Belgian Grand Prix: Post-Race Comments

      Pirelli

      Mario Isola, Pirelli: "We knew that rain would play its role today, and that’s how it turned out. Once again, poor visibility was the main problem for the drivers, which caused the start delay until conditions improved.

      After the start, intermediates performed well but quickly degraded, as the track dried out, so it was time to switch to slicks after a few laps. We were confident that all would switch to the Medium, but McLaren surprised us by employing different strategies for their drivers. The C1 compounds worked very well, and although these tires were slower than C3, they offered greater stability in terms of wear, despite the relatively low temperatures.

      Everyone aimed to complete the race with one pit stop, so managing medium tire degradation was crucial, and it worked perfectly. Those who later tried to accelerate in the final stages to make up positions soon felt the efficiency drop and abandoned that plan.

      Drivers who pitted a second time closer to the end were faster, but it wasn't enough to improve their positions—today once again proved that overtaking on this track is more difficult than many think.

      We brought an unusual ‘every other’ set of compounds to Spa, hoping to see more strategy options. The rain prevented us from testing this idea fully, but we gathered valuable information to help with compound choices in the second half of the season."

      McLaren Formula 1 Team

      Zak Brown, CEO: "The start was delayed due to the weather, but Oscar drove an excellent first lap and then dictated the pace of the race. Together with the drivers, we decided to split strategies, although perhaps we hesitated slightly in switching Lando to hard slicks. But by the end, our cars were separated by just a small gap, and overall it was very interesting.

      Initially, we had a small battery issue on Norris's car, and that's something we need to investigate—I think it didn’t help him either. To what extent this issue affected Oscar’s race is still under analysis, but at the start, there were definitely some battery-related difficulties.

      Near the finish, Lando made a couple of small mistakes, but it’s clear he was pushing to the limit. There was also a slowdown during his pit stop with the front-left wheel, though I don’t know if he could have caught his teammate without those issues. Oscar did his best laps later in the race, and it’s hard to say how much speed he had in reserve.

      It’s too early to talk about the championship standings, as many races lie ahead, but things are looking decent. Still, Max Verstappen can never be discounted."

      Oscar Piastri (1st): "That was a lot of fun! I knew I had my best chance to win on the first lap, and I exited Turn 1 well, then eased off a bit on the Eau Rouge exit, and we had a great remaining race.

      But near the end, we started facing some difficulties. Perhaps the Medium tires were already showing some wear in the last laps, but overall, we kept the situation under control.

      I was very disappointed with myself after yesterday’s events, but it turned out that starting from second wasn’t as bad as I thought. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed with my start, because I thought it cost me some chances. But when I exited Turn 1 well, I managed to stay very close behind Lando and knew I’d brake a little less in Eau Rouge to stay on track.

      At the top of the hill, the car felt a bit unstable, but I managed to stay behind my teammate, and the slipstream helped me overtake him.

      Also, when the track was drying, I thought Lando would switch to hard slicks, but I believed it was better for me to go with Medium tires, since we couldn’t rule out an accident and the safety car coming out. Medium tires work better on restarts, and yesterday’s sprint showed they perform well.

      Next up is the Budapest race, where I won my first race a year ago, so Hungary is a track with good memories for me. I like this circuit, and I hope we can also succeed there."

      Lando Norris (2nd): "Oscar just managed a good start, there’s not much more to add. He was a bit more decisive at Eau Rouge, then used the slipstream, and was able to accelerate well on the straight. I have no complaints.

      He handled the early part of the race better than me, that’s all. After that, I couldn’t do anything. Of course, I’d like to stand on the podium, but today Oscar deserved to win.

      Could I have overtaken him if I hadn’t made mistakes in the last part of the race? That’s just speculation. I’m sure he also made a couple of errors, but if he’d driven perfectly, I wouldn’t have been able to win either. I’ll analyze my own performance, but I’m happy for the team, as it’s another win double. I believe it’s the first time in Spa many years. A well-deserved result for McLaren and Oscar. I’m a little disappointed, but of course, already looking forward to the next race weekend."

      Scuderia Ferrari

      Charles Leclerc (3rd): "Max was consistently within two seconds behind me throughout the race, so it wasn't easy. I knew the first lap would be the hardest because we didn’t have the downforce that McLaren or Max had.

      Fortunately, the track started drying quickly, and I had good pace after that. But Max stayed behind me all race, and I’m glad I managed to keep third place.

      The pressure was high, especially under these conditions. At one point, I even told my engineer Bryan not to interfere! He was just trying to give me more information, but at times, I didn’t need it."

      Lewis Hamilton (7th): "I love races that present a real challenge and require overcoming difficulties. It reminds me of my early years of racing, riding a less than perfect kart, often starting from the back. The current situation is very similar, partly thanks to the team’s teamwork.

      Of course, I’m disappointed with how this weekend turned out. I want to forget it, but at least I finished in the points, and we scored more than Mercedes.

      We need to analyze everything; many factors affected our performance on Friday and Saturday. In the end, I was able to recover some positions today, and I thank the team for that.

      I’ll try to come back stronger next week. I know the car much better now, and all the changes we made boost my confidence."

      Red Bull Racing

      Max Verstappen (4th): "We should have started an hour earlier. It’s a shame they made that decision. The race directors were overly cautious. After Silverstone, we asked them to be a bit more cautious because of the water on the track, but today, I think they were too conservative in their waiting.

      Today could have been a classic rain race. We need to decide—either we run rainy races or we stick to dry conditions and wait for the track to dry. But we don’t want that scenario, do we? We can organize great rain races, like in Silverstone.

      Given the rear wing setup, the decision by the race director affected my race. I did everything I could. We know we need to keep working on the car. Unfortunately, our issues won’t be fixed quickly or easily."

      Yuki Tsunoda (13th): "There was a misunderstanding between me and the team. I asked to switch to slicks, and they told me to wait. At that moment, I passed by the pit-lane entrance. I had to run another lap on intermediates, which proved costly in such conditions. I lost five positions and ended up behind other cars until the end. That spoiled my race.

      I tried everything I could to overtake, but unfortunately, I lacked maximum straight-line speed. I still tried to attack, but the tires stopped holding the track. A very disappointing race."

      Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team

      George Russell (5th): "Fifth place is our maximum today. We lacked the speed of the main competitors. It’s disappointing, but that’s the reality.

      We need to understand why Spa weekend was difficult for us. We have some ideas about where we are losing time, and we will test them next week in Hungary, the last race before the summer break. That will be our main focus in Budapest."

      Kimi Räikkönen (16th): "We expected rain and adjusted the setup accordingly. That helped in the first laps; I overtook a few cars and moved forward. Unfortunately, the track dried quickly afterward, and for the rest of the race, we lost some speed on the straights compared to our main rivals.

      I was often close to other drivers, but I couldn’t overtake. We had to switch to an alternative two-stop strategy, but the results were similar—I stayed behind Esteban Ocon.

      Overall, Spa was a tough weekend, but we have a chance to come back in better form next week. We aim to leave the summer break on a positive note and are fully focused on that."

      Williams Racing

      James Vowles, Team Principal: "We performed confidently this weekend; Alex finished 6th in today’s race, and Carlos finished 6th in Saturday’s sprint.

      The Belgian Grand Prix was held in difficult weather conditions, and Alex drove as steadily as possible, making no mistakes. Good strategy choices and a well-executed pit stop helped him maintain 6th, despite defending from Lewis Hamilton for a significant part of the race.

      For Carlos, we decided to take a risk, betting that the rain would last longer. Like some other teams, we fitted a slightly larger rear wing on his car. But in reality, the track was wet for only about ten laps, and as the asphalt dried, it became clear that our setup lacked some speed due to the larger wing.

      Overall, today’s approach didn’t pay off. But considering our starting positions, it was worth trying to gather some useful data. Also, Carlos’s pit stop wasn’t perfect. We will analyze everything and aim to improve as the season progresses.

      Fortunately, the car is quite efficient, and I look forward to the next races, which we’ll also try to perform well in."

      Alex Albon (6th): "I’m very happy; we beat all the other mid-field drivers, which is always satisfying. It’s great that I could hold off Lewis. While the track was still wet, I faced some difficulties, which was expected, so early on, George Russell overtook me, and I lost a position.

      But afterward, the situation stabilized, and we managed to stay in 6th. When Lewis was closing in, it was important not to make mistakes, and I think helping was that his Ferrari was set up for higher downforce.

      The team did a great job, making it tough to beat the top teams, so I’m glad our car is working efficiently."

      Carlos Sainz (18th): "Before yesterday’s qualifying, we made some setup changes, and that cost us. Our starting position meant we had little to lose, so we decided to start the race on the pit lane, fully prepared for rain. Unfortunately, when the weather remained bad, there were red flags, and during the race, the track dried out, which worked against us.

      Additionally, I faced issues during my pit stop, and overall, the race results were somewhat disappointing. But on a positive note, we performed quite confidently in the sprint, and the technical updates on Alex’s car showed good results. Now, we prepare for the next stage of the season in a week."

      Racing Bulls

      Liam Lawson (8th): "I really enjoyed today. Sometimes in such conditions, just finishing counts, so I’m happy with how things turned out.

      Switching from intermediates to slicks is always a tough decision when the asphalt is still damp, but the car was fast, and on the dry parts, we had good pace.

      Every weekend in such close battles depends a lot on small details. We need to maintain our rhythm and go into the summer break in good spirits."

      Isaac Hajar (20th): "Unfortunately, I had ongoing issues with the car throughout the race, losing a lot of time per lap. On the circuit, I realized I couldn’t aim for much, so I just tried to make the most of the situation, doing everything I could.

      20th place is a frustrating result for the team. All our staff worked hard, and today we deserved points finishes. I go to Budapest confident that we’ll return to the fight next week."

      Sauber

      Gabriele Bortolotto (9th): "I’m glad to be back in the top ten today. Conditions on the track were quite challenging—starting on a wet surface that then dried out, making the race unpredictable. But we kept focus, made correct strategic decisions, and finished ninth.

      Overall, I’m pleased with how the race went—I feel we extracted everything from the car. Throughout the weekend, we showed decent speed, and I thank the team for making me comfortable behind the wheel in every session.

      Of course, I want to compete for higher positions, but we achieved a solid result and took another step forward. We scored two more points, which boosts my confidence heading into the upcoming race in Budapest in a few days.

      I believe we are moving in the right direction, and I look forward to continuing the fight and finishing the first half of my debut season on a high note."

      Nico Hülkenberg (12th): "The race started quite unusually. After the formation lap, we waited over an hour for better weather. I’m disappointed because, at the finish, a few seconds would have earned me points.

      I had to do a second pit stop about eleven laps before the end—front tires lost effectiveness, and I encountered issues with locking brakes and turn-in. Staying on that set wasn’t an option, especially since my car was set up for greater downforce than Pierre Gasly ahead. So, I had to make a pit stop and try to recover, but it didn’t work out.

      Still, we had decent pace and made progress. Gabriele scored important points for our Constructors’ Championship fight. Once again, we proved we are competitive in the midfield, which is a positive outcome of the weekend. Now, we’re heading to Budapest for the next race."

      BWT Alpine F1 Team

      Pierre Gasly (10th): "It was a very intense race, and I’m glad we made the right decisions and earned one point. The team can be satisfied with the result.

      We made some good choices, like setting the car up with low downforce to attack and defend on the straights, and at the right moment, switching to slicks as the track dried. I am very happy with that and with the hard work paying off.

      I only scored one point, but after such a race, when we had to defend for so long against many competitors, we can be pleased.

      Every year, Spa weekend becomes special for several reasons. It was nice to have my family and mom Antoine [Huber] come to the race. We scored one point and now head to Hungary for the final race before the summer break."

      Franco Colapinto (19th): "The race was tough and long for us. Given the conditions, there was even a chance to fight from 15th on the grid. In the early laps, the track was very wet, but then it dried out faster, which should have played into our hands, since we set the car up with low downforce, betting on straight-line speed.

      The start was good, and before the pit stop, I caught up to those ahead. After switching to Medium, I faced speed issues in traffic. Then I did another pit stop to try to overtake Carlos Sainz but couldn’t get close enough.

      Great job from Pierre, who finished tenth and scored a point for the team. For me, the weekend was difficult, but we will keep working hard to prepare for the next race in Hungary."

      Haas F1 Team

      Oliver Berman (11th): "We were a bit late switching from intermediates to Mediums—and I ended up outside the points. Unfortunately, due to an engine problem, I lost three positions, although I was ahead of Gasly, and Hulkenberg pitted twice—I could have finished 10th.

      The car behaved reasonably well but didn’t allow overtaking. I think we can look forward to Hungary optimistically. We were quick this weekend, and I believe Hungary suits us."

      Esteban Ocon (15th): "Unfortunately, today things didn’t go well. We ran an extra lap on intermediates before switching to Medium—this was the main reason for the result."

      Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team

      Lance Stroll (14th): "The team had a tough weekend. We did everything we could, and this was the maximum today. We made the right strategic decisions during the race, but ultimately, we want to finish in the points.

      I’m looking forward to Budapest next week. The track there is completely different, and I hope we’ll have more chances."

      Fernando Alonso (17th): "Unfortunately, the Belgian weekend didn’t go as planned. We chose rain setups, but most of the race was run on dry asphalt in sunny weather.

      I managed to gain a few positions and finished seventeenth, but lacked pace. The team brought updates for this track, but they didn’t give the boost we expected. We’ll analyze the data collected and try to improve in Hungary."