2023-07-30 14:27:18
Published on July 30, 2023 at 4:27 p.m. – updated on July 30, 2023 at 10:26 p.m. Mathieu Warnier
Starting from sixth position, Max Verstappen only needed 17 laps to take control of the Belgian Grand Prix and claim a tenth straight race victory ahead of his teammate Sergio Pérez and Charles Leclerc.
It’s always more obvious. There is Max Verstappen and the others this season in Formula 1. If Sergio Pérez was able to return the favor to his teammate until the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the reigning double world champion has been untouchable since. This Sunday, on the occasion of the Belgian Grand Prix, the Dutchman signed a tenth victory in a row, the twelfth in a row if we add the sprints contested in Austria and this Saturday at Spa-Francorchamps. Winner starting from fourteenth position last year, Max Verstappen had a less difficult task this Sunday with sixth place on the starting grid, linked to an out-of-quota gearbox change at the start of the weekend. When the lights went out, Charles Leclerc was able to retain the benefit of his pole position against Sergio Pérez, but the Mexican only had to be patient. In the Kemmel straight, he made his burst of speed speak to dislodge the Monegasque from first position.
Piastri and Sainz lost everything from the start
Behind this duo, there was mayhem at the Source hairpin with Carlos Sainz Jr totally ignoring Oscar Piastri on the inside of the turn. The result was damage to both the Ferrari and the McLaren. The day after his second place in the sprint, the Australian did not see the end of the first lap when the Spaniard lost a lot of aerodynamic efficiency and plunged in the hierarchy. An ordeal which ended at the start of the 24th lap with an abandonment. The beneficiary of this situation was Max Verstappen, who found himself almost effortlessly in fourth place. Lewis Hamilton lasted just over five laps when Charles Leclerc succumbed to the pace of the Red Bull Racing driver on the ninth loop. From then on, the reigning double world champion patiently remained just over two seconds behind Sergio Pérez until the first wave of pit stops. Stopping on lap 15 to cover the strategy of his teammate and Charles Leclerc, the Dutchman then let go of the horses and took over more than a second from the Mexican on his lap out of the pits.
Verstappen caught Pérez with a cold
Time was running out for “Checo”, who had to bow out on the 17th lap, seeing Max Verstappen take control and never let go. However, as the halfway mark approached, the paddock saw the skies darken more and more and rain begin to fall over the Ardennes. However, the intensity was not enough to wet the track, nor to cause loss of grip with slick tires at the right temperature. Pierre Gasly and George Russell, who made the soft tires last at the start to avoid an additional stop in the event of a change in the weather, saw their plans go up in smoke and veered towards the pits approaching the halfway mark. At the forefront, Max Verstappen managed his race perfectly even if the tone was once again raised on the radio with his engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, who notably criticized him for excessive tire wear at the start of his second stint. Despite this, the Dutchman was not worried to get the 45th victory of his career, the twelfth in twelve Grand Prix this season for Red Bull Racing.
Ocon in the points, Gasly almost
Sergio Pérez was relegated to 22 seconds when Charles Leclerc gave Ferrari another podium with third place. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, took advantage of the gap with Fernando Alonso at the end of the race to put on new medium tires at the start of the penultimate lap. The objective of seeking the point for the fastest lap in the race was achieved in the 44th and final loop. Fernando Alonso is content with fifth place ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris, who ignored a McLaren clearly tuned for the rain. After a great race, Esteban Ocon took the points for eighth place ahead of Lance Stroll when Yuki Tsunoda finished tenth. Pierre Gasly, despite a strategy that did not pay off and thanks in particular to a very good overtaking on Alex Albon, failed at the gate of the points. While F1 is going to take a month off, it is with 125 points ahead of Sergio Pérez that Max Verstappen will tackle his Grand Prix at home, from August 25 to 27 at Zandvoort. With a question that will be on everyone’s lips: when will the Dutchman be officially crowned world champion?
FORMULA 1 / BELGIAN GRAND PRIX
Final classification – 44 laps (308.052km) – Sunday July 30, 2023
1- Max Verstappen (PBS/Red Bull Racing) en 1h22’30’’450
2- Sergio Pérez (MEX/Red Bull Racing) at 22”305
3- Charles Leclerc (MCO / Ferrari) at 32”259
4- Lewis Hamilton (GBR / Mercedes) at 49”671
5- Fernando Alonso (ESP/Aston Martin) at 56”184
6- George Russell (GBR/Mercedes) at 1’03”101
7- Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren) at 1’13”719
8- Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine) at 1’14”719
9- Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin) at 1’19”340
10- Yuki Tsunoda (JAP/AlphaTauri) at 1’20”221
11- Pierre Gasly (FRA / Alpine) at 1’23”084
…
Best lap in the race (+1 point): Lewis Hamilton (GBR / Mercedes) – 1’47”305 (44th lap)
World championship ranking after 13 Grands Prix (out of 23)
1- Max Verstappen (PBS/Red Bull Racing) 314 points
2- Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull Racing) 189
3- Fernando Alonso (ESP/Aston Martin) 149
4- Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 149
5- Charles Leclerc (MCO/Ferrari) 99
…
10- Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine) 35
…
12- Pierre Gasly (FRA/Alpine) 22
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Constructors’ world championship ranking after 13 Grands Prix (out of 23)
1- Red Bull Racing 503 points
2- Mercedes 247
3- Aston Martin 196
4- Ferrari 191
5- McLaren 103
6- Alpine 57
…
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