Max Verstappen has dismissed the effect of "tiny little issues" en route to a comfortable Belgian Grand Prix Sprint victory. The Dutchman started at the front of the delayed 100km race, which started with five laps behind the Safety Car following a heavy rain shower before the start. Running to a reduced 11-lap distance, Verstappen lost out to McLaren's Oscar Piastri when opting to wait a lap before pitting for Intermediates. But following a Safety Car to recover Fernando Alonso's stricken Aston Martin after a spin at Pouhon, Verstappen pounced on the run to Les Combes, eventually stretching the winning margin to almost seven seconds. Asked whether Red Bull made the right call not to pit straight away at the start of the race, Verstappen replied: "It was the safer call. "I could have come in first but then I might have been blocked by other cars, there might have been a Safety Car and then you would lose out massively. "We lost one position, we knew we were quick and you could see that when we put the Inters on, we were flying." Verstappen had complained that he "couldn't wake" his brakes up during the Sprint and on whether that posed a serious issue, he explained: "We just tried to get an even spread on the brakes but it was all under control. "The car was quick, the tyres were holding on, just tiny little issues."
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