Red Bull’s Max Verstappen held off the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to win a tense sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Verstappen passed Piastri on the opening lap using the slipstream up the long Kemmel straight and used his Red Bull’s straight-line advantage to hold the Australian at arm’s length for the entire 15 laps.

Verstappen was always less than a second half of the McLaren but Piastri never quite managed to get close enough to challenge for the lead.

Norris lost third place to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on the opening lap. But once he past the Monegasque just after half distance, the Briton closed on the lead fight, where like Piastri he was unable to make any progress.

Piastri’s second place moved him one point further ahead of Norris in the championship, with qualifying for Sunday’s grand prix later on Saturday.

Verstappen’s victory marked a winning start for Red Bull under new team principal Laurent Mekies, after Christian Horner was sacked from the role following the British Grand Prix.

More to follow