Tops
Oscar Piastri responds to Lando Norris
While Lando Norris remained on two consecutive victories in Canada and Great Britain, Oscar Piastri took advantage of the summer break to rebound better. Author of the pole position in sprint, he was only preceded by Max Verstappen, but finished in front of his teammate. Sunday, who left second behind Lando Norris, the Australian took matters into his own hands. From the 5th round, he seized orders thanks to an incisive maneuver. Then, despite a different strategy – medium tires for him against Lando Norris’s hard workers – Oscar Piastri managed his race perfectly to win a sixth success this season, the eighth of his career. He thus digs the gap at the top of the championship, now 16 points ahead of Lando Norris. A clear signal: Oscar Piastri does not intend to let it go.
A nice comeback for Lewis Hamilton
After a weekend strewn with pitfalls, marked by failed qualifications and public apology, Lewis Hamilton was only rushed on the grid on Sunday. But the seven -time world champion reacted with panache. On a wet track and intermediate tires, he won several positions from the first rounds going beyond Sainz, Stroll, Gasly or Hülkenberg. Its risk -taking by fitting the medium tires from the 11th round, while the track was still slippery, turned out to be judicious. This strategic choice allowed him to go back to 7th place. Despite a Ferrari unable to exceed the rapid Williams of Albon, Lewis Hamilton thus limited the damage after an ill-boarded weekend. For his part, Ferrari was able to console himself with a new podium for Charles Leclerc, his fifth of the year.
Pierre Gasly still garnered points
After his beautiful harvest in Silverstone, Pierre Gasly experienced a hectic Grand Prix at Spa. Penalized by a technical concern in sprint – Two laps late due to a water leakage – And a modest 13th place in qualifying, the Norman was able to bounce back in the race. Like Lewis Hamilton, he opted for medium tires at the right time, at the end of the 11th round. Positioned at the gates of the top 10, Pierre Gasly then contained Yuki Tsunoda and Ollie Bearman for more than 30 laps. He was finally rewarded for his efforts when Nico Hülkenberg made a second stop, leaving him 10th place and the point that accompanies him. For the first time of the season, the Alpine driver scored points on two consecutive Grand Prix.
Flops
A delayed departure
Once again, the race management preferred to play prudence by delaying departure because of the rain. This scenario becomes almost a habit in F1, to the point of questioning the usefulness of extreme rain tires. Initially scheduled at 3:00 p.m., the event finally started at 4:20 p.m. behind the safety car, due to a lack of visibility. A choice that is debated, as wet conditions are also an integral part of the sport. Irony of fate: The decision to repel the departure fell … while the rain had stopped.
Black Sunday for Isack Hadjar
Well placed at the start with an 8th position on the grid, as during the sprint, Isack Hadjar had a nice card to play to reconnect with the points, which he had not registered from the Spanish Grand Prix. But the Frenchman experienced a very difficult race: in fighting with an unstable Racing Bulls, he quickly downgraded. Despite a strategic attempt with two judgments, Isack Hadjar finished 20th and good last at Spa.
Yuki Tsunoda remains hard
Nothing is going well for Yuki Tsunoda. For the sixth consecutive race, the Japanese pilot ends out of the points. Yet qualified in 7th position, he hoped to reverse the trend. But in the race, he never managed to take over on the Alpine by Pierre Gasly, even with the help of the DRS for more than 20 laps. On arrival, an anonymous 12th place which extends its bad series.
