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FACTS AND STATS: Piastri the first rookie to lead a racing lap since Esteban Gutierrez in 2013
Virtual Statman
Sean KellyShare
Saturday in Spa was an action-packed day played out in ever changing climactic conditions. Through all the chaos Max Verstappen emerged with the Sprint victory, to add eight points to his growing tally. While the Dutchman prospered, the same couldn’t be said for others. Here are the best facts and stats from the Sprint in Belgium…
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Red Bull are now unbeaten across the 11 Grands Prix and three Sprints this season.
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Verstappen is unbeaten in any race format since finishing second to Sergio Perez in Azerbaijan on the 30th April.
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Oscar Piastri’s first career top three finish comes in a Sprint rather than a Grand Prix.
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He is the first rookie to lead any race format since Esteban Gutierrez at the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix.
Verstappen's unbeaten streak continues
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Pierre Gasly managed his first top three finish in any format since Baku 2021.
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Gasly scored six points today – matching his highest total from any Grand Prix this season.
READ MORE: 'I'm extremely happy' – Gasly hails 'amazing' P3 Sprint finish for Alpine in Belgium
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Carlos Sainz finished fourth, the same position that he will start the Grand Prix in. He has also tied Perez on 15 Sprint points, with only Verstappen scoring more this season.
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The result also moves Sainz ahead of George Russell into fifth in the drivers’ championship.
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Charles Leclerc could only manage fifth – but at least he starts from pole tomorrow.
Hamilton's penalty dropped him from fourth to seventh in the Sprint
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Lando Norris was sixth, with McLaren scoring points in the Sprint for the first time this season.
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Lewis Hamilton still hasn’t finished in the top six in a Sprint this year. Thanks to his time penalty, he finished just 0.065s ahead of his team mate.
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George Russell has now scored in every Sprint this year.
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With Perez and Fernando Alonso failing to finish, Verstappen was the only driver in the top three in the championship to score today, and so extended his lead.
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