Belgian GP: Max Verstappen leads home Sergio Perez in one-two as Red Bull claim record-extending 13th straight win

Max Verstappen overcame a five-place grid penalty to ease to victory at the Belgian GP: Sergio Perez came second to complete a Red Bull one-two, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completing the podium; Red Bull extended their record winning streak with a 13th successive triumph

Max Verstappen came from sixth on the grid to lead team-mate Sergio Perez home in a Red Bull one-two at the Belgian Grand Prix, as the team claimed a record-extending 13th successive victory.

Having been demoted from the pole position he claimed after receiving a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his gearbox allowance, Verstappen eased through the field to become just the second driver to win eight successive Formula 1 races.

Pole-sitter Charles Leclerc, who was overtaken by Perez on the first lap, held off the challenge of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to claim just his third podium of the season for Ferrari.

Fernando Alonso arrested Aston Martin’s recent slump to take fifth ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Alpine’s Esteban Ocon produced a late overtake on Alonso’s Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll to claim eighth, while Yuki Tsunoda took a valuable final point for AlphaTauri in 10th.

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Sergio Perez leads the Belgian GP after the opening lap, with Oscar Piastri already out following an early incident.

Verstappen gained two places on the opening lap as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri clashed at the first corner in an incident that eventually led to the retirement of both cars, before the Dutchman calmly eased past Hamilton, Leclerc and Perez to take the lead after 17 of the 44 laps.

From there, a brief rain shower that wasn’t strong enough to force any of the field onto intermediate tyres was the only threat to Verstappen extending his winning run, as he almost went off at the high-speed Eau Rouge.

With disaster averted, Verstappen eased into the distance, ignoring suggestions from his race engineer to drive more carefully as he opened up a 22-second gap to Perez by the time they took the chequered flag.

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Max Verstappen and his Red Bull engineer continue to squabble at the Belgian GP.

The 25-year-old, who appears all but certain to claim a third successive drivers’ title, extends his world championship lead over Perez to 125 points going into the sport’s summer break, having also won Saturday’s Sprint at Spa.

When the season resumes at his home race in Zandvoort in late August, Verstappen will have the opportunity to match Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine successive Grand Prix wins, which was also set in a Red Bull car back in 2013.

Along with extending the overall record they set in Hungary last time out, Red Bull now have the most successive wins within a season, having won all 12 races of the 2023 campaign.

Belgian GP result
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
3) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
4) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
5) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
6) George Russell, Mercedes
7) Lando Norris, McLaren
8) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
9) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
10) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri

More to follow…