Belgian Grand Prix: Max Verstappen makes it eight wins in a row at ‘enjoyable’ Spa as Red Bull’s F1 dominance continues

Max Verstappen produced another sublime performance as he dominated the Belgian Grand Prix for an eighth straight win of the season.

Starting on P6, the world champion quickly overhauled Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on pole before reeling in Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez on lap 17 on his way to a third straight victory at Spa by over 22 seconds.

On winning for the first time from sixth on the starting grid, Verstappen said: “It’s a new spot P6. I knew that we had a great car and it was just about surviving Turn One. I could see it getting really tight, so I was just going to stay out of that and it worked out.

“From there onwards, we made the right overtakes and moves. I got a bit stuck in a DRS train at the start, but once that cleared I could do my own pace. Again, really enjoyable.

“We look at the numbers, we look at the wear of the tyre and this track is super hard on the tyre, so you don’t want to do any unnecessary things and that’s what we did until the end.”

It means a record 12th straight win of the season for Red Bull, breaking McLaren’s run from 1988, and a 13th successive F1 victory in total when you add Verstappen’s Abu Dhabi triumph from last year.

Germany’s Sebastian Vettel continues to hold the overall drivers’ record for winning nine consecutive races for Red Bull in 2013, starting at this race and ending at the Brazilian Grand Prix in the same season.

But Verstappen moves into second place on his own with this latest majestic win and can equal Vettel’s landmark haul in his home country at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort (August 27) when F1 returns after a four-week summer break.

Lewis Hamilton finished fourth in his Mercedes, but enjoyed the fastest lap of the race late on to snatch a bonus point from Verstappen.

It briefly threatened to rain midway through the race, but a momentary light sprinking did not encourage the downpour that was expected as Verstappen was allowed a clear run to the line once he had dispossessed Perez of the lead before the halfway mark.

“It was tricky in those laps where it was raining because you could see it was raining, but not how much so I had a little sideways moment,” he said. “Luckily nothing happened.”

Verstappen moves onto 314 points at the top of the World Championship standings, a massive 125 points clear of team-mate Perez in second after 13 rounds of the 23-race season.

• 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
• 3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
• 4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
• 5. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
• 6. George Russell (Mercedes)
• 7. Lando Norris (McLaren)
• 8. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
• 9. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
• 10. Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri)

Difficult to see beyond Max Verstappen for his ongoing dominance of the sport, but the four-time Belgian Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton will be content with his day’s work for Mercedes.

Starting from P3, he managed to keep pace beyond the Red Bulls throughout a tricky afternoon before bolting on a set of medium compounds late on to claim the fastest lap of the day and a bonus point when he realised Charles Leclerc was just outwith his grasp in third place.

A smart move from Hamilton which should give him satisfaction during the four-week summer break.

“It was kind of a non-eventful race really. I wasn’t able to keep up with the cars ahead,” he said.

“We had big bouncing this weekend, we were back to what we had last year. We got the fastest lap at the end. It was gusty today.”

LAP 1/44 – LIGHTS OUT! They are out of the starting blocks for this Belgian Grand Prix! Sergio Perez takes the lead after a third of a lap with Verstappen immediately up to P4. That is what true pace does for you! 44 laps ahead of these. Conditions look immaculate, but a few clouds hover overhead to remind the teams what could lie ahead.

LAP 2/44 – PROBLEMS FOR PIASTRI! Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri have connected. Gets squeezed into the wall on Turn One. Piastri is tumbling down the field on the second lap. Looks like he may have run his race. He has stopped on the track and is moved before we get moving again.

LAP 6/44 – MAX INTO TOP THREE Does not take too long for Verstappen to show his power as he overtakes Hamilton in easing himself into the top three. What can you say? Not long until Verstappen makes his move for top spot with Perez two seconds ahead of Leclerc up ahead.

LAP 11/44 – RED BULL BATTLE FOR TOP TWO PLACES It is not a huge surprise to see the two Red Bulls make this a personal battle for glory. Almost three seconds between Perez and Leclerc in third. Alonso has taken a breather to return with hard tyres on in eighth spot.

LAP 17/44 – VERSTAPPEN TAKES LEAD! The Dutch fans loving their trip to Spa as Max overtakes Perez with ease. Looked a formality and is. Meanwhile, Russell passes Stroll to ease himself into six place.

LAP 31/44 – SUN SHINES AS MAX PITS Spa looking glorious in the blue skies. Verstappen bolts on some soft tyres with a 27-second lead and returns to the summit of the race holding an advantage of just over nine seconds.

44/44 – MAX VERSTAPPEN TAKES THE VICTORY! An eighth straight F1 victory for Max Verstappen, his third straight win at the Belgian Grand Prix. Another dominant victory as he stays on course for a third successive world title. 12th straight win of season for Red Bull and a 13th in a row for Red Bull. Hamilton takes the fastest lap of the race to snatch a bonus point from Verstappen.

LAP 17/44 – VERSTAPPEN TAKES LEAD! The Dutch fans loving their trip to Spa as Max overtakes Perez with ease. Looked a formality and is.