F1 Belgian Grand Prix highlights: Max Verstappen wins as Lewis Hamilton denied podium spot
Max Verstappen made it eight successive victories by claiming a routine win at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton shows off his impressive surfing skills
Max Verstappen managed to win his eighth straight race at the Belgian Grand Prix, with the Dutchman slicing through the field after starting from sixth on the grid. He quickly made light work of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton before closing up to Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, who was simply unable to defend as Verstappen breezed through on the Kemmel Straight.
The Mexican driver was able to hang on to second place but ended up over 21 seconds behind Verstappen, with the 25-year-old putting his speed to good use in order to dominate proceedings once again. Leclerc, who started from pole, went on to cross the line in third place to join the podium celebrations for the first time since the Austrian Grand Prix.
Hamilton, meanwhile, fell just short in fourth but successfully managed to snatch the fastest lap at the very end. He was helped in his bid to keep the position by Oscar Piastri's early retirement after the Aussie collided with Carlos Sainz, who valiantly tried to carry on but was ultimately forced to end his race after picking up substantial damage to the bodywork of his Ferrari car.
Relive Express Sport's live Belgian Grand Prix updates below.
KEY EVENTS
- Full results15:48
- VERSTAPPEN WINS!15:27
- Sainz forced to retire14:50
- Verstappen takes the lead14:35
- Piastri retires14:07
- LIGHTS OUT! Perez takes lead14:05
- Starting grid13:50
Goodbye
That's all we've got time for today.
Thanks for joining us to follow this year's Belgian Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen claiming the spoils yet again despite starting from sixth on the grid.
We'll have a four-week break before F1 returns to Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of next month. Catch you then!
Sailing into the sunset with another \ud83c\udfc6 pic.twitter.com/oxZMVIOyYN
\u2014 Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) July 30, 2023
Horner hails 'mindblowing' Red Bull
"To go unbeaten into the summer break is mindblowing," Red Bull boss Christian Horner tells Sky Sports F1.
"The way the team is operating at the moment, we just need to keep this level going. Everybody deserves a well- earned break over the next couple of weeks, recharge the batteries and then come back hard.
"Zandvoort will be a crazy race, Monza and then the international races. We want to keep the momentum going, taking it one race at a time and great to see another one-two today.
"I never dreamed of getting to this point unbeaten. That’s never been achieved before and we’ll come back after the break and see if we can keep this amazing momentum rolling over as many races as we possibly can."
The podium celebrations
And here's a view of the post-race celebrations after Max Verstappen's eighth straight Grand Prix victory...
\ud83c\udf7e\ud83c\udf7e\ud83c\udf7e pic.twitter.com/7HkWisZsN4
\u2014 Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 30, 2023
Full results
Here's a look at the final classification after 44 laps at Spa...
\ud83c\udfc1 LAP 44/44 \ud83c\udfc1
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) July 30, 2023
Hamilton just misses the podium but takes the fastest lap \ud83d\udc4f#BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/8c4ZBvJA4I
Leclerc: Work to do
"If you look at the Red Bull we still have a lot of work to do especially in terms of race pace as degradation and everything they are quite far ahead," says third-placed Charles Leclerc.
"I was told to do some fuel saving and this was quite big at the end so I was struggling a bit more, but the pace was there to keep Lewis behind and then he pitted for the fastest lap which made my life a bit easier."
Verstappen on 'sideways moment'
"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," adds Max Verstappen.
"Eau Rouge is the worst corner to have a moment. It was tricky in those laps where it was raining because you could see it was raining but no how much so I had a little sideways moment.
"Luckily nothing happened but it's certainly not a corner you want it to happen."
Perez: Nothing I could do
"I was just doing my own race and Max came through in the second stint pretty fast," says Sergio Perez in his post-race interview.
"There was nothing I could have done there. Afterwards it was just about making sure we brought it home safely without too much damage to the car.
"It’s been a bit of a rough patch, but we overcome and today we managed to score great points for the team.
"I really need the summer break. It’s been really intense for the last few races. I look forward to it and will come back very strong."
VERSTAPPEN WINS!
It's an eighth successive victory for Max Verstappen, who crosses the line to win the Belgian Grand Prix!
Sergio Perez comes home in second to complete a Red Bull one-two, while Charles Leclerc joins the podium celebrations in third place.
Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, takes fourth and snatches the fastest lap at the very end of the race!
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE BELGIAN GRAND PRIX \ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\udfc6\ud83d\udc4f
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) July 30, 2023
A perfect Spa day for the Dutchman who finishes ahead of team mate Sergio Perez. Charles Leclerc takes the final podium place \ud83d\udc4d#BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/5jJI01BE07
Hamilton pits late on
Lewis Hamilton pits in an attempt to go for the fastest lap, but he's fitted with medium tyres and not softs!
Will he be able to claim the extra championship point on the final lap?
Three laps to go
The top eight positions look pretty much set in stone with just three laps to go at Spa.
However, the likes of Lance Stroll, Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly are still battling for the final points-paying positions further down the order.
Ocon gets past Tsunoda
Yuki Tsunoda is left powerless to stop Esteban Ocon from bravely diving down the inside to claim ninth place.
Five laps to go...
Hamilton stuck behind Leclerc
Lewis Hamilton remains over two seconds adrift of Charles Leclerc, who looks set to claim the final podium spot as things stand.
Further down the order, George Russell is reeling in Fernando Alonso and will be hoping to move up into fifth place before the chequered flag drops.
Ten laps to go
Max Verstappen is leading Sergio Perez by a margin of 13 seconds as we enter the closing stages of the Belgian Grand Prix.
His race engineer is urging him not to push so hard, though, as he says: "You used a lot of tyre on the out lap, not sure that was sensible. I'd advise you to use your head a bit more."
Gasly battles Albon
Pierre Gasly forces his way alongside Alex Albon after chasing the Williams man for a number of laps.
They go wheel-to-wheel through several corners before the Frenchman manages to edge ahead as they approach the final chicane.
Albon tries to regain the position at the end of the Kemmel Straight but Gasly slams the door to hang onto 11th place.
LAP 33/44
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) July 30, 2023
Gasly and Albon are having a right old battle for P11 \u2694\ufe0f\ud83c\udf7f
The pair are wheel-to-wheel for successive corners but the Alpine driver gets past in the end #BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/0XKysk3eCk
Verstappen follows suit
Max Verstappen pits for his very own set of soft tyres and still leads by a healthy margin of 8.8 seconds upon his return to the track.
Perez into the pits
Sergio Perez is the next driver to pit for softs and it's a speedy stop from his Red Bull crew.
He keeps second place but is now almost half a minute behind Max Verstappen, who is almost certain to win this race unless a miracle happens over the next 15 laps.
Leclerc next to stop
Ferrari respond to Hamilton's pit stop by calling in Charles Leclerc, who fits soft tyres and rejoins the action in third.
Fernando Alonso is overtaken by Hamilton at the same time, with the latter running well on his new set of boots.
Hamilton pits
Lewis Hamilton pits and it's a brave decision from Mercedes as they fit him with a new set of soft tyres.
Will they be able to see him through until the end of the race? He's back on track in fifth place as things stand.
Lap 28/44: Box. Box. Lewis makes the switch to Softs. \ud83d\udfe1\u27a1\ufe0f\ud83d\udd34
\u2014 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 30, 2023
He rejoins in P5. Need a big outlap here from LH. pic.twitter.com/knSR83S2ZU
Hamilton dropping back
Lewis Hamilton appears to be struggling with his tyres and is currently lapping six-tenths slower than Charles Leclerc ahead of him.
The Brit is still comfortably ahead of Fernando Alonso, though.
Sainz forced to retire
Ferrari have given up on Carlos Sainz, who returns to the pit lane and is quickly wheeled back into the garage after suffering with bodywork damage for the entirety of the race.
He becomes the second casualty of the afternoon following Oscar Piastri's early retirement on lap two.
Lap 25/44: Unfortunately we\u2019ve had to retire @Carlossainz55 due to the damage on his car
\u2014 Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) July 30, 2023
Hamilton catching Leclerc
Lewis Hamilton is slowly reeling in Charles Leclerc, who leads the Brit by a margin of around 2.4 seconds.
The rain appears to be subsiding at Spa, with the circuit quickly drying up again.
Russell into the pits
George Russell stops for a new set of soft tyres, with Mercedes not willing to become the first team to experiment with intermediates.
He rejoins the action in 15th place just as Yuki Tsunoda moves past Pierre Gasly to get himself up into seventh.
Verstappen nearly loses it!
Max Verstappen almost loses the rear end of his Red Bull car in the slippery conditions at Eau Rouge!
He manages to straighten up quickly, though, and survives with his lead comfortably intact.
Halfway point
We're on lap 22 of 44 and the current order is as follows...
1. Verstappen 2. Perez 3. Leclerc 4. Hamilton 5. Alonso 6. Russell 7. Gasly 8. Tsunoda 9. Ocon 10. Albon 11. Magnussen 12. Ricciardo 13. Bottas 14. Zhou 15. Hulkenberg 16. Sargeant 17. Norris 18. Stroll 19. Sainz
OUT: Piastri
Gasly overtakes Stroll
Pierre Gasly pulls off a fine move on Lance Stroll and is now running in seventh place.
The rain is still falling but it's not too heavy at this stage, with all drivers still running on slick tyres.
Here comes the rain!
Carlos Sainz reports that drops of rain are falling at Stavelot, which could see a gaggle of pit stops taking place if the shower gets heavier over the next few laps.
Max Verstappen, meanwhile, is already over 2.5 seconds clear of Sergio Perez at the very front of the order.
LAP 20/44
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) July 30, 2023
You can have all the weather tech in the world... \ud83d\ude03#BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/rCd4L7y37Q
Verstappen takes the lead
Max Verstappen flies past Sergio Perez with ease on the Kemmel Straight to move into the lead!
The Dutchman is going for his eighth successive Grand Prix victory and now has a clear track ahead of him.
Further down the order, George Russell goes wheel-to-wheel with Lance Stroll before edging out his Aston Martin rival to get himself into sixth place.
LAP 17/44
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) July 30, 2023
Verstappen wastes no time and gets past his team mate to take the lead! #BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/M9oT6PtAQc
Perez under pressure
Max Verstappen is right on the tail of Sergio Perez and will be looking to get past him in the next few moments...
Verstappen next to pit
Max Verstappen is warned by his race engineer that rain could arrive in the next 10 minutes.
He responds by pitting for new medium tyres and comes back out in second place, with Sergio Perez leading once again.
Perez and Leclerc stop for new tyres
Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc are the next drivers to pit for new boots and emerge back onto the circuit in second and third respectively.
It means that Max Verstappen now leads, but the Dutchman is yet to stop.
Meanwhile, the stewards have noted Lewis Hamilton for potentially weaving on the straight in his efforts to defend from Lance Stroll on the previous lap.
Hamilton into the pits
Lewis Hamilton pits for a new set of medium tyres and rejoins the action in fourth place.
He is then forced to defend from Lance Stroll at the end of the Kemmel Straight as the Aston Martin driver tries a move around the outside.
Alonso passes Hulkenberg
Fernando Alonso makes light work of Nico Hulkenberg to move into eighth place.
At the front of the order, Sergio Perez still leads by a margin of around 2.5 seconds over Max Verstappen as things stand.
Charles Leclerc is running in third ahead of Lewis Hamilton, Lance Stroll, George Russell and Pierre Gasly.
Perez told to manage tyres
Sergio Perez has been instructed to manage his tyres in sector two as Max Verstappen continues to close in on his Red Bull team-mate.
Hopefully the pair are allowed to battle each other when Verstappen eventually catches up, rather than Red Bull asking Perez to let his colleague through.
We'll find out soon enough...
Leclerc next up for Verstappen
Max Verstappen wastes no time in closing up to the back of Charles Leclerc before breezing past with DRS assistance on the Kemmel Straight.
He was forced to go around the outside but successfully made the move stick and now finds himself in second place.
LAP 9/44
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) July 30, 2023
Leclerc is powerless to stop Verstappen getting past in the run up to Les Combes
The championship leader is up to P2 and chasing down his team mate and leader Perez#BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/Vd8z2uzuAX
Sainz into the pits
Carlos Sainz is called into the pits for a new set of tyres, with Ferrari opting not to retire the car just yet.
The Spaniard, who started in fourth, is now running all the way down in 18th place.
Verstappen overtakes Hamilton
Max Verstappen pulls off a routine move on Lewis Hamilton to get himself up into third place.
Further down the order, Alex Albon gets past Carlos Sainz as the Ferrari ace continues to struggle with damage.
Lando Norris, meanwhile, is called into the pits but it's a slow stop from his McLaren crew and he rejoins the track in 17th place.
LAP 6/44
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) July 30, 2023
Make that P3 for Verstappen...
The Dutchman is past Hamilton and on a charge#BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/idHftTZFQs
Norris drops two positions
Lando Norris is caught napping by Lance Stroll at the final corner before George Russell gets around his British rival at Turn One.
It's been a nightmare start for McLaren, with one of their drivers already out and the other tumbling down the order.
Alonso gets past Sainz
Fernando Alonso breezes past Carlos Sainz on the Kemmel Straight with DRS assistance.
The latter is struggling to keep up the pace as a result of the damage sustained in his early battle with Oscar Piastri.
He appears to be nursing a big hole in his right sidepod in a similar way to Sergio Perez in yesterday's sprint.
Piastri retires
Oscar Piastri grinds to a halt at the edge of the circuit and will take no further part in this race.
Replays show that he tangled with Carlos Sainz at the apex of Turn One, leaving both cars damaged.
\ud83d\udc94\ud83d\udc94\ud83d\udc94
\u2014 McLaren (@McLarenF1) July 30, 2023
\ud83d\udcfb "I have damage. I was squeezed into the wall" - Oscar.
Oscar has stopped out on track and will retire from the race.#BelgianGP \ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddea
Verstappen flying
Max Verstappen is already up into fourth place and is right on the tail of Lewis Hamilton at the end of the opening lap.
George Russell has lost a couple of places and is now running in 11th.
Oscar Piastri is dead last after he was dragged into the chaos at Turn One, while Carlos Sainz is also reporting damage via team radio.
LIGHTS OUT! Perez takes lead
Charles Leclerc covers off Sergio Perez to retain his lead out of Turn One.
The Mexican driver makes light work of his Ferrari rival on the Kemmel Straight, though, and moves into first place!
Oscar Piastri, meanwhile, is swamped by Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen after picking up damage early on.
LAP 1/44
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) July 30, 2023
Leclerc's lead doesn't last long as Perez blasts past the Ferrari driver up the Kemmel straight #BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/6jGhSz1OJN
Here we go!
The majority of drivers have opted to start on the red-walled soft compound tyres, while the likes of George Russell, Lando Norris and a handful of others have gone for the mediums.
We're just moments away from the start of the Belgian Grand Prix, with the formation lap now in progress...
Potential strategy options
We could see a mix of strategies across the board today based on Pirelli's official tyre guidance...
If the #BelgianGP is a dry race, these are predicted to be the fastest strategy options based on our simulations \ud83d\udede #Fit4F1 #F1 pic.twitter.com/9bnH13Y48c
\u2014 Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) July 30, 2023
Starting grid
Here's a look at the starting order at Spa, with Nico Hulkenberg set to begin from the pit lane after Haas opted to change his power unit and gearbox overnight.
There are just 10 minutes to go until the formation lap begins...
The starting line-up for Sunday! \ud83d\udc40
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) July 28, 2023
Max Verstappen qualified fastest, but a gearbox change means he takes a five-place grid penalty and starts from P6
Kevin Magnussen has received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Charles Leclerc during qualifying#BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/v3m7QVSfFe
Rain to stay away?
The rain appears to be holding off for now, with Ferrari reportedly not expecting any showers over the course of today's race.
However, it would not be a massive surprise to see the weather shake things up at Spa after the heavy rainfall on Friday and Saturday.
The skies are grey and overcast but there is no sign of the heavens opening as things stand.
Leclerc plays down victory hopes
Charles Leclerc will start from pole today but is not expecting to keep the likes of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez at bay until the chequered flag drops.
"I think they've got a much better race car than we have," says Leclerc when quizzed on whether Red Bull are simply too quick for Ferrari to contend with.
"It's great to be starting first and I think it gives us a good chance to have a great result, but to say that we'll target the win I think is probably a bit too optimistic.
"If there's an opportunity for whatever reason, as always I'll try to get it, but I believe it's going to be difficult to try to keep those guys behind."
Verstappen confident of success
Max Verstappen believes that he will have every chance of winning from sixth on the grid as he looks to wrap up his eighth successive Grand Prix victory this afternoon.
"Of course, I'm starting a bit further back," he says. "I need to be careful to not have any damage on the car.
"As soon as I just have a clean lap one, I think from there onwards we can move forward."
Problem for Hulkenberg?
Nico Hulkenberg complains that he may have a power unit issue on his lap to the grid.
That could be bad news for the German driver, with Haas having swapped his engine for a new one overnight.
His car is quickly brought back into the garage and a number of mechanics are working furiously to rectify the problem.
Sky Sports reporter Ted Kravitz says that Hulkenberg has been hit with an ignition coil failure, although it is thought to be an easy fix and should pose no further issues when the race begins.
Hamilton: Max will come sailing by
Lewis Hamilton is fully expecting to be overtaken by Max Verstappen at some point today but is hoping for a good battle with the likes of Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez ahead of him.
"Our pace has generally been decent," he said last night.
"I've got a Ferrari and Perez ahead so I'm hoping I'll be able to fight those guys. At some point Max will come sailing by and I'll just try to keep the McLarens behind."
Sprint report
Lewis Hamilton was penalised by the FIA after colliding with Sergio Perez during Saturday's chaotic sprint event.
Max Verstappen managed to claim the spoils by fending off Oscar Piastri after the start of the session was delayed, with a huge downpour soaking the grid just moments before the lights were set to go out.
The two drivers swapped positions amid a gaggle of early pit stops before Verstappen regained the advantage following a brief safety car period after Fernando Alonso crashed at Pouhon.
Perez was then forced to retire after suffering damage while battling with Hamilton, who was given a five-second time penalty for causing a collision.
Catch up on the full story HERE.
Good afternoon
Hello and welcome to Express Sport's live coverage of today's Belgian Grand Prix, where Charles Leclerc will be starting from pole position.
He will be joined on the front row of the grid by Sergio Perez, with Lewis Hamilton just behind in third.
Max Verstappen, meanwhile, will be hoping to slice through the order from sixth after being handed a five-place penalty.
We're just an hour away from lights out at Spa and will be keeping you up to date with all of the action as it unfolds...
Welcome to race day \ud83d\udc4b#F1 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/A1FkdgYRj9
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) July 30, 2023