Max Verstappen was in a class of his own as he raced from 14th to first to snatch a dominant win in Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday. The Dutchman, who dropped down the grid after being hit with engine and gearbox-related grid penalties crossed the line 17.8 seconds ahead of teammate Sergio Perez, who completed a one-two for Red Bull.
Pole-sitter Carlos Sainz a distant third in his Ferrari. The win was Verstappen’s ninth of the season and puts him 93 points clear of Perez who moves into second overall behind his team mate with eight races to go.
Ferrari’s Leclerc is 5th
Ferrari title contender Charles Leclerc, who started one place behind Verstappen in 15th after collecting similar engine and gearbox-related grid drops, finished fifth on the road but was classified sixth after being hit with a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pitlane.
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The Monegasque, Ferrari’s leading contender and the early championship favourite, drops to third overall, 98 points behind Verstappen, with his hopes in tatters. “The car was really on rails,” said Verstappen, winner of a rain-hit, three-lap, safety-car led race in Belgium last year, after taking his first proper win in the country of his birth.
‘Incredible weekend’
“We could look after our tyres and that’s how we made our way forward. This weekend has been incredible. I couldn’t imagine before, but we want more of them so we keep on working hard,” he said.
