To reduce spray after a late downpour, five formation laps were run behind the safety car ahead of a rolling start.
Although drivers reported conditions were clear for intermediate tyres, half the field stayed put for an extra lap on full wets. This was to avoid losing time to a double-stack pitstop and a delayed release in a congested pit-lane.
Polesitter Verstappen remained on circuit while second-starting Oscar Piastri dived into the pits. Red Bull called in Verstappen a lap later but held the double-world champion for a slower 3.2 seconds to avoid a collision with McLaren’s Lando Norris.
This left Verstappen to resume 1.7s behind Piastri. However, he reclaimed the lead thanks to a powerful tow down the Kemmel Straight on lap six, following another safety car period.
Verstappen defended the strategy, saying it was better to err on the side of caution. He said: “I think it was just a safer call.
“I could come in first, but then I might be blocked by other cars; there might be a safety car and then you lose out massively. So, I didn't mind to stay out.
“We lost one position, but we know that we are quick, and I think you could see that when we put the inter tyres on, we were flying. So, it was OK.”
Source: Autosport