Verstappen overtakes Piastri to win Belgium sprint race, Hamilton penalised
Heavy rain hit the track ahead of the formation lap at Spa-Francorchamps, resulting in a 30-minute delay.
When the race got back underway, there were five laps behind the Safety Car due to concerns about the spray.
Once the sprint race officially got underway, conditions had already improved enough for drivers to come in for intermediates.
Half of the field, including Piastri, stopped for intermediates, while race leader Verstappen stayed out due to fears of queuing in the pit lane.
Piastri was no match for Verstappen behind, with the Red Bull driver coming through on Lap 6 following a Safety Car period caused by Fernando Alonso’s off.
Verstappen built up a comfortable 6.6s lead over Piastri to take an easy win in the sprint race.
Piastri maintained second ahead of Pierre Gasly, who resisted pressure from Sergio Perez initially, and then Lewis Hamilton.
Perez and Hamilton tangled on Lap 6 as the Red Bull driver struggled for pace.
The tangle appeared to give Perez some minor damage, ultimately dropping down the order before having an off.
The stewards handed Hamilton a five-second time penalty for colliding with Perez, putting the seven-time world champion seventh in the final classification rather than fourth..
Hamilton’s penalty promoted Carlos Sainz (4th), Charles Leclerc (5th) and Lando Norris (6th).
George Russell overtook Esteban Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo as he recovered to finish eighth to secure the final point.
Ocon was ninth, while Ricciardo completed the top 10.
