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Tyres NorthamptonMax Verstappen took another step toward becoming a two-time Formula One champion after a comfortable Belgian Grand Prix victory from 14th place on the grid. Verstappen had claimed the lead by half distance and cruised to the chequered flag despite the Dutch driver's lowly starting position due to taking power unit and gearbox changes.
Eight drivers in total took penalties after Qualifying to create a mixed-up starting order that had Verstappen and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc start in P14 and P15 and allowed their teammates Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz to share the front row. Sainz led from pole position with a Soft-tyre strategy, while Perez dropped from second place to fifth after a slow getaway on Pirelli's Medium compound.
However, any pain for Perez was short-lived, and the Mexican driver returned to P2 before the field completed half a lap of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Perez first battled George Russell down the Kemmel Straight and then benefited from contact between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso to slot back behind race-leading Sainz.
Hamilton's contact with Alonso came after a mistake by the seven-time champion when turning into the Les Combes chicane without realising Alonso was on his inside line. As a result, Hamilton's Mercedes flew into the air, and the landing caused terminal damage leading to Hamilton's first DNF of 2022. Meanwhile, Alonso was fortunate to avoid any issues with his bodywork following the collision and would enjoy a strong race for the Alpine team he's leaving next year.
One lap later, the Les Combes chicane was the centre of attention again, as Nicholas Latifi's Williams clipped Valtteri Bottas, sending the Alfa Romeo driver into the gravel trap and ending his afternoon. The resulting Safety Car neutralised the race, although not for Leclerc. Smoke from his front-right wheel worried the Ferrari racer, who pitted for a new set of Pirellis, and his team found a visor tear off in his brakes as the reason for the smoking wheel.
Leclerc had followed Verstappen into the top ten before the Safety Car but had to redo his overtaking work once racing resumed as Verstappen continued striding forwards. Although Perez began some 12 places ahead of Verstappen, the two were within seconds of each other by Lap 8, with both drivers closing in on Carlos Sainz in P1.
Sainz's growing concerns with the Red Bull duo's superior speed made him the first of the leaders to pit at the end of Lap 11 onto the Medium tyres. Now, with clean air ahead of him, Perez couldn't benefit from DRS to defend from the attacking Verstappen. Red Bull didn't have to invoke team orders to have their preferred driver take the lead, and Verstappen soon began extending the gap and his stint on the Soft tyres.
When Verstappen did pit a few laps later, emerging in P2, he wasted no time closing in on Sainz and taking the outright race lead down the Kemmel Straight with little defence from his Ferrari rival. Then, even with the new tyres, Sainz's race pace wasn't strong enough to keep Perez at bay for the race distance. It was soon a Red Bull 1-2 out front, with even Russell in P4 looking like he might close in, too.
Ferrari could only respond by pitting again. Although it did help manage the high tyre degradation, their contrary strategy soon became the standard for all remaining runners. There was no answer to Red Bull's pace, however, and Verstappen and Perez streaked to their fourth 1-2 victory of the year, with Sainz keeping Russell at arm's length to take the final podium spot.
There was one final bit of ignominy for Ferrari, as well, when they tried to take the Fastest Lap point from Verstappen with Leclerc on the penultimate lap. Their plan failed, with Leclerc falling six-tenths short of Verstappen's time, and they also lost the P5 position he crossed the line in as the Monegasque sped in the pit lane, and the stewards handed him a five-second penalty. A perfect summary of Leclerc's season in just two tours of the Spa circuit.
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If the celebrations for Verstappen weren't enough in Belgium, he only needs to wait one weekend for his home Grand Prix and his adoring Dutch fans to fill the Zandvoort grandstands. The Dutch Grand Prix is the second act of this F1 triple-header, and Verstappen will have fond memories after his 2021 victory at the circuit.
Pirelli will provide the hardest tyre selection for the race, the C1, C2, and C3 compounds, to counter the banked corners Zandvoort is well known for. This tyre trio also made an appearance at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix and in the Spanish and Bahrain rounds earlier this year. Although the upcoming week is meant to be dry for the Dutch coastal town, the weather forecast suggests rain may appear over the weekend, so the Intermediate and Wet tyres could also return.
As with the Belgian GP, The Dutch Grand Prix will have lights out at 2PM on Sunday.
Qualifying – On air: 2PM, Session start: 3PM Saturday 3rd September
Race – On air: 12:30PM, Session start: 2PM Sunday 4th September
Channel 4 has highlights of the Dutch Qualifying and the Grand Prix at 6:30PM on Saturday and Sunday
Qualifying – 6:30PM Saturday 3rd September
Race – 6:30PM Sunday 4th September
