A few critical seconds completely altered the course of the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix. At the restart following the Safety Car period, Australian driver Oscar Piastri launched a decisive overtaking move on his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris. The move was a combination of clever strategy, daring execution, and calculated risk-taking through the daunting Eau Rouge and Raidillon section to gain momentum for the attack. This is how Piastri’s brilliant overtake came together.
The Sprint Race on Saturday, which was held in dry conditions, had already sent a clear message to the front-runners on the starting grid: securing the lead on the first racing lap could be crucial to determining the outcome of the race. With limited DRS zones and overtaking opportunities being few and far between, any chance of passing would require strategic precision—especially considering that the battle for victory was realistically going to be a fight between two McLaren drivers.
With this in mind, the McLaren team placed significant emphasis on the start and discussed various potential race scenarios in detail with both drivers. One key directive was clear: both drivers were instructed not to take unnecessary risks that could jeopardize the team’s overall result. The team was fully aware that the initial moments after the restart might be decisive in settling the intra-team duel.
However, heavy rainfall led the race directors to take a cautious approach, delaying the start and opting for a rolling start rather than a standing one. Oscar Piastri admitted that he feared this would take away his best opportunity to turn the race in his favor, especially with the track expected to dry up after just a few laps—making overtaking even harder.
“I knew I was close, and to be honest I was a bit disappointed about the rolling start because I thought it would take away some opportunities,” the Australian driver explained. “The first lap was probably my best shot at winning the race. But I got a good exit from Turn 1, stayed close, and at that point I just knew I had to lift less than Lando, trying to stay on track. It got a bit lively through Eau Rouge, but I managed to make it work.”
Where Oscar Piastri used intelligence and where he took bold risks
It all began when Lando Norris attempted to surprise his team-mate by accelerating early to restart the race before reaching Blanchimont. The move was intended to create a gap ahead of the braking zone into Turn 1. However, Oscar Piastri reacted quickly and was not caught off guard. This forced Norris to adopt a compromised inside line through Turn 1, which weakened his exit speed.
That small moment proved decisive. As Norris exited Turn 1, a slight hint of oversteer prevented him from generating enough traction to pull away on the run down to Eau Rouge. This made him vulnerable, and Piastri was already glued to the back of his car before even reaching the iconic section of the circuit.
It was at this point that Piastri demonstrated a combination of composure and racecraft, taking more than a few calculated risks over just a handful of metres. Telemetry data shows that while Norris kept his foot fully on the throttle, Piastri briefly lifted to 75% throttle—an intentional and strategic move.
By backing off slightly before the climb toward Raidillon, Piastri created just enough space to avoid being forced to lift mid-corner at full speed through Eau Rouge. This ensured he maintained optimal momentum at the Raidillon exit without compromising his run. It also helped him avoid falling into the clutches of the drivers behind. That positioning allowed him to slipstream effectively up the Kemmel Straight and generate a real opportunity to overtake.
Still, it was not just clever throttle modulation that enabled the pass. As Piastri later admitted, he took real risks through the Eau Rouge section. Driving in wet conditions on the very first racing lap, most drivers would normally lift off more when following another car to reduce the risk of losing control. Yet, despite being marginally more cautious than Norris, a comparison with Charles Leclerc—who was several car lengths further back—reveals just how much Piastri pushed the limit.
Exiting Raidillon, Piastri found himself at the perfect distance to fully capitalise on the slipstream and completed the move along the Kemmel Straight, taking the race lead—a position he would defend all the way to the chequered flag. He also pushed hard through the remainder of that lap to open up a buffer that would protect him from any counterattack.
After the pit stop phase, Piastri managed his tyres brilliantly. He refrained from pushing too hard at the start of the stint in order to conserve his tyre life for the final laps—anticipating that Norris would eventually reduce the gap. This patient and calculated approach paid off. In the closing stages of the race, Piastri was able to increase his pace again, setting very fast lap times and ensuring he stayed comfortably in the lead.
The battery issue: both McLaren cars were affected
There was, however, another key factor that played a role in this phase of the race. A radio message from Lando Norris revealed that he experienced a battery issue right when he was under attack. According to telemetry data, Norris’s top speed was stuck at 306 km/h and did not increase further, even though there was theoretical room for improvement.
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella later confirmed that both MCL39 cars experienced this technical anomaly—not just Norris’s. However, due to the slipstream effect, Oscar Piastri’s car was able to reach 316 km/h on the Kemmel Straight, roughly 10 km/h faster than Norris, before stabilising at that speed.
Stella emphasized that this issue did not give Piastri an unfair advantage. “Regarding the battery deployment at the restart, from what I understand there was a minor anomaly that actually affected both cars,” he explained. “So there was nothing that specifically disadvantaged Lando compared to Oscar.”
“I believe the overtake happened simply because it is very difficult for the driver leading the field to be first into Turn 5. It’s not impossible, but you need a solid margin as you cross the start-finish line—something Lando did not have when the race resumed.”
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