Verstappen: Those were 15 laps at qualifying pace.

      Max Verstappen won Saturday’s sprint at Spa, overtaking Oscar Piastri, who started from pole position, on the very first lap using slipstream, aided also by Red Bull Racing's car setup for lower downforce.

      Max Verstappen: "The overtaking was quite successful, as the only real opportunity to pass McLaren was at the start, and we managed it before Turn 5. I understood that after that it would be very difficult to hold them back, so I had to play cat and mouse with battery energy while Oscar was behind and could use DRS.

      Throughout the race, we were separated by no more than seven-tenths, so I couldn't afford to make serious mistakes. I only briefly locked the brakes once in the final turn, but apart from that, we managed to keep our rivals behind, which is a great result.

      Of course, it's just a sprint, but today’s result is important, and I am very pleased with this achievement. We had to push to the limit of our capabilities, and conserving tire resources was no longer an option, which also made the task more difficult. To stay ahead, I drove 15 laps at qualifying pace, even though tire management is crucial on this track.

      It wasn't easy, but we managed, and I am very happy."