Red Bull’s low-downforce setup helps Max Verstappen fend off three-tenths quicker McLaren to win Belgian GP Sprint. Max Verstappen expertly defends against faster McLarens in the Belgian GP Sprint.

From Spa-Francorchamps

Among the sweeping and historic corners of the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit, Max Verstappen once again left his mark during what is currently the most delicate and challenging phase for the Red Bull Racing team. Despite the ongoing struggles faced by the Milton Keynes-based outfit, the reigning Formula 1 World Champion managed to seize control of the Sprint Race and hold on until the end thanks to a bold strategic choice and exceptional race execution.

Red Bull successfully replicated a strategy previously tested at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone: take the lead early and defend by leveraging straight-line speed made possible by an extremely low-downforce aerodynamic setup. Meanwhile, McLaren may now have to consider whether adopting a similar configuration would benefit them in the main Grand Prix. Ferrari, on the other hand, still has substantial work to do ahead of Sunday’s race.

The Sprint Race
Credit must go to Max Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing engineers for their aggressive and confident approach from the very beginning of the Sprint. Unlike McLaren, which opted for used tyres, Red Bull fitted a fresh set of medium compound tyres, sacrificing their only remaining new set for the weekend. The Dutch driver made perfect use of this strategic move: he got off the line cleanly, preventing Oscar Piastri from positioning himself freely at La Source, and then executed a decisive maneuver heading toward Les Combes.

Even during Sprint Qualifying, Red Bull’s advantage in straight-line speed was evident. On the Kemmel Straight, with DRS activated, the RB20 clocked in 5 km/h faster than the McLaren MCL39—an edge further enhanced by the new rear wing concept that debuted at Silverstone and was carried into this weekend.

While that straight-line speed undoubtedly supported Verstappen’s defensive efforts, it alone would not have been sufficient to keep the McLaren drivers at bay. Oscar Piastri, in fact, had expected his MCL39’s race pace advantage to emerge over the course of the Sprint, especially given that the car was nearly half a second faster during qualifying and carried significantly more aerodynamic downforce to better manage tyre degradation.

However, Max Verstappen once again demonstrated why he is a multiple-time Formula 1 World Champion. Taking advantage of the clean air ahead, he drove with surgical precision, managing his tyres expertly despite track temperatures climbing to 38°C.

During the five-lap stint in which Lando Norris overtook Charles Leclerc and pushed hard to close the gap to the leading duo, McLaren averaged nearly three-tenths of a second per lap faster than Verstappen’s Red Bull. This was a significant margin, though ultimately smaller than anticipated. Despite running with one of the lowest downforce levels seen all season, Verstappen preserved his rear tyres effectively and consistently exited La Source with strong traction.

At no point did Verstappen allow Oscar Piastri to get close enough to launch a serious overtaking attempt. With this performance, Max Verstappen secured another Sprint Race victory and demonstrated that even when Red Bull Racing is not at its peak, he remains a dominant force capable of delivering under pressure.

Looking Ahead to the Grand Prix
With the chequered flag falling on the Sprint, the temporary parc fermé rules were lifted, giving teams the opportunity to modify their car setups and aerodynamic configurations ahead of Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix. It will be interesting to observe whether McLaren chooses to lower its downforce levels to increase top speed in response to the defeat, or if Red Bull will instead move toward a slightly more balanced configuration.

Weather forecasts may also play a decisive role in these decisions, with rain expected during the race. Strategy and adaptability could once again become crucial.

For Scuderia Ferrari, the data collected during the Sprint will be important to better optimize the recently introduced rear suspension system. However, a spot on the podium still appears unlikely based on current performance levels. During the Sprint, Charles Leclerc lapped roughly two and a half tenths of a second slower than Max Verstappen in clean air—a gap partially explained by the use of worn tyres.

Ferrari engineers now face the challenge of extracting the maximum performance from the updated SF-25, fine-tuning both mechanical grip and aerodynamic balance. While improvements were noted, they remain insufficient to compete directly with Red Bull Racing or McLaren at the front of the grid.