SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium — Max Verstappen kicked off Pink Bull’s post-Christian Horner period with a formidable dash race victory.
Reigning world champion Verstappen handed Oscar Piastri on Lap 1 after which held off the Australian and his McLaren teammate Lando Norris to clinch the victory.
It was the Pink Bull’s first race victory of any form since its debut in 2005 not overseen by Horner, who was changed as CEO and workforce principal by Laurent Mekies two weeks in the past.
“Good! Very effectively completed, nice job with the gaps and the battery. Very nice,” Verstappen mentioned on the workforce radio.
Mekies replied: “Nicely completed Max. Very, very spectacular defence, very effectively managed. You did not go away something on the desk there.”
The dash format, launched in 2021, is a shortened model of Sunday’s grand prix and gave Verstappen eight championship factors, though features over the McLarens was minimal, with Piastri claiming seven and Norris gaining six.
The end result meant Piastri prolonged his championship lead over Norris to 9 factors, with Verstappen now 68 factors behind.
Verstappen mentioned afterwards he needed to do qualifying laps to maintain the McLarens behind him.
“It labored out very well. The beginning was the one alternative we had towards them and we received it into Flip 5,” he mentioned. “Then I knew it could be very powerful to maintain them behind, so it was taking part in cat and mouse with DRS and battery utilization. The entire race was inside seven tenths, so I could not afford to make massive errors.
“It’s important to drive over the restrict of what is doable. Tyre administration goes out of the window. That is what makes it tough.
“I did 15 qualifying laps to maintain them behind on a observe the place tyre administration is necessary.”
New Pink Bull boss Mekies mentioned on Friday his primary precedence is to offer Verstappen a fast car — one thing which may cool latest hypothesis of him leaving earlier than his contract expires in 2028 — and Saturday’s victory shall be a morale boosting one for the driving force, boss and workforce after a difficult few weeks.
The lead three drivers have been in a battle of their very own, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc ending the 15-lap race over seven seconds off Verstappen.
Teammate Lewis Hamilton, who spun out of Q1 on Friday afternoon, toiled to fifteenth within the different Ferrari. His workforce Mercedes additionally failed to attain, with George Russell twelfth and Andrea Kimi Antonelli seventeenth.
Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman transformed a powerful qualifying efficiency into fifth and seventh, ending both aspect of Williams driver Carlos Sainz.
Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar completed eighth, persevering with his spectacular season.
Verstappen’s win maybe provided a glimpse of how Pink Bull can beat McLaren to victory in Sunday’s essential occasion, though there shall be extra technique choices at play for the orange automobiles.
Piastri held the lead at first, rising from the gradual La Supply hairpin forward of Verstappen.
That left him a sitting duck within the subsequent a part of the circuit, which snaked up Eau Rouge after which down the lengthy Kemmel Straight — Verstappen was ready to make use of the slipstream of the McLaren to move in time for the Les Combes chicane.
Piastri stayed near Verstappen and had a number of stabs of the DRS overtaking assist down the identical a part of the circuit however by no means tried to move.