Verstappen: I did 15 qualifying laps to keep McLaren's behind

“It worked out really well. The start was the only opportunity we had against them and we got it into Turn 5,” said Verstappen after the race. “Then I knew it would be very tough to keep them behind, so it was playing cat and mouse with DRS and battery usage.”

With Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris both within striking range throughout, Verstappen admitted: “The whole race was within seven tenths, so I couldn't afford to make big mistakes. I had one tiny lockup in the last corner, but apart from that it was, for us, a great result to keep them behind. And to have a win here in Spa, yes it's a Sprint win, but it still counts and I'm very happy with what we did out there.”

Pressed on the pressure from behind, Verstappen highlighted the physical and mental toll of defending at the limit lap after lap: “You have to drive over the limit of what's possible. Tyre management goes out of the window. That’s what makes it difficult. I did 15 qualifying laps to keep them behind on a track where tyre management is important. It wasn’t easy but we managed to do it and I’m very happy with that.”

Verstappen's victory came despite the RB21 appearing to lack the outright pace of the McLaren over a single lap, something 2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg acknowledged on Sky Sports F1.

“We have to appreciate what an incredibly brilliant drive that was from Max Verstappen,” said Rosberg. “From the outside, sometimes it can look a little easier, but in the car, he has a slower car than the McLarens; he has the maximum pressure—Oscar was always 0.6 to 0.7 seconds behind all the way.”

Rosberg added: “One tiny mistake and the win is gone. It's so much easier for the guy who's following, who most of the race, did not have anyone behind him. In a race car, you're finding the limit which changes every lap because of the tyre wear and the fuel coming down. If you're Oscar, you can scan the limit and go over a bit—lose half a second, then have another go. That's the enormous difference.”

Verstappen’s Sprint win marks a crucial psychological edge ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix, where conditions and car setup could again bring McLaren into play.

Piastri, who started from pole, lost the race when Verstappen swept around him at Les Combes. The Red Bull ace won it there and there.

Afterwards, Piastri lamented: "I tried my best to snake my way through the straights and not give too much of a tow [at the start], but didn't have enough straight-line speed and then obviously didn't have enough speed for the next 15 laps either. Still a good result, still good points. It is only a Sprint, the main points are tomorrow, so pretty happy with it but a bit frustrated I couldn't get past."

As for what he can do to prevent the same thing on lap one of Sunday's Grand Prix, Piastri replied: "It's a great question. The weather is looking pretty bad for tomorrow, which means you probably don't want to take off too much wing, but I don't want to repeat the Sprint we just had. So we will have a look and see what we can do."

Teammate Norris summed up his Sprint Race: "Not a lot going on! A bit of fun at the start. Maybe I could have positioned myself a bit better. Otherwise, a bit too difficult to get past Max. He drove a good race. I wasn't going to get past anyone unless Oscar got past Max.

"They drove good races. I was hoping for a bit of battling but the Red Bull was too quick in the straight for us to catch up. Maybe some tweaks for us to make in qualifying, I don't know. We will reassess and see what we can do," added Norris.