“Might make another stop”
Verstappen wins very close to Vettel’s record
7/30/2023, 4:37 p.m
Max Verstappen wins the Belgian Grand Prix. Of course, that’s not a surprise. The world champion is so superior that he starts joking early on.
Long-term winner Max Verstappen completely outclassed the rest of Formula 1 in Spa and can now break Sebastian Vettel’s record series. After the overwhelming success at the Belgian Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver is only one win away from the record set by his German predecessor, who won nine races in a row in 2013. One day after winning the sprint in the Ardennes, Verstappen easily secured first place in the main race despite a grid penalty.
The Dutchman was so superior in Spa that in the last third of the race he joked happily on the radio: “I could make an additional pit stop, then we’d have a bit of extra training.” For the Red Bull team it was the 13th Grand Prix victory in a row, no other racing team has won this season.
Second behind Verstappen was teammate Sergio Pérez. The Mexican was more than 20 seconds behind at the finish and, as second overall in the World Championships, is already 125 points behind Verstappen at the start of the summer break. Third place went to Charles Leclerc in a Ferrari, who started from pole position.
Hulkenberg’s weekend to forget
Pretty much everything went wrong for Nico Hulkenberg in Belgium. Hydraulic damage stopped him in qualifying on Friday. In the hunt for a starting place for the sprint on Saturday, his Haas team sent him off too late, so he couldn’t set a time and ended up last. He finished the sprint in 17th place. Because many parts were changed on Hülkenberg’s car before the main race, he had to start from the pit lane. Shortly before the start of the race, Hulkenberg noticed smoke and a lack of engine power during a test lap. The problem was solved just in time in the garage. He only reached the goal in 18th place.
Verstappen hasn’t had such worries for a long time. Knowing that their Red Bull car was superior, the team changed the gearbox on the double world champion’s car for the fourth time this season before the race and accepted a penalty for this irregularity. After his best time in qualifying, the 25-year-old had to start five places further back, but didn’t stay there long.
Verstappen was fourth after the first lap. Before him, Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri collided in the McLaren and fell back. The Australian Piastri soon had to give up, Sainz, who caused the accident, dragged himself another 23 laps with a hole in the body.
After 17 laps everything is the same
At the top, Pérez replaced Leclerc after just a few meters. The Monegasque had inherited pole position after Verstappen’s penalty transfer, but had no chance against the strength of the Red Bull. After nine laps, Verstappen also passed Leclerc, having just overtaken Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton. The world championship leader was far from satisfied with that. On the pit radio, Verstappen briefly quarreled with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase about race tactics and when to change tires. doesn’t matter. On lap 17, Verstappen grabbed his stable rival Pérez and disappeared never to be seen again.
The moody weather was not a factor this time. After a lot of rain on Friday and Saturday and a debate about safety on a wet track, the race remained largely dry. Two fatal accidents in junior races in Spa in recent years, the images of huge clouds of spray behind the heavy Formula 1 cars and the fear of accidents when flying blind had led to discussions.
But the feared chaos did not materialize. Only the strong wind disturbed Verstappen’s lonely journey a little. “I really have to hold onto the steering wheel,” he reported. But there was no real tension. The field had also sorted itself out in the places behind. Before the summer vacation, nobody wanted to jeopardize the vacation with unnecessary risks. In four weeks it will continue in Zandvoort. The next Verstappen Festival could follow at home.