Max Verstappen leads dominant Red Bull one-two in Belgium
Max Verstappen all but put a stanglehold on the Formula 1 world championship with a stunning victory from 14th on the grid, as Red Bull sealed a dominant one-two at the Belgian Grand Prix, the first race back after the summer break.
Despite his lowly starting position, which had been caused by a grid penalty incurred for taking new engine parts, Verstappen scythed through the field to win by 17 seconds from his team-mate Sergio Perez. The speed Verstappen showed in the final race before the summer break to win from 10th on the grid in Hungary had come as somewhat of a surprise, but on the season’s resumption at Spa he was starting even further back and still brought home a win.
Defacto Pole-sitter Carlos Sainz, who was given pole after qualifying in second behind Verstappen, held off Mercedes’ George Russell to seal third, while his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, who started behind Verstappen after also taking a grid penalty, finished sixth after a calamitous decision to stop on the penultimate lap saw him incur a pit lane speeding penalty that dropped him below Fernando Alonso.
“This whole weekend has been incredible," said Verstappen post race. “It’s never easy though, it was quite a hectic first lap staying out of trouble, so many things were happening in front of me and everyone was trying to maintain their spot. After the safety car and when it had all calmed down, we made our way forward by picking the right places to overtake and we could look after our tyres. Now we need to keep on working hard and focus on each race ahead of us. We know that we have to finish every race, we don’t need to win every race but we want to as a Team. Let’s see what we can do in Zandvoort."
SPA, BELGIUM - AUGUST 28: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 leads Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Ferrari F1-75 during the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on August 28, 2022 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202208280457 // Usage for editorial use only //
Race Drama
The race drama started from the moment the lights went out on the start with a first lap crash that resulted in Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton making his first DNF of the season following a collision with Alpine driver Fernando Alonso as they fought for second place off the start.
Hamilton accepted responsibility for the incident after the race had finished and he had time to watch the replay footage, which saw Alonso describe him as an “idiot" over team radio, as the Spaniard claimed the seven-time world champion “only knows how to drive and start in first".
Alonso and Hamilton collided in the opening lap of the race in Belgium | John Thys/AFP via Getty Images
Clearly there is no love lost between the former McLaren teammates.
Ferrari Struggles Again
Photo Scuderia Ferrari
Charles Leclerc had begun the day as Verstappen’s nearest title challenger, and just a place behind his rival on the grid. However, he immediately lost touch as a visor tear-off stuck in his brake duct forced him to pit, with his misfortune only serving to toughen the near-impossible task of keeping up with Verstappen.
Leclerc fought back admirably to climb to fifth, but then threw away a position as Ferrari made another questionable strategy call late in the race.
In a bid to give Leclerc fresh tires to steal the fastest lap – and one point – from Verstappen, they pitted him in the closing stages.
He emerged just in front of Alonso, but then lost the place along the straight, before regaining it on the final lap.
However, he was then given a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, which saw him drop below Alonso, while he also failed to set the fastest lap.
Cue the slow clap.Verstappen’s victory, along with an extra point for the fastest lap of the race, sees the Dutchman extend his world championship lead to 93 points, with just eight races remaining.
Perez’s second place lifts the Mexican above Leclerc into second, while Red Bull’s constructors’ championship advantage over Ferrari increases to 97 points.
The action continues to come thick and fast as Formula One returns next weekend for the Dutch Grand Prix. The race promises to be a wild weekend in Zandvoort as Max Verstappen, who is a native Dutchman, races in front of his home fans as a world champion for the first time.
Belgian GP Race Result: Top 10
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull
- Sergio Perez, Red Bull
- Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
- George Russell, Mercedes
- Fernando Alonso, Alpine
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
- Esteban Ocon, Alpine
- Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin
- Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
- Alex Abon, Williams