P1racenews AI automatic summary:
F1 2025 Standings: Max Verstappen suffers as FIA ruling hits champion hard
The 2025 Belgian Grand Prix had a significant impact on Max Verstappen’s championship hopes due to a FIA ruling that heavily affected Lewis Hamilton at Spa, resulting in him starting from the pitlane.
Verstappen, despite winning the sprint race on Saturday, could only manage fourth in the grand prix, falling 81 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri.
Hamilton faced setbacks at Spa, with his deleted lap in qualifying and starting from the pitlane, finishing seventh and losing ground to Charles Leclerc in the standings.
Leclerc extended his lead over Hamilton to 30 points, while Ferrari maintained a 28-point buffer over Mercedes in the constructors’ standings.
The 2025 rule change eliminated the fastest lap point, aiming to prevent drivers from manipulating races for this extra point, which had strategic implications in past seasons.
