The 24-year-old stayed close through a damp Eau Rouge with daring commitment, then completed the overtake down the Kemmel Straight to take control of the race on the opening lap.
From there, he managed the pace on medium tyres to claim his sixth win of the season and extend his lead in the world championship.
“I knew that lap one was going to be probably my best chance of winning the race,” he said. “I got a good exit out of Turn 1 and then lifted as little as I dared through Eau Rouge and then it was enough.
“When I was that close I knew I was just going to lift just a little bit less than Lando and try and keep it on the track.
“It was a bit lively up over the hill but I managed to make it stick and then from there the tow helped me out. So proud of my first lap.”
Oscar Piastri wastes no time in seizing control of this race 🤩#F1 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/DaRxFSDtCt
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 27, 2025
That move proved decisive. With the switch to slick tyres after the wet start, Piastri was able to commit to the faster medium compound, while Norris — having lost track position — opted for the more durable hard tyres in an attempt to strike back later in the race.
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Had the order been reversed, Piastri said he would likely have done the same.
“I kind of had the same plan if I was going to be second,” he admitted. “I kind of knew that was going to be a likely decision for him.
“For me the medium was the safest tyre to be on at that point. You never know if someone’s going to crash and there’s a safety car and at that point you want a medium for the restart.
“And also the medium seemed pretty good in the Sprint yesterday. It didn’t make too much difference, but yeah, when you’re fighting like that, one and two, you’re always going to try and get an advantage in one way or another, and I think we did the same thing.”
The strategy worked. Piastri built a solid gap mid-race and held on late despite tyre wear becoming a factor in the closing laps.
“I struggled a little bit at the end,” he admitted. “Maybe the medium wasn’t the best for the last five or six laps, but no, we had it mostly under control which is what I wanted.”
McLaren CEO Zak Brown praised Piastri’s race management and tactical instincts.
“Oscar was in control,” Brown said. “We tried to split strategies there which was a driver’s decision to see if that’s what we wanted to try.
“It took a little bit longer for the hards to come in than we thought. It was getting pretty close there at the end, but an exciting day.
“He’s [Oscar] a machine. What’s impressive is how aggressive he is, but he always brings the car home. That’s when it counted.”
Piastri now leads the drivers’ championship by 16 points over Norris and has become the first Australian to win six races in a single F1 season — breaking a record previously held by world champions Jack Brabham and Alan Jones.
Despite his achievement, the Australian admitted he was disappointed after missing out in Saturday’s sprint race, which made Sunday’s result even more satisfying.
“I was pretty disappointed with myself after yesterday, but it turns out starting second in Spa is not too bad after all,” he said with a smile.
Next stop is Hungary — the scene of his maiden win just over a year ago — and the Australian heads there with momentum firmly on his side.
“It’s a track I enjoy and the pace this weekend has been incredibly strong,” he said. “Hopefully we can keep that momentum going.”
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