Belgian GP: Verstappen eases to win from 14th in Red Bull 1-2 finish
Max Verstappen dominated F1 Belgian GP from 14th on the grid with Sergio Perez ending up second from Carlos Sainz.
It was clear weather to start the F1 Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps as Carlos Sainz made a great start from pole in his Ferrari to lead the race from Alpine’s Fernando Alonso, who also had a good start to be second but only until the Kemmel Straight.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton tried a move on the outside into the right hander but his wheels touched which sent the Brit flying. He eventually retired from damage but Alonso continued in fourth behind Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Mercedes’ George Russell.
In fact, it was recovery from Perez who dropped behind Russell after a slow start but the Mexican made his way up to second from the Brit and the Spaniard. Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel had a good start to be fifth from McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo.
He passed Williams’ Alexander Albon at the start, as the Top 10 was rounded by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc before the safety car period. Both the Dutchman and the Monegasque made a lot of ground.
While Hamilton stopped in the final part of the circuit, Williams’ Nicholas Latifi had a moment on the exit of Kemmel Straight while fighting against Alpine’s Esteban Ocon. The Canadian spun around and caught out Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas.
While the Williams driver continued after pitting, Bottas was forced to retire. Not only this, but also the incident between Hamilton and Alonso was cleared by the stewards. Under the safety car, Leclerc was forced to pit early due to puncture.
It dropped him at the back as post the safety car re-start, Verstappen gained fix places to get himself behind his teammate in third. The Dutchman called for team orders but he managed to pass him on the Kemmel Straight to gain track position.
Just behind them, Albon retook the place he lost to Ricciardo at the start as Leclerc and even McLaren’s Lando Norris started to climb up the order around the Top 10. At the front, the pit stop situation started with Sainz coming in from the lead.
Verstappen pitted four laps later but managed to catch him and eventually pass him to lead the F1 Belgian GP. The Dutchman extended a good lead as Sainz came under pressure from Perez then. After laps of waiting, the Mexican passed him for second.
Perez also had an aggressive defence against Leclerc at Kemmel Straight, where the Monegasque complained that the Mexican did not leave him space. But there was no call from the stewards then. That moment allowed Russell to get on his tail too.
The Brit passe him for fourth, with Alonso in sixth from Vettel and Ocon who passed Albon to be seventh and eighth, while Ricciardo rounded out the Top 10. Ferrari kicked-off the second round of pit stops in a double-stack situation.
Sainz got onto the hard tyres, while Leclerc did so for soft. Few laps later, Perez pitted and changed to hard compound as well. Things settled down in the first half of the Top 5, as Alonso was sixth from AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, Vettel and Ocon.
But Gasly couldn’t hang on for long as the trio went three wide at Kemmel Straight and Ocon took two places at one go with an outside move to be seventh. Vettel got past Gasly for eighth, as Albon rounded out the Top 10 leading a gaggle of cars.
He had Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll just behind him, with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu right on his tail as Ricciardo dropped further back after his pit stop. It was a straightforward grand prix in the end especially at the front.
Verstappen eased in to win the F1 Belgian GP by 17.841s over teammate Perez as he slid himself over the chequered flag. Sainz was third in the end with Russel fourth from Leclerc, who went for the fastest lap but it was too close with Alonso in the end.
The Spaniard did get past him on Kemmel Straight which Leclerc got it back on the final lap, but didn’t get the fastest lap which went to Verstappen. The bad run for the Monegasque didn’t end as he was handed a 5s penalty for speeding in the pitlane.
This eventually dropped him behind Alonso in sixth, as Ocon was seventh from Vettel, Gasly and Albon in the Top 10 where the Frenchman made it in the points from pitlane, while the Thai racer held off four cars behind him.
It was Stroll, Norris, Tsunoda and Zhou, with Ricciardo bit far in 15th from Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, Mick Schumacher and Latifi where the latter trio finished a lap down. Post-race, Hamilton got a warning for refusing to go to the medical center.
DNF: Bottas, Hamilton
