Disqualified Russell hands Piastri “unexpected” P2 finish in Belgium

Promotion to second place was a welcomed reward for Oscar Piastri’s blazing Belgian Grand Prix efforts, an accolade he inherited after crossing the line within record distance of the now-disqualifed race winner, George Russell.

An up-in-the-air qualifying session left Piastri taking the start of the 44-lap thriller from fifth on the grid, with his teammate the first target as the lights went out in Spa.

Off the line, the #81 got an excellent start compared to Lando Norris.

After the Brit overshot his exit out of La Source, he dipped a wheel into the first gravel trap, costing him dearly.

The error allowed Piastri to charge past, unleashing him onto the rear of the lacklustre Red Bull ahead. 

“I’m happy with the result,” Piastri said before learning of his promotion.

“I think we managed the race very well and I don’t think we could have done much more today. 

“We did a lot of things right and gave ourselves the best opportunities, but in the end, it wasn’t quite enough.”

He took a jab at Sergio Perez into Les Combes, however, wasn’t close enough to make the overtake stick. 

As a result, Piastri became lodged in an unwavering DRS train until the first round of pitstops commenced.

On Lap 11, the McLaren pit wall instructed Piastri to pull in for his first stop of the day, reprieving him of his medium tyres during a delayed stop due to a close encounter with Lewis Hamilton.

The minor pit loss allowed Russell, who had taken his stop just prior, to successfully undercut Piastri, a move that kickstarted the Mercedes driver’s victory hopes.

Settling into fourth place, Piastri’s pace stabilised meaning it was a lonely middle stint for the 23-year-old.

Staying out on his tyres for a total of 17 laps, Piastri inherited his way into the race lead, saying “Clean air is king” as he recorded the then-fastest lap of the Belgian Grand Prix. 

With just 15 laps to go, however, he relinquished the position, stopping for a second eventful journey into the pitlane.

Running in hot to his box, Piastri missed his marks and overshot his MCL38 into the front jackman.

The team member laughed the moment off, as did Piastri, however, upon reflection, the loss of time may have proved critical to the Australian’s victory campaign.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, leads Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38 during the Belgian GP. Image: Andy Hone / LAT Images.

Rejoining the Grand Prix, the man who started on pole was Piastri’s next target.

He quickly attained a DRS advantage over Charles Leclerc, eyeing a move down the Kemmel Straight, but opting to wait for the next lap.

On the duo’s next venture through Les Combes, Piastri stuck a brave move around the outside of Turn 7, running alongside the Ferrari driver as they duelled through the tight sequence. 

The move promoted Piastri into the final podium position, with his sights set on more. 

Tom Stallard, Piastri’s race engineer, gave the #81 the all-clear to push his hard tyres in order to catch the leading Mercedes teammates.

Within the span of a few laps, the Australian had closed down the six-second deficit to Hamilton, however, the remaining laps tally didn’t lean in Piastri’s favour. 

Taking the chequered flag, there was just 1.173s separating the top three, a momentary new record of the closest non-safety car finish between the top three since 2016.

“It’s been a really good couple of weeks for myself and the whole team,” he said.

“We’ve scored a lot of points and made inroads again today into Red Bull’s lead at the top of the Constructors’ Championship. 

“That’s a big positive going into the summer break. 

“I think everyone’s looking forward to it – I know I am – and having a chance to relax before coming back stronger in the second half.”

Of course, after George Russell’s cruel disqualification for being 1.5kgs underweight, the record was no longer the gap between the revised top three with Hamilton being promoted to P1, Piastri into P2 and Leclerc into P3.

Taking to social media, Piastri shared a short but sweet message on his promotion, saying: “Well that was unexpected but we’ll take it. Thanks everyone.”

Taking his fourth podium of the season just one week after winning his maiden Grand Prix, the boy from Brighton now has a well-deserved summer break to let his recent accolades sink in.

The tight drivers’ and constructors’ championship battles will pick back up in Zandvoort in less than a month, with the Dutch Grand Prix taking place from August 23-25.

Image: Zak Mauger / LAT Images

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