Lewis Hamilton was "gutted" for George Russell after the latter's disqualification from the Belgian Grand Prix handed victory to the seven-time Formula One champion.

Russell finished just ahead of his Mercedes team-mate Hamilton in Sunday's race to seal a one-two for the team at Spa.

Mercedes had taken a risky strategy with Russell, who went 34 laps on just one set of tyres.

However, an investigation after the race found Russell's car to be 1.5kg underweight, and so Hamilton was handed the race win.

In a post on Instagram, Hamilton said: "Mixed feelings for today's result. Obviously, happy to get the win but I feel for George and it's disappointing for the team not to get the one-two.

"A lot of positives to take from today, though. At the start of the weekend, we didn't expect to be at the front or the pace we had, so it's great to see just how much progress has been made and that we are in the fight.

"We take all these positives with us into the break and will come back a stronger team ready to keep the momentum going."

In a subsequent post on his Instagram story, Hamilton wrote: "Great drive today @georgerussell63, really am gutted for you and the team losing the win and also our 1-2 which the team deserved. Let's keep pushing, work towards another 1-2 in the second half."

Russell, meanwhile, was left heartbroken by the decision, which denied him his second win of the season.

"Heartbreaking… We came in 1.5kg underweight and have been disqualified from the race," Russell wrote in a post on social media.

"We left it all on the track today and I take pride in crossing the line first. There will be more to come."

Hamilton is now sixth in the drivers' standings, with 150 points, 34 ahead of Russell in eighth.

Reigning champion Max Verstappen picked up another two points courtesy of Russell's disqualification, taking him onto 277 at the top of the standings, though the Dutchman has not won in four races, his worst such streak since 2020.

George Russell has been disqualified from the Belgian Grand Prix after his car was found to be underweight, with Lewis Hamilton inheriting his win.

Russell had pulled off a remarkable victory from sixth on the grid with a one-stop strategy, beating Lewis Hamilton, who had led for most of the race, by half a second.

However, the 26-year-old's car failed a post-race weight check, with a report later confirming that while the car had initially been compliant with the minimum weight, 2.8 litres of fuel were then removed.

That, coupled with Russell's one-stop strategy that saw his hard tyres worn down, took him 1.5 kilograms below the weight limit.

Mercedes told stewards that "there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team" after the findings were revealed.

As a result, Hamilton has his second win of the season, three weeks on from his British Grand Prix triumph at the start of the month, and the 105th in his career.

Oscar Piastri moved up to P2, while Charles Leclerc took P3.

An official statement from team principal Toto Wolff following the verdict read: "We have to take our disqualification on the chin.

"We have clearly made a mistake and need to ensure we learn from it. We will go away, evaluate what happened and understand what went wrong. To lose a 1-2 is frustrating, and we can only apologise to George, who drove such a strong race.

"Lewis is, of course, promoted to P1; he was the fastest guy on the two-stop and is a deserving winner.

"Despite the disqualification, there are many positives we can take from this weekend. We had a car that was the benchmark in today's race across two different strategies. Only a few months ago, that would have been inconceivable.

"We head into the summer break having won three of the past four races. We will look to come back after shutdown rejuvenated and with the aim of maintaining our positive trajectory."

Revised Top 10

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
6. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
7. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
8. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
9. Esteban Ocon (Alphine)
10. Daniel Ricciardo (RB)

Max Verstappen says Red Bull "have work to do" if they are to reassert their dominance of Formula One after the mid-season break, while Lando Norris rued some mistakes.

Verstappen finished fifth in the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, having come back from P11.

The Dutchman had qualified in pole, but had to deal with a 10-place penalty that was dealt his way following a collision with Lewis Hamilton last weekend.

While George Russell and Hamilton finished first and second for a Mercedes one-two, Verstappen missed the chance to become the third driver in F1 history to win four races in a row at Spa.

Indeed, he has failed to win the last four races, marking his worst run since 2020, and he knows Red Bull have to get back on track after a shaky few weeks.

He told Sky Sports F1: "If I'd have started P1, of course there's a much better opportunity.

"I was just stuck in the train, saving my tyres so I can't optimise the pace – the race was all about damage limitation. I knew that.

"They're ahead of us. Sometimes McLaren, sometimes Mercedes, I think we were faster than Ferrari but coming from P11, didn't have enough time to pass them.

"We know we have work to do, we want to do better, we're not satisfied, but everyone is doing a great job and you have to take your hat off to that as well."

Verstappen's closest rival in the championship standings, Norris, could not gain ground on the three-time reigning champion, however.

And the McLaren driver lamented his errors over recent races.

"The strategy was good, in the end it seemed whoever undercut more, won the race," he told Sky Sports F1.

"We did what we thought was best. The pace in the car was good. Maybe I could have been more aggressive but I was happy otherwise.

"I felt the pace was good, the few laps I had clean, or behind Carlos [Sainz] when he went long, the car went good, came alive a little bit. The pace felt better, I just couldn't do anything with it.

"From the team side, super happy. I just feel the last few races I’ve messed up a lot, and given away a lot of points."

George Russell celebrated an "amazing" win at Spa in the Belgian Grand Prix.

Russell edged out Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton to triumph in a thrilling battle on Sunday.

It marked Russell's second win of the season, as he became only the second driver – after reigning Formula One champion Max Verstappen – to win multiple races in 2024.

And a risky strategy that saw Russell only pit once ultimately paid off in style for Mercedes, who have won three of the last four races.

"Amazing," said Russell, who charged up from sixth on the grid.

"We definitely didn't predict this win this morning in our strategy meeting but the car was feeling really awesome.

"We made a lot of changes from Friday night and the tyres just felt great. I kept saying 'we can do the one stop'.

"[Oscar] Piastri did a really great job and also well done to Lewis – he really controlled that race and if circumstances were slightly different I am sure he would have got the victory but a one-two for the team was such an awesome result and such a great way to go into the break.

"Three wins for us now. I want another race next weekend. The team have been working so hard so well deserved for everybody."

Asked whose idea it was to go with just one pit stop, Russell said: "I was focusing a lot during the race so I will have to listen to the radio commentary back but it was a team effort.

"We rolled the dice but it was only possible because the car was feeling really great."

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff was thrilled the risk paid off.

He told Sky Sports: "It’s incredible. We were nowhere. We changed a few things on the car and today we’ve been clearly ahead of everyone.

"We didn't think it was possible but at a certain stage we said, let's stay out, because we were going to finish fifth anyway, both scenarios. He stayed out and in the end he made it last."

George Russell edged out team-mate Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes' upturn in form continued at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Like reigning Formula One champion Max Verstappen last year, Russell charged up from sixth on the grid to triumph at Spa.

Russell nursed his tyres for over half of Sunday's race but came in around half a second quicker than seven-time world champion Hamilton, who had started in P3.

It marks Russell's second triumph of the season, and Mercedes' third win in the space of four races.

Oscar Piastri, who won the Hungarian Grand Prix last week, finished third, ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who was unable to capitalise on pole position.

Indeed, Leclerc was overtaken by Hamilton early on, but the latter could not hold out as Russell's risky one-stop strategy paid off.

Leclerc did manage to hold off Verstappen, at least, who finished fifth as his attempt to become the third driver to win the Belgian Grand Prix on four straight occasions failed, albeit the Dutchman had to come from 11th, having been slapped with a 10-place grid penalty after clashing with Hamilton last week.

Lando Norris, Verstappen's closest challenger in the championship standings, completed the top six, but could not make any ground on the leader.

Data Debrief: Is Hamilton back? 

It has been a long and winding, arduous road for Hamilton in recent seasons, but Mercedes have found their gear again, and even if he had to settle for second place this time around, the veteran campaigner appears to be close to his best.

He has now claimed three straight podium finishes for the first time since 2022.

His great rival Verstappen, meanwhile, has not won any of the last four races. That is the Red Bull star's worst run since the 2020 season when he went 11 without a win.

Verstappen needs a win, and quick, though he is 78 points clear at the top of the drivers' standings.

Top 10

1. George Russell (Mercedes)
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
6. Lando Norris (McLaren)
7. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
8. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
10. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Drivers

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 275
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 197
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 174

Constructors

1. Red Bull - 404
2. McLaren - 361
3. Ferrari - 340

Lewis Hamilton knows he faces "a hell of a fight" to hold on for a podium finish at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion finished fourth during a wet day of qualifying in Spa, but moved up to P3 after Max Verstappen's 10-place grid penalty after exceeding the maximum number of power units permitted throughout the season.

Hamilton secured his third top-three start of the 2024 season, while out-qualifying Mercedes team-mate George Russell in successive races for the first time this term.

It is also the fourth consecutive year in which the 38-year-old will start on the second row at this track, where he feels the wet conditions worked to his advantage.

"When it rained, I knew that we would have a chance of being at the front because those are my preferred conditions," he said. 

"I think if it was dry, we would have been struggling to be in the top 10. I imagine it would have been tough. Then out there, timing was everything, getting out on track at the right point. I think we were a little bit too early at the end.

"We were first out, and that's when we used our new tyres, and then we didn't have any new tyres until the end and the three guys ahead did. So, a little bit unfortunate in that respect, but that's the way it is. But I'm grateful to be up there.

"The Red Bulls are much quicker than us here and the McLarens are much quicker than us here. The Ferraris, I think are there or thereabouts with us.

"Obviously, Max is going to make his way through because I think they are the quickest this weekend. So holding on to the podium is going to be a hell of a fight, but I'm ready for it."

Charles Leclerc was grateful for the wet weather that impacted Belgian Grand Prix qualifying as Max Verstappen's grid penalty handed him pole for Sunday's race.

Leclerc finished 0.6 seconds behind Verstappen at Spa, a stunning last lap of 1:53.754 seeing him leapfrog Sergio Perez into second.

That means he will start at the front of the grid at Spa for the second year in a row, with Verstappen taking a 10-place grid penalty after exceeding the maximum number of power units permitted throughout the season.

Perez will start second with Lewis Hamilton third, with McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in fourth and fifth one week on from their Hungarian Grand Prix one-two.

Speaking at the conclusion of the final session, Leclerc admitted the conditions had helped Ferrari exceed expectations but outlined his hope they can defend top spot.

"I definitely did not expect that this weekend," he said. "Obviously, with the tricky conditions, we could do something above our expectations.

"So it's a good day for the team, but now we need to focus on tomorrow and see what will happen when the rain is gone.

"Without this rain, probably P5 was the position we were fighting for with the Mercedes. With the rain, it helped us a little bit, but I'm not going to complain.

"I'm really happy, I'm really happy with the lap in Q3, and it's good to be back on the front part of the grid. Now we've got to finalise that tomorrow. Obviously, I'll try to keep that first place."

Verstappen also qualified fastest for the 2023 race in Spa, only for a five-place grid penalty to see him start in sixth.

He won from that position, though, and has 29 victories when not starting on pole – the fourth-most of any driver in Formula One history.

"I'm very happy," Verstappen said in his post-session interview. "The car was working quite well in the wet. I could just try to do clean lap times in the wet, which is always quite tricky.

"But tomorrow, of course, I know that it's quite a different day. It's going to be warmer, normally no rain, so it's all about tyre degradation. We just need to make sure we’re good on that.

"I know that I have to start 10 places back, so this was the best I could do today, and I go from there. I don't know how quick we're going to be. I hope we can be in the mix."

TOP 10

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

5. Lando Norris (McLaren)

6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

7. George Russell (Mercedes)

8. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

10. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

Sergio Perez is confident he will still be at Red Bull after this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix regardless of the result.

There has been a lot of speculation over the Mexican's future in recent weeks following a series of poor results at recent races, despite him signing a two-year extension with the team just last month.

Since coming fourth at the Miami Grand Prix in May, Perez's best finish has been seventh, both in Austria and Hungary, and he failed to advance beyond Q1 in four of the last six races.

His drop in form has allowed McLaren to close the gap to Red Bull in the constructors' championship to just 51 points.

With the four-week break soon approaching, both RB driver Daniel Ricciardo and Red Bull's reserve driver Liam Lawson have been linked with Perez's seat.

However, the 34-year-old is certain he will still be competing alongside Max Verstappen when the season resumes.

"I am 100% sure," Perez said.

"Because I know basically what's in my contract and I know what the team trusts in me. And I know where is the main focus, which is on delivering on the track.

"It's no different to what it was in Hungary or [at the first race] in Bahrain or how it will be in Zandvoort or the rest of the year," Perez said.

"Every single weekend we've got to deliver the maximum, especially now that, with McLaren catching up in the constructors, it's really important to put everything together if we can achieve it.

"I'm not worried about it. Like I said, I know where I stand. That's not my concern. My only concern I have is to get my season back on track. The rest, I'm pretty chilled about."

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown has said meetings will take place to discuss whether to prioritise Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri for the remainder of the season. 

The issue arose following last week's Hungarian Grand Prix, which saw Piastri's maiden win in Formula One overshadowed by Norris' radio spat with the pit wall. 

Piastri had led much of the race before a bizarre pit-stop call by McLaren allowed Norris to take the lead, but was ordered to give the lead back to his team-mate. 

Norris initially refused to do so, but with three laps remaining, handed the place back to the Australian as McLaren secured a first one-two since Monza in 2021. 

Piastri's win at the Hungaroring made him the seventh different winner in 2024. It is the 16th different year with at least seven winners, the first since 2012 (eight).

But one of Norris' protestations before giving the position back was his battle with Max Verstappen in the Driver's Championship. 

Despite scoring his eighth podium of the season in Hungary, the Brit remains 76 points behind the three-time world champion. 

Brown, who wasn't on the pit wall in Hungary but is back for this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, said the decision would ultimately fall to team principal Andrea Stella.

He told Sky Sports F1: "That's ultimately going to be Andrea's call. We want to get through the first half of the season, see where we end up this weekend.

"I think the Constructors' Championship, while it's definitely not going to be easy, is well within reach.

"I think the challenge on the drivers' front is Max's bad days are second and third places, so (it's difficult) to make those claw backs that we're making on the constructors' that we can do because (Sergio) Perez is struggling at the moment, we also know he's capable of turning it on at any moment.

"That will be something I think we discuss over the summer break."

McLaren's recent pace and form has seen them have a driver on the podium in the last nine races, cutting the gap to Red Bull in the Constructor's Championship. 

The British team have another excellent opportunity to cut the gap in Spa, with Norris' championship rival Verstappen receiving a 10-place grid penalty for Sunday's race by exceeding his engine allowance for the season.

But the Dutchman topped the first practice on Friday, with Piastri finishing 0.531 seconds behind with Norris down in ninth, 0.512secs off his McLaren team-mate.

And Verstappen's showing has left Brown refusing to rule out the possibility of the three-time world champion claiming an eighth win of the season. 

"It's a tricky track with how much downforce you want versus speed," Brown said.

"You have to assume Max is on for pole, which is P11.

"It would be a big mistake to think he can't go from P11 to P1 but we have to take every advantage you can."

Max Verstappen's 10-place grid penalty for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix was confirmed as he took a new power unit in practice at Spa-Francorchamps on Friday.

Under Formula One's regulations, drivers are permitted to use a maximum of four internal combustion engines (ICEs) throughout the 2024 campaign.

Verstappen took his fifth new ICE of the year for Friday's first practice session, triggering the automatic penalty for Sunday's race. 

He proceeded to set the pace in first practice with a fastest lap of 1:43.372, going half a second faster than Oscar Piastri, who won the Hungarian Grand Prix last week.

The three-time world champion will also drop five places if he takes a new ICE at any other race this year. 

RB's Yuki Tsunoda, meanwhile, will start at the back of the grid in Belgium after taking a fifth ICE as well as additional engine parts.

With his penalty confirmed, Verstappen will now be desperate to perform in qualifying, having only taken pole at one of the last six races. 

He did, however, win the recent Spanish and Canadian Grands Prix when not starting at the front. His 29 race victories when not starting on pole are the fourth-most by any driver in F1 history.

The penalty does represent an almighty blow to Verstappen's hopes of avoiding a third straight race without winning, though. 

He last went more consecutive races without a victory in 2020, failing to win in 11 outings from Spain to Sakhir.   

Max Verstappen has hit back at critics following his radio frustration during the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Verstappen, who has won each of the last three races at the Belgian Grand Prix, which comes up this weekend, became increasingly frustrated at the Hungaroring last week as he finished in fifth place following a coming together with Lewis Hamilton late on.

The three-time reigning Formula One world champion is set for a 10-place grid penalty at Spa this weekend after exceeding his engine allowance for the season. 

Verstappen has not won any of the last three races, and has seen his lead at the top of the Driver's Championship cut to 76 points by Lando Norris.

The Dutchman's recent frustrations boiled over in Hungary, spiralling into an X-rated rant at Red Bull engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.

But Verstappen has no regrets.

"People that don't like my language, don't listen in or change the volume down. I'm very driven for success. I've proven that already," said Verstappen.

"I always want to optimise stuff. People can argue that you might not be so vocal on the radio, but that's their opinion.

"My opinion is that it needs to be said at the time to maybe also try and force [things]. That's how it goes.

"We are very open-minded. We are very critical of each other as a team, and that's been working for us very well, so I don't expect that to change."

The last time Verstappen failed to win in four races in a row was in the 2020 season, but Red Bull are showing signs of vulnerability.

And he will face an enormous task to triumph for a 62nd time in the competition, although he is ranked as the fourth driver in F1 history with the most wins without starting from the front of the grid (29). 

Verstappen made light work of the power unit components penalty he sustained at the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix, making his way from 14th to win the race. 

Should he emerge victorious this time around, he will become only the third driver to win four in a row on Belgian soil after Ayrton Senna (1988 to 1991) and Jim Clark (1962 to 1965). 

"If you look at our last few races where we haven't particularly been the fastest, I wouldn't say that with 10 places extra, we have a chance of winning," said Verstappen.

"But a race can always be turned upside down with moments, so you have to be open-minded, try to make the best of it and that's all we will try to do.

"We also don't know how competitive we will be. There's new tarmac, so we need to see how the tyres respond to that as well.

"There's a lot of unknowns with the weather too. Quite a bit of rain is expected tomorrow and Saturday, so we need to follow the weather and our progression this weekend to see how competitive we are."

DRIVERS TO WATCH

Charles Leclerc - Ferrari

Despite being beaten in both qualifying and the main event in each of the last two races by team-mate Carlos Sainz, Leclerc will be keen to get points on the board in Belgium. 

Leclerc has not been among the podium places since his maiden triumph at Monaco in May, but the omens are in his favour with the Italian team achieving more victories (14), more pole positions (12) and more podiums (41) at Spa. 

Ferrari have enjoyed recent races in Belgium, taking pole in the last two editions, with Leclerc doing so in 2023.

Should they repeat the trick, it will be the second time they have done so after 1974 (Clay Regazzoni at Nivelles), 1975 and 1976 (Niki Lauda in both at Zolder).

Leclerc and Sainz will contest their 79th race as Ferrari team-mates, making them the seventh-highets pair with the most races with the same team in F1, surpassing the 78 of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg for Mercedes.

Lando Norris - McLaren

While a radio spat of his own at the Hungarian Grand Prix overshadowed an eighth podium place of the season, Norris will be eyeing another impressive run at Spa.

And he now has a fantastic opportunity to close the gap on Verstappen.

The Brit has taken pole position in two of the last four races, after taking just one in his previous 113 starts in F1.

Excluding Hamilton, who did it twice in 2012, Norris could be the first McLaren driver to take back-to-back pole positions since Kimi Raikkonen in 2006 (Germany and Hungary).

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Drivers

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 265
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 189
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 162
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - 154
5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 149

Constructors

1. Red Bull - 389
2. McLaren - 338
3. Ferrari - 322
4. Mercedes - 241
5. Aston Martin - 69

Lando Norris is convinced he can still chase down Max Verstappen to end his reign as Formula One world champion, though he knows McLaren must remain grounded.

Norris is second in the drivers' championship standings after 13 races, 76 points behind three-time champion Verstappen.

It looked like Verstappen would stroll to a fourth successive championship when he opened 2024 with seven wins in 10 races, but he has failed to win any of the last three, finishing fifth at the Austrian Grand Prix and last week's Hungarian Grand Prix.

Norris finished second behind team-mate Oscar Piastri at the Hungaroring, and he now has seven podiums in his last nine races, including a victory in Miami in May.

Asked about McLaren's upturn by Sky Sports, Norris said: "I said at the end of last year that we were going to win races this year. I said at the beginning of the year that it was not going to be an easy one for Red Bull, and all of that's come true.

"I think we've done an amazing job as a team. First of all, we have to give credit to the team for giving us a car in order to do that. 

"We won in Hungary, but this is the second win of the year. Red Bull have had way more wins. Mercedes have had the same amount of wins as we've had.

"So just because we won one race and had a dominant weekend doesn't mean we're the quickest car. I think maybe two weekends this year, we've had the best car of the grid. 

"Do we have opportunities to maybe win more? Yes. Did we necessarily have the quickest car on those days? I don't think so. But when I think of what we're doing now, we can have more days like Hungary."

Asked whether he still had a chance of capturing the title, he added: "You would be silly to say no. 

"Don't get me wrong, I know it's like 70, 80 points that I've got to catch up. I know a lot of people are going to say that there's no chance.

"But we're going to keep fighting and I'm going to give myself the best opportunity to do so. 

"Especially when you see Max and Red Bull not performing so well, making mistakes, crashing. You want to make the most of those opportunities and plenty more can happen in the future. So, yes, I think it's still on."

The Belgian Grand Prix takes place at Spa this weekend, with the four-week mid-season break following ahead of the final 10 fixtures of the campaign.

Piastri's victory last week made him the seventh different race winner in F1 this year, with only seven seasons ever producing more victors – 11 in 1982, nine in 1975, and eight in 1977, 1983, 1985, 2003 and 2012.

Lewis Hamilton criticised Formula One’s stewards after he was penalised for colliding with Sergio Perez in Saturday’s rain-hit sprint race in Belgium.

Max Verstappen overcame Oscar Piastri’s impressive challenge to land another win ahead of Sunday’s main event in Spa-Francorchamps.

Piastri finished runner-up with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly a surprise third. Hamilton crossed the line in fourth, but was demoted to seventh after he was dealt a five-second penalty for making contact with Perez as they diced for position through Stavelot.

Perez sustained race-ending damage in the accident – with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner accusing Hamilton of putting a big hole in the side of his driver’s machine.

But Hamilton, drawing on a famous quote from his childhood hero Ayrton Senna, said: “As Ayrton said, if you no longer go for a gap that exists, then you are no longer a racing driver.

“That is what I did. And when I watched it back it feels like a racing incident to me.

“The conditions were tricky out there. We are doing our best and it wasn’t intentional. He was slow and I went up the inside and I was more than half-a-car length alongside.

“I feel like we should not be deterred from racing. It would have been nice to finish fourth but I don’t really care about finishing fourth, I want to win.”

The four FIA stewards here – including former British grand prix driver Derek Warwick – also punished Hamilton with two points on his licence.

Surmising the lap-six flashpoint, the quartet determined: “Hamilton was attempting to pass Perez on the inside at Turn 15.

“While Perez was giving little room on the inside for Hamilton, Hamilton drove onto the kerb and subsequently understeered into Perez. The stewards consider that Hamilton was predominantly at fault for causing a collision.”

However, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff backed his superstar driver, adding: “It was absolutely a racing incident. This is a sprint race. We want to see them racing.

“The argument about the damage isn’t valid because he (Perez) was going backwards before then. Massively backwards. And then when you look at that corner, they were side-by-side, and it takes two to tango. It’s a racing incident. For me that’s really clear.”

The start to Saturday’s dash around Spa-Francorchamps was delayed just six minutes before it was due to begin after the heavens opened. A 30-minute postponement ensued.

One formation lap behind the safety car became five in a bid to make the track safe enough to race with visibility caused by spray a major concern ahead of this weekend’s event.

Only four weeks ago, Dutch 18-year-old Dilano Van ‘t Hoff lost his life after a crash during a rain-hit Formula Regional European Championship race.

The approach from race director Niels Wittich resulted in Saturday’s round being reduced to just 11 laps.

But Wolff added: “You can absolutely understand that everyone wants to play it safe.

“We have had terrible accidents here – the last one under similar conditions in the race where drivers couldn’t see because of the spray. So the approach needed to be on the super-safe side and that was right thing to do.”

By the time the safety car peeled in, the track was good enough for the intermediate tyres. And Piastri benefited from being among 10 of the 20-strong field to change from the full wets before a proper racing lap had even taken place.

Verstappen switched to inters at the end of the first lap round allowing Piastri to lead an F1 race for the first time in his career. But on the sixth lap – following a safety-car period to deal with Fernando Alonso crashing out – Piastri’s defence lasted only a handful of corners.

Verstappen tracked Piastri through the fearsome Eau Rouge-Raidillon section and then blasted by on the Kemmel Straight to claim another win and extend his championship lead from 110 points to 118.

Asked if it was a mistake not to stop for inters at the very start of the race, Verstappen said: “No, it was just a safer call.

“I could have come in first and be blocked by other cars in the pits. We lost one position but we knew we were quick and when we put the inter tyres on we were flying.”

Max Verstappen overcame Oscar Piastri to win Formula One’s sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Pole-sitter Verstappen fell behind Piastri after the Australian moved from wet tyres to intermediate rubber a lap earlier before blasting back into the lead at the midway stage of a frantic rain-hit dash at Spa-Francorchamps.

Rookie Piastri finished runner-up with Pierre Gasly a surprise third for Alpine. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth but was hit with a five-second penalty for colliding with Sergio Perez, dropping him to seventh.

Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were promoted to fourth and fifth respectively for Ferrari with McLaren’s Lando Norris sixth. George Russell took the final point in eighth.

Perez was forced to retire from the race allowing Verstappen to extend his championship lead from 110 points to 118 ahead of tomorrow’s 44-lap Grand Prix.

Six minutes before the race was due to get under way, the FIA announced the start would be postponed following heavy rainfall in the area.

A 30-minute delay followed before a rainbow emerged over Spa-Francorchamps and the weather improved.

At 5:35pm local time, the Safety Car led Verstappen et al on five formation laps in an attempt to clear the spray and aid the drivers with visibility.

FIA race director Niels Wittich’s decision over when to enable the start of the race was heightened following the death of 18-year-old Dilano Van ‘t Hoff at a rain-hit Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA) race four weeks ago.

The safety car peeled in, paving the way for a rolling start and a shortened 11-lap dash to the chequered flag.

But, before a proper racing lap had even taken place, half of the 20-strong field came into the pits to change from the full wets to the intermediate tyre.

Among them was Piastri, Perez and Hamilton with Verstappen staying out on track.

Verstappen immediately knew he was on the wrong rubber, calling on his team to change him to the intermediate tyres.

In Verstappen came at the end of the opening lap, but by the time he emerged, Piastri had done enough to leapfrog him and lead a Formula One race for the first time in his career.

Gasly, Perez and Hamilton benefited from their early stops to move up the pecking order.

On lap three, the Safety Car was back out after Fernando Alonso crashed. The double world champion, who turned 42 on Saturday, lost control of his Aston Martin through the left-hander Turn 11, pirouetting through the gravel and nudging the barrier.

Piastri headed the field when the race restarted on lap six, but his defence lasted only a handful of corners.

Verstappen tracked Piastri through the fearsome Eau Rouge-Raidillon section and then blasted by on the Kemmel Straight.

Asked if it was a mistake not to stop for inters at the very start of the race, Verstappen said: “No, it was just a safer call.

“I could have come in first and be blocked by other cars in the pits. We lost one position but we knew we were quick and when we put the inter tyres on we were flying.”

Piastri, 22, said: “I feel very happy. We tried our best and led a few laps but we were no match for Max.

“I thought the safety car would play in my favour with less laps to try and hold him behind. I got a good restart but by the top of Eau Rouge he was on top of me already. I could not keep him behind on the straight.”

Further back in the battle for fourth, Hamilton attempted to muscle his way past Perez but the Mercedes man made contact with his Red Bull rival. Perez briefly remained ahead before Hamilton drove round the outside of the Mexican at La Source.

Perez sustained damage in the accident and fell down the field, sliding through the gravel and then being ordered by his Red Bull team to retire the car.

The stewards investigated the flashpoint and slapped Hamilton with a penalty, demoting him down the order.

Verstappen remained in control of the race, taking the chequered flag 6.6 sec clear of Piastri to rack up yet another win in a one-sided campaign.

Max Verstappen will start on pole position for Saturday’s sprint race after beating McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to top spot by just 0.011 seconds.

Verstappen qualified fastest here on Friday for Sunday’s Grand Prix, but he will line up in sixth after serving a grid penalty for a gearbox change.

But for the 15-lap dash in the Ardennes, the Red Bull driver begins from the front after edging out the impressive Piastri in wet-dry conditions at Spa-Francorchamps.

Carlos Sainz finished third, just 0.025sec adrift of Verstappen, with Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc fourth.

Lando Norris took fifth for McLaren, while Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who appeared to trip over one another in the closing moments, only seventh and 10th respectively for Mercedes.

“It was difficult, but we stayed calm,” said Verstappen. “The gap to second was not as big as yesterday, but there was no need to risk it all.

“My second sector was a bit careful – turns eight and nine were very slippery so I left a bit of time on the table – but I am still on pole and that is what counts.

“Let’s see if it rains in the afternoon. I will try to have a clean start and have good vision and that is very important when it is wet.”

The start of qualifying was delayed following heavy rainfall in the area, but the sun suddenly broke through allowing the action to get under way 35 minutes later than advertised.

The final running took place on an almost dry track and the times tumbled as grip improved and the clock ticked down.

Rookie Piastri, 22, looked to have done enough to take the spoils when he crossed the line fastest, only for Verstappen to steal his thunder

“There wasn’t much left in that lap,” said Piastri over the radio. “Probably 11 milliseconds.”

Verstappen is on course to gallop to his third world championship in as many years and the Dutch driver will be expected to extend his 110-point lead over team-mate Sergio Perez later on Saturday, with the Mexican only eighth on the grid.

Eight points are awarded for the winner of the 15-lap dash, with a sliding scale down to to eighth place.

The result of Saturday’s sprint, which could take place in the wet with more rain forecast, has no bearing on Sunday’s 44-lap main event.

Lance Stroll’s gamble to switch from wet rubber to slicks with a couple minutes of Q2 remaining backfired as he crashed out.

The Canadian driver lost control of his Aston Martin through the left-hand ninth corner, skidding through the gravel and into the tyre barrier.

The front of Stroll’s machine was heavily damaged in the accident and the running was suspended.

His crash meant team-mate Fernando Alonso, who turned 42 on Saturday, did not post a time, leaving him a disappointing 15th on the grid.

Saturday’s race is due to get under way at 5:05pm local time (4:05pm BST).