Max Verstappen clinched his next Formula 1 victory in the Spa sprint spectacle. In the shortened race format, the Red Bull driver clearly prevailed in front of the Australian Oscar Piastri in the McLaren and continued to expand his already full cushion in the World Championship.
“Everything was under control, the car was fast,” said Verstappen relaxed after his next success. Third in an eventful race was Alpine driver Pierre Gasly.
The frequent rain showers gave Formula 1 and the tens of thousands of fans in the grandstands a hard time. The start of the sprint qualification and the race had to be postponed because, for safety reasons, it was not possible to drive on the soaking wet track. The sprint was then started behind the safety car, the race control instructed the mounting of rain tires.
Before the guest appearance in the often rainy Spa, there had been a safety debate in the paddock. Just four weeks ago, Dutchman Dilano van’t Hoff died in the rain on the route in the Ardennes. The main problem for Formula 1 is the strong spray that is generated by the heavy racing cars with wide tires. “It causes a lot of accidents because we can’t react quickly enough,” said Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.
Piastri chooses the right tactics
The field turned five laps behind the safety car, then the track was dry enough for a flying start. The tire poker started immediately. The leading Verstappen continued on the rain compound, pursuer Piastri immediately switched to mixed-weather tyres, as did half of the drivers.
And the Australian’s tactics proved to be correct. When Verstappen came to the pit stop after the first free lap, Piastri passed. Shortly thereafter, the safety car was called again. Fernando Alonso crashed into the gang driving the Aston Martin on his 42nd birthday and got stuck in the gravel.
Verstappen extends lead in overall standings
Shortly after the restart, Verstappen restored the usual conditions. On the Kemmel Straight he overtook the helpless Piastri and rushed towards his next victory. Thanks to the eight points for victory in the sprint format, he extended his lead in the overall standings to 118 points over team-mate Sergio Pérez before the twelfth round of the season on Sunday (3 p.m. / Sky).
The Mexican had to park his damaged car early after a tough duel with Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton received a five-second penalty for his action and dropped back to seventh at the finish.
Hulkenberg still unlucky
So it all boils down to the title hat-trick for Verstappen, who just can’t be beat these weeks. He has already won seven Grand Prix in a row. He also turned by far the fastest lap in qualifying for the main race on Friday. On Sunday, however, Verstappen has to start five places further down due to an unauthorized gearbox change. The Monegasse Leclerc is then in pole position.
Things are not going well for Nico Hülkenberg in Spa so far. In qualifying for the Grand Prix, the Rhinelander was unable to set a time due to a hydraulic defect. In the hunt for a starting position for the sprint, his Haas team sent him back onto the track too late after a botched tire change, so he was unable to set a fast lap and ended up last again. In the sprint it was only enough for 17th place.
