F1 Belgian Sprint 2023 results as Verstappen takes top spot during action-packed race around Spa

Max Verstappen continued his stunning form in 2023 to claim top spot during the third F1 Sprint of the season ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix. 

Despite the start of the race being delayed by more than 30 minutes because of heavy rain, the Dutchman kept his cool to win the eventual 11-lap shootout by more than seven seconds.

It wasn't all smooth sailing for Verstappen, who did initially lose his lead to McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri after a string of early pitstops as the wet track began to dry out. But following a Fernando Alonso crash which brought out the safety car again, the Red Bull star quickly overtook the youngster to regain the lead before powering on to take the chequered flag.

Piastri finished the race in P2 to claim his first ever podium finish in the sport as his rookie season continues to go from strength to strength, while Pierre Gasly rounded out the podium spots to give Alpine a timely boost in light of their recent off-field turmoil.

Yeeeesss, Pierre! 🙌#BelgianGP #F1Sprint pic.twitter.com/3keLfjBFh3

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 29, 2023

The Frenchman was followed over the line by Lewis Hamilton but the Brit was later issued with a five-second penalty for causing a collision when he made contact with Sergio Perez, ultimately leading to the Mexican driver's race retirement. 

Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell all finished in the points positions as the Sprint format again delivered the drama and excitement in equal measure. 

MORE: What is F1 Sprint? Schedule, Shootout changes, points system and how format works in 2023

F1 2023 Belgian Sprint results

F1 Belgian Sprint 2023 live updates, highlights: As it happened

CHEQUERED FLAG: MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE 2023 BELGIAN F1 SPRINT!! Despite losing his lead to Piastri early on, the Dutchman fights back to claim yet another Sprint win and eight more championship points. Piastri takes his first ever podium finish to come home in P2, while Gasly rounds out the podium. 

MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS #F1SPRINT 🥇

Oscar Piastri comes home in P2! 🤩
Pierre Gasly crosses the line in third 🙌#BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/dSLVpNqM3b

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 29, 2023

Lap 10: It very much looks like this race will be won by Verstappen, while Piastri will finish on the podium for the first time in his F1 career. Thanks to Hamilton's penalty, Gasly should finish in P3 as well, which would be huge for Alpine given their recent woes and turmoil on the pit wall. 

Lap 9: There are just two laps remaining here and there's still plenty to play for as Hamilton receives a five second penalty for causing a collision! 

Hamilton has been handed a five-second penalty for causing a collision in that battle with Perez

The Mexican has been told by his team to pit and retire the car #BelgianGP #F1Sprint pic.twitter.com/P4E9IlTbmg

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 29, 2023

Lap 7: Verstappen's lead is up to three seconds from Piastri. Just behind them, Gasly is under heavy pressure from Hamilton for that final podium spot. 

Perez is out of this race as he's forced to retire because of the damage he sustained in his tussle with Hamilton. 

Lap 6: We've gone green light racing again and Verstappen absolutely flies past Piastri on the back straight and regains the lead of this race! The McLaren looked helpless in that situation.

Meanwhile, there's a fight between Perez and Hamilton which ends with some damage for both. The Brit finally gets past him, then Perez is overtaken by Sainz, Leclerc and Norris before the Mexican comes off the track. 

SAFETY CAR: We have the first casualty of this race and it's birthday boy Alonso who's in the wall. The safety car is out as a result and he cuts a very frustrated figure walking away from his wrecked car. He touched the kerb and was a passenger from there. 

Fernando's out of his car and looks okay 👍#BelgianGP #F1Sprint pic.twitter.com/GXmfmyU6oa

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 29, 2023

Lap 3: The order of this Sprint race is all over the place given the early stops but Piastri leads for now with a 0.6-second gap to Verstappen. Crucially, there's no DRS available, given the wet conditions. 

Lap 2: And now Verstappen comes in for a very quick stop alongside all the other drivers.

But it's not a quick enough stop as Piastri blitzes past the Dutchman and the McLaren rookie leads this race!! Verstappen follows in P2 ahead of Gasly, Perez and Hamilton behind. 

LIGHTS OUT: After four formation laps and a rolling start, we're underway for the 2023 F1 Sprint at Spa and its absolute pandemonium in the pit lane as half the drivers come in to swap onto intermediate tyres. 

Verstappen stays out but Piastri is in and it's a great stop as the Australian isn't held up at all. 

LAP 1/11

And #F1Sprint is GO!

Immediately Piastri and nine other drivers pit for inters#BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/MQvTdsTeyz

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 29, 2023

2 minutes to lights out: We're finally off for the formation lap ahead of the 2023 F1 Sprint in Belgium. We're starting behind the safety car and on the wet tyres but the sun is now out and could dry the track quickly so we could have plenty of chaos in the pit lane. 

DELAYED: The heavens have opened and the rain begins to pour down here at Spa. As a result, the FIA had originally delayed the start of this Sprint race until 17:12 local time but that's now been pushed back further. 

The new time for the formation lap is 17:35 local time. 

15 minutes to lights out: The pit lane is open and all of the cars have made their way to the grid for today's Sprint. Sky Sports' coverage in the UK seems to suggest that we could get some rain about 'five to ten minutes into the race'. That could make things very interesting! 

30 minutes to lights out: After the wet weather that dogged qualifying yesterday and led to the Sprint Shootout being delayed earlier today, it looks like this Sprint race should escape any heavy rain.

There's showers in the area but for now, the track remains relatively dry. 

45 minutes to lights out: Who could challenge Verstappen today for the third Sprint crown of the season?

Piastri is going really well at the moment for McLaren, as is his teammate Lando Norris, while Ferrari duo Sainz and Leclerc start in P3 and P4 and could cause some trouble here for the Red Bull star. 

1 hour to lights out: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of the 2023 F1 Belgian Sprint taking place around the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Earlier on during the Sprint Shootout, Verstappen snatched top spot away from Piastri at the death – but will he turn that into another sprint victory this afternoon in Belgium?

A reminder that today's Sprint has been delayed due to extreme weather which effected the Sprint Shootout earlier. As a result, it will now get underway at 17:05 local time.

⏰ NEW START TIME ⏰

The Sprint will now begin at 17:05 local time following delays to the schedule earlier on Saturday#BelgianGP #F1Sprint pic.twitter.com/alvQtGyc5s

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 29, 2023

Belgian Sprint Race 2023 F1 starting grid

What time does the F1 Sprint race start?

• Date: Saturday, July 29
• Start time: 3:30 p.m. BST / 10:30 a.m. ET / 12:30 a.m. AEDT (Sunday July 30) / 4:30 p.m. local time

Saturday's 2023 Belgian Sprint is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. local time. Lights out will take place just after 3:30 p.m. BST/10:30 a.m. ET.

What TV channel is the F1 on?

Where can I live stream F1?

How to watch Formula 1 in the US

• TV channel: ABC; ESPN
• Live stream: FuboTV / Hulu / Sling TV

F1 fans in the USA can catch all the action in 2023 with all 23 races set to be shown live on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. For Spanish-language viewers, they can find live broadcasts on ESPN Deportes, though ESPNews and ESPNU will also show some practice and qualifying sessions live throughout the year.

As well as on the official F1 TV service, the action can be live streamed on Hulu + Live TV with subscriptions. Elsewhere, Sling TV will also show the action, as too will FuboTV in the US.

How to watch Formula 1 in Canada

• TV channel: TSN (English); RDS (French)
• Live stream: TSN Direct

For fans in Canada, TSN will carry the English-language telecast of races. For those looking for the French-language broadcast, RDS will have you covered.

Races can be streamed on fuboTV and via TSN's streaming service, TSN Direct.

How to watch Formula 1 in the United Kingdom

• TV channel: Sky Sports F1
• Live stream: NOW TV / Sky Go app

Viewers in the United Kingdom can catch all F1 action on Sky Sports F1, the dedicated F1 channel. For viewers planning to live stream F1 in 2023, you can watch via the Sky Go app if you're an existing subscriber or you can purchase a Sky Sports Pass on NOW TV.

How to watch Formula 1 in Australia

• TV channel: Fox Sports; Channel 10
• Live stream: Kayo

Fox Sports will carry all races in Australia for the 2023 season.

How to watch Formula 1 in India

• TV channel: N/A
• Live stream: F1 TV Pro

No TV broadcast network is currently set to host the action throughout this year in India, though Formula 1 has launched F1 TV Pro in the country for the first time so fans can live stream the action.