Belgian Grand Prix: Max Verstappen extends title lead with eighth straight victory

1 year ago 15

Max Verstappen wins the Belgian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen was successful imperious signifier arsenic helium came from sixth connected the grid to triumph the Belgian Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver's eighth consecutive triumph successful the last contention earlier the summertime interruption extended his title pb to 125 points.

Verstappen led Sergio Perez location to a Red Bull one-two but was successful different league from his team-mate.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took 3rd up of Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso.

Verstappen drove cautiously successful the aboriginal laps arsenic helium picked his mode up from his unusually debased grid position, caused by a five-place grid punishment for utilizing excessively galore gearbox parts aft helium had qualified connected rod by 0.8 seconds.

The satellite champion was up to 4th connected the archetypal thigh but did not walk Hamilton until thigh six and Leclerc until thigh nine, some times utilizing the DRS overtaking assistance to overtake into the Les Combes chicane astatine the extremity of the agelong Kemmel straight.

Perez, who had passed Leclerc for the pb up the aforesaid consecutive connected the archetypal lap, hung connected successful beforehand until his pit halt connected thigh 13.

Verstappen pitted the adjacent clip around, and lone past began to amusement thing similar his existent potential.

Emerging 2 seconds backmost from Perez, Verstappen was a 2nd backmost aft his archetypal thigh retired of the pits, connected his process adjacent clip around, and up halfway on the Kemmel consecutive connected thigh 17.

What followed was a crushing objection of superiority implicit adjacent a operator successful the aforesaid car.

The Dutchman was 1.6secs up by the extremity of that lap, driven it 2 seconds faster than Perez .

He took it comparatively cautiously connected the adjacent lap, extending his pb by 'only' 0.7secs, but past was 1.4secs faster the adjacent clip around.

The lone jeopardy remaining successful the contention were immoderate testy messages from his contention technologist Gianpiero Lambiase.

The Briton asked Verstappen to "use his head" earlier his archetypal pit stop, lone for the operator to inquire whether Perez had been fixed the aforesaid bid - efficaciously to negociate his pace. Lambiase responded with "I suggest you travel my instructions and spot me".

A mid-race ablution of rainfall was capable to adhd immoderate hostility for the drivers, but not to marque them power to treaded intermediate tyres. It did pb to a scary infinitesimal for Verstappen, though, erstwhile helium had a wobble astatine precocious velocity successful the daunting Eau Rouge swerves, but managed to clasp connected to the car.

After his 2nd stop, Lambiase scolded Verstappen that helium had "used a batch of the tyres connected the retired lap", driving successful a mode which the technologist did not deem sensible".

Verstappen responded by mounting fastest lap, extending his vantage by 2.3secs successful 1 circuit.

Lambiase warned him: "This tyre had tenable degredation successful the archetypal stint; I'd counsel you to usage your caput a spot more."

Verstappen responded: "I could besides propulsion connected and bash different halt - a spot of pit halt practice."

It was his 10th triumph successful 12 races and helium continues to look arsenic though helium could triumph each contention remaining this season, with nary discernible absorption connected the horizon.

Postives for Leclerc arsenic Hamilton closes connected Alonso

Verstappen's vantage was 1 happening for those successful different cars, but humiliating for Perez, who was acold person to Leclerc successful 3rd than helium was to his team-mate astatine the caput of the field.

Leclerc hung connected to the Red Bull well, ever wrong a fistful of seconds of Perez and much than capable to clasp Hamilton astatine bay. The seven-time satellite champion's consolation was to instrumentality fastest thigh from Verstappen aft a precocious pit halt for caller mean tyres.

Hamilton's effect moved him to conscionable 1 constituent down Alonso successful their combat for 3rd successful the drivers' championship.

42-year-old Alonso drove good from his eighth spot connected the grid to determination up to sixth connected the archetypal thigh and past 5th past the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, damaged successful a first-corner collision with Oscar Piastri's McLaren, connected thigh four. Both Sainz and Piastri were forced into retirement.

Hamilton's team-mate George Russell was a fewer seconds adrift of Alonso, portion McLaren's Lando Norris recovered good from an mistake successful fitting the hard tyres astatine his archetypal stop, connected which helium recovered nary grip and dropped adjacent to the back, to ascent backmost done the tract and instrumentality seventh place.

Alpine's Esteban Ocon was eighth, up of the 2nd Aston Martin of Lance Stroll, portion Yuki Tsunoda took the last constituent for Alpha Tauri.

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