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Max Verstappen defeated Oscar Piastri to win the Belgian Grand Prix sprint event.
Pole-sitter Verstappen dropped behind Piastri after switching from wet to intermediate tyres a lap early, before storming back into the lead at the halfway point of a rain-soaked race at Spa-Francorchamps.
Rookie Piastri finished second, with Alpine's Pierre Gasly finishing third. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, but was docked five seconds for collision with Sergio Perez, putting him to seventh place.
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were moved to fourth and fifth, respectively, with McLaren's Lando Norris moving up to sixth. In the eighth position, George Russell earned the last point.
Perez was forced to withdraw from the race, extending Verstappen's championship lead to 118 points ahead of tomorrow's 44-lap Grand Prix.
Six minutes before the race was scheduled to begin, the FIA announced that it would be postponed due to severe rain in the vicinity.
After a 30-minute delay, a rainbow appeared above Spa-Francorchamps and the weather improved.
At 5:35 p.m. local time, the Safety Car led Verstappen and his team on five formation laps to remove the spray and improve sight.
Following the death of 18-year-old Dilano Van 't Hoff in a rain-soaked Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA) event four weeks ago, FIA race director Niels Wittich's choice on when to let the race to begin was heightened.
The safety car arrived, allowing for a rolling start and an 11-lap sprint to the finish line.
But, before the first genuine racing lap, half of the 20-car field pulled into the pits to switch from full wets to intermediates.
Piastri, Perez, and Hamilton were among them, with Verstappen remaining on track.
Verstappen instantly realised he was on the wrong rubber and requested that his crew switch him to intermediate tyres.
Verstappen arrived near the end of the first lap, but by the time he exited, Piastri had done enough to pass him and take the lead in a Formula One race for the first time in his career.
Early stops helped Gasly, Perez, and Hamilton advance up the pecking order.
TOP-8 - BELGIAN GP SPRINT RACE
1) Max Verstappen
2) Oscar Piastri
3) Pierre Gasly
4) Carlos Sainz
5) Charles Leclerc
6) Lando Norris
7) Lewis Hamilton
8) George Russell
The Safety Car was deployed again on lap three after Fernando Alonso collided. The 42-year-old twice world champion lost control of his Aston Martin into the left-hander Turn 11, pirouetting across the gravel and brushing the barrier.
When the race resumed on lap six, Piastri led the pack, although his lead lasted only a few circuits.
Verstappen followed Piastri around the treacherous Eau Rouge-Raidillon segment before blasting past on the Kemmel Straight.
When asked if not stopping for inters at the start of the race was a mistake, Verstappen replied, "No, it was just a safer call."
"I could have been the first car in and been blocked by other cars in the pits." We dropped one spot, but we knew we were fast, and once we got the inner tyres on, we were flying."
"I'm very happy," Piastri, 22, remarked. We gave it our all and led a few circuits, but Max was unbeatable.
"I thought the safety car would help me by giving me fewer laps to try to keep him behind." I had a fantastic start, but at the top of Eau Rouge, he was already on top of me. I couldn't keep up with him on the straight."
In the race for fourth, Hamilton tried to push past Perez, but the Mercedes driver collided with his Red Bull adversary. Perez held the lead for a brief moment before Hamilton drove around the outside of the Mexican at La Source.
Perez was injured in the crash and slipped down the pitch, slipping over the gravel before his Red Bull crew forced him to withdraw the car.
The stewards examined the incident and penalised Hamilton, demoting him lower in the order.
Verstappen maintained his lead in the race, crossing the finish line 6.6 seconds ahead of Piastri to add to his tally of victories in a one-sided season.
