Oscar Piastri battles through contact at Spa-Francorchamps

It was not a straightforward race for Oscar Piastri at the 2026 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix. The McLaren driver crossed the line in P5, but the result hides the real story of a Sunday afternoon at Spa-Francorchamps that turned messy almost immediately.

Everything changed for Piastri following a clash with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. The contact left the McLaren machine with clear damage, a hurdle that turned what could have been a standard day at the office into a grind. As Piastri put it, the damage certainly 'made things more difficult' out on track.

When you are dealing with a compromised car at a high-speed beast like Spa, there is nowhere to hide. Every corner becomes a test of management rather than pure pace. For Piastri, the challenge was to bring home a points finish despite the mechanical setback, a task he ultimately managed in a race that refused to offer any easy answers.