Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen quickly carved his way through the field from 14th to win the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday and widen his lead in the title race. (More Motorsport News)
Carlos Sainz Jr. started from pole for Ferrari and finished a disappointing third. Charles Leclerc started 15th and finished fifth but Leclerc dropped to sixth after he was handed a five-second penalty.
Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen quickly carved his way through the field from 14th to win the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday and widen his lead in the title race. (More Motorsport News)
Verstappen, who in the final race before F1바카라s summer break drove from 10th to win the Hungarian Grand Prix, produced another imperious drive and moved closer to a second straight world title.
바카라It바카라s been a weekend I couldn바카라t have imagined before,바카라 Verstappen said. 바카라But I think we want more of them and we바카라ll keep working hard.바카라 His lead in the standings is now 93 points 바카라 but it is over Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez because Charles Leclerc dropped to third in another poor Ferrari showing.
바카라It was quite a hectic first lap to try and stay out of trouble. So many things were happening in front of me, picked the right places to pass people, looked after our tires,바카라 Verstappen said. 바카라Once we were in the lead, it was all about managing everything but this whole weekend has been incredible.바카라
Verstappen was leading the race by Lap 12, and he earned a bonus point for fastest lap. His third straight win was his ninth this season and 29th overall. 바카라Amazing Sunday guys, haha!바카라 Verstappen said on his radio after crossing the line.
바카라Max you have been brilliant, class of your own all weekend,바카라 team principal Christian Horner replied. The 24-year-old Verstappen 바카라 the youngest driver to win a race when he was 18 바카라 said it was probably the most complete drive of his career.
바카라If you look at the whole weekend, yes,바카라 he said. 바카라This track just seemed to be perfect for the car.바카라 Perez finished second to jump ahead of Leclerc in the season standings. 바카라It바카라s a great team result,바카라 Perez said.
Carlos Sainz Jr. started from pole for Ferrari and finished a disappointing third. Leclerc started 15th and finished fifth behind the Mercedes of George Russell, but Leclerc dropped to sixth after he was handed a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
That pushed Alpine driver Fernando Alonso into fifth, and Leclerc, who is now 98 points behind Verstappen in the standings, was shocked by the penalty and appeared defeated in the championship race.
바카라I didn바카라t even know, no one told me,바카라 a surprised Leclerc said of the penalty. 바카라Why did I get the penalty?바카라 As for his title race with Verstappen? 바카라I바카라m not focusing so much on the championship now. Red Bull were on another planet today,바카라 Leclerc added. 바카라We need to know why we바카라re so far away.바카라
Lewis Hamilton바카라s bid for a sixth straight podium ended on the first lap when he clipped Alonso and briefly went airborne. Sainz started from pole because Verstappen and Leclerc were among several drivers to be hit with grid penalties.
Sainz got away at the start and Russell and Hamilton zoomed past Perez and behind Alonso. Hamilton then overtook Alonso on the outside but clipped the side of his Alpine, sending Hamilton바카라s Mercedes up in the air. Race stewards reviewed and took no action, though Alonso clearly felt Hamilton had not left him enough room as he tried to regain the position.
바카라What an idiot closing the door from the outside,바카라 Alonso ranted. 바카라We had a mega start but this guy only knows how to drive and start in first.바카라 Hamilton later cut off an interviewer who attempted to relay Alonso바카라s comments to him.
바카라It doesn바카라t matter what he said,바카라 said Hamilton, who added he didn바카라t see Alonso 바카라in my blind spot.바카라 But in a separate interview, Hamilton accepted he hadn바카라t left enough room for Alonso. 바카라It was my fault,바카라 Hamilton said. 바카라I paid the price. I was ahead though.바카라
For Hamilton it was the fifth time he바카라s retired on Lap 1, with three retirements coming at the 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) Spa-Francorchamps circuit 바카라 the longest in F1 and one of the best for overtaking, as Verstappen showed.
Seconds after Hamilton pulled over, Nicholas Latifi slid across the track and nudged the Alfa Romeo of Valtteri Bottas into the gravel, bringing out the safety car. Hamilton stood next to his car as smoke billowed out, then walked slowly back to the team garage. He was later issued a warning for refusing to visit the medical centre.
Bottas, his former Mercedes teammate, was also out while Leclerc came in early as his team changed his tires and removed some debris from another car stuck inside Leclerc바카라s front right wing.
Later, Ferrari made yet another bizarre call in this strange season of botched strategy decisions when the team called in Leclerc for new tires with one lap remaining in a futile bid to score the fastest lap. Leclerc was overtaken by Alonso as he came out of the pits, and then had to overtake the Spaniard back, consequently failing to register the fastest lap.
Esteban Ocon of Alpine was seventh and followed by Sebastian Vettel of Aston Martin, Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri and Alex Albon of Williams. Next up for Verstappen? His home race in the Netherlands, where he won in style in Zandvoort last year.
바카라I am going to enjoy today and then next week we바카라ll see what we can do,바카라 said Verstappen, who is on pace to beat Vettel바카라s season record of 13 victories set in 2013.