aston Martin – 36 points

Kieran Jackson28 July 2025 11:00

Ferrari and McLaren boss agree with FIA

“The spray is coming from the floor, there is nothing we can do,” he said.

“The limitation is not the grip, the limitation is visibility. The helmet camera shows it, you can understand in this situation that they see absolutely nothing.

“Remember what happened in Silverstone with the crash, this is the most dangerous. We can’t blame them, we would be the first one to give them s*** if something happened.

“I was comfortable in respecting their decision because they have a huge responsibility.”

“I think today the race was managed in a very wise way by the FIA,” he said.

“We knew there was a lot of rain coming. Delaying the race allowed us to race in wet conditions and we went into dry. We didn’t even know how long the dry race would’ve been.

“I think from our position we always praise the work of the FIA when this is deserved and this is one of the cases.”

Kieran Jackson28 July 2025 10:00

F1 driver standings after Belgian GP

2. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 250 points

18. Ollie Bearman (Haas) – 8 points

Max Verstappen agreed with Hamilton, calling the delay “silly” over team radio. However, Hamilton’s boss at Ferrari, team principal Fred Vasseur, thought race director Rui Marques was correct to err on the side of caution, particularly given past crashes in the rain at Spa.

Kieran Jackson28 July 2025 08:00

RACE REPORT:

In hindsight, Oscar Piastri’s wry smile was indicative of the events that followed. Sitting on pole for Saturday’s sprint race, the Australian was powerless to stop Max Verstappen storming past him on the first racing lap. But for the grand prix, with McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris out in front, second-placed Piastri had the opportunity to follow suit. When asked, he attempted a poker face, but could not hide his clear agenda.

And after a start which was delayed by one hour and 20 minutes following a heavy downpour on a murky day at Spa-Francorchamps, Piastri stole a march on Norris at the start – after four laps behind the safety car – with what turned out to be a simple overtake on the first racing lap. It would be the race-winning moment.

Kieran Jackson28 July 2025 07:00

Lando Norris reacts after finishing 2nd:

“Oscar did a good job, nothing more to say,” Norris said.

“Committed a bit more through Eau Rouge and had the slipstream and got the run and that was it. Love to be up top but Oscar deserved it today.”

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, right, celebrates on the podium with his second-placed team-mate Lando Norris (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP) (AP)

Kieran Jackson28 July 2025 06:00

Gabriel Bortoleto, who finished 9th:

“I’m happy to have made it back into the top ten today. The conditions were quite challenging – a wet start and then the track drying up always make things unpredictable – but we stayed focused, made the right calls, and managed to bring the car home in P9.

“Overall, I’m happy with how the race went: I feel we extracted everything we could from our package. Our pace has been solid all weekend, and that’s a credit to the whole team for giving me a car that felt good in every session.

“Of course, as a driver, you always want to be fighting higher up the grid, but this was a solid result and another decent step forward. We scored two more points, and that gives me an extra confidence boost heading into the next round in Budapest in just a few days. I feel we are moving in the right direction, and I’m excited to keep pushing and wrap up the first half of my rookie season on a high.”

Kieran Jackson28 July 2025 05:00

Charles Leclerc after finishing on the podium:

“I’m pleased with the steps forward we are making and I think we should all be proud because I know how much work went in to our upgrades from the whole team back home in Maranello.

“It definitely helped us to get the podium and to keep Max behind today, which was not easy because he was very close until the very end of the race.

“Once we were on slicks, I knew I just had to keep my head down and push for P3 to be ours, and it is, so I’m very happy we brought it home.Our upgrades brought what we expected and we need to keep learning how to maximise their potential.

“We will keep pushing and I hope we can put some more pressure on our competitors soon.”

Kieran Jackson28 July 2025 04:00

Toto Wolff: ‘I will miss Horner… in a way’

Toto Wolff was asked whether he will miss his old rival Christian Horner following his sacking by Red Bull.

“In a way, yes. He was one of the main cast. I don’t think he’s gone forever, he could pop up in some other function – I need to be careful, he could rock up in the FIA then I’m really in the s***!

“He was someone that was controversial, polarising and not soft-washed. That was good from the entertainment factor and from that perspective he will be missed. His track record speaks for itself.”

Toto Wolff and Christian Horner butted heads for many years (Getty Images)

Lawrence Ostlere28 July 2025 03:00

Red Bull start life after Christian Horner with sprint win for Max Verstappen

Eighteen days after Horner was told his two-decade reign was over, Verstappen claimed the Red Bull’s first win of any sort since he raced to victory in Imola on 18 May.

Verstappen started second, but batted aside pole-sitter Oscar Piastri on the opening lap before keeping the world championship leader at bay.

Chris Wilson28 July 2025 02:00