Formula 1 resumes its thrilling 2025 season this week with the highly anticipated Belgian Grand Prix at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit. This Sunday, July 27th, drivers will tackle 44 laps of the challenging 7.004 km track, where the focus intensifies on the burgeoning battle between McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. After 12 races, Piastri leads the standings with 234 points.
However, following two consecutive victories at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone, Norris has dramatically closed the gap, trailing his teammate by just 8 points, while Max Verstappen now sits 69 points behind the leading McLaren duo. Despite the current internal competition, the season remains wide open, with plenty of racing left to redefine the championship picture.
How to Watch: 2025 Belgian GP Full Schedule
- Practice 1: Friday, July 25
- Sprint Qualifying: Friday, July 25
- Sprint: Saturday, July 26
- Qualifying: Saturday, July 26
- Race: Sunday, July 27
Spa-Francorchamps Circuit: A History of F1 Legends & Iconic Moments
The iconic Belgian circuit began in 1924, hosting a non-championship Grand Prix, and then became one of the initial seven circuits to be part of Formula 1’s inaugural championship in 1950, a race won by the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio, who led home an Alfa Romeo one-two ahead of his teammate, Nino Farina.
Ever since, Spa-Francorchamps has become one of the most loved circuits, with a distance of 308.052km in what can be described as a mix of long straights and fast corners, even with a mix of weather where a driver can find rain in one part of the track and dry on the other because of its length, meaning the grip can change drastically from one corner to the next. Eau Rouge is one of the most famous sequences of corners, featuring a left turn, followed by a right turn, and then a hill through Raidillon. Worth watching.
This track, around 20km from the town of Spa, has also witnessed some iconic moments in the history of Formula 1, such as the massive clash in 1998, the exhibition of the legend Ayrton Senna under the rain in 1985, Mika Häkkinen’s impressive double overtake in 2000, Charles Leclerc’s emotional first F1 win, and, unfortunately, the tragic loss of Anthoine Hubert. What will the 2025 Grand Prix bring to the history books?
Who Won Spa? Recent Belgian GP Champions
The last five years have been dominated by two of the most recent champions: Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. In 2024, Hamilton registered a time of 1:19:57.566 to become the winner. From 2021 to 2023, the Belgian Grand Prix was dominated by the Dutch driver and current champion Max Verstappen, with an impressive margin of 22.305 seconds in 2023. Things could change this time if Norris, Piastri, or even Leclerc keep the good pace to earn the longed-for first position. Here is the Pay Per Head data for the past five years:
Year Driver Team Time Margin
- 2024 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:19:57.566 0.647
- 2023 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:22:30.450 22.305
- 2022 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:25:52.894 17.841
- 2021 Max Verstappen Red Bull 3:27.071 1.995
- 2020 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:24:08.761 8.448
F1 Driver Standings 2025: Post-Silverstone Update Before Belgium GP
While the opening races set the stage, the 2025 F1 Driver Standings now present a compelling narrative as we head into the Belgian Grand Prix. Oscar Piastri holds a precarious lead with 234 points, feeling the intense pressure from teammate Lando Norris, who has rapidly narrowed the gap to just 8 points (226 total) thanks to his recent dominant performances. Further down, reigning champion Max Verstappen sits in third with 165 points.
However, his 69-point deficit to McLaren’s leaders is perhaps overshadowed by crucial off-track developments, including media speculation about his future constructor, potentially Mercedes, and the fact that this is the first Grand Prix since the dismissal of Red Bull principal Christian Horner. Meanwhile, the Constructors’ Championship remains firmly under McLaren’s control with 460 points, followed by Ferrari (222) and Mercedes (210), setting up a separate strategic battle.
Who Will Win the 2025 F1 Belgian Grand Prix?
Since Ferrari is one of the most successful racing teams to compete in this track, fans can expect a very tight race where the weather and corners could set the tone. Charles Leclerc is not a stranger to this circuit, and neither is Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes, on the other hand, is aiming to close the gap to McLaren and is using the Sprint as a means to gain valuable points.
Even so, given the recent circumstances, it is challenging to predict a loss for Norris or Piastri, and one of them, or both, is likely to be on the podium. The third place could be earned by a very unexpected guy, like Nico Hülkenberg in Silverstone, or a known face such as Verstappen, Leclerc, or even George Russell.
