Belgian GP 2023: Verstappen secures his eighth consecutive win from sixth place despite penalty
Max Verstappen, starting from sixth due to a grid penalty, won the Belgian Grand Prix amid rain. This marks Red Bull's 13th consecutive victory in the season.
Max Verstappen delivered an exceptional performance at the Belgian Grand Prix, ascending from a sixth-place start to clinch the win, despite a grid penalty.
The triumphant Red Bull driver, who claimed the team's 13th consecutive win this season, was closely followed by teammate Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
The Start
Verstappen started from sixth due to a gearbox penalty but showed his mettle by surging into the lead on lap 15, maintaining his position until the chequered flag.
His ascent involved a precise overtake of Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton on lap six, who had lost his DRS to Leclerc.
Verstappen then proceeded to track down Leclerc and overtook him on lap nine with a daring late-braking maneuver at Les Combes.
Perez pit stop
Perez, who initially grabbed the lead from Leclerc with impressive straightline speed, found himself challenged by his teammate.
Verstappen gradually ate into Perez's lead, which led to a strategic pit stop by Perez on lap 13.
Sparks flying off Perez's left-rear wheel during the stop added drama to the situation.
When Verstappen pitted a lap later, his stop proved quicker, reducing Perez’s lead to just 1.5s on Verstappen’s outlap.
The Dutchman soon gained DRS advantage on the Kemmel straight and, in classic Verstappen style, powered into the lead, leaving Perez in his wake.
Verstappen consolidating his lead
Despite brief rain showers causing slower lap times and nearly derailing Verstappen at Eau Rouge, the Dutchman's lead only extended.
He remained unperturbed, with his lead nearing 10s by the time the leaders prepared for their second round of pit stops.
Post the second stop, Verstappen's dominant pace saw him set a near two-seconds quicker lap than Perez, although his aggressive drive earned a rebuke from his engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase.
But, with Verstappen’s lead over Perez rising to 12.4s by lap 34, it was clear who the master of the race was.
Verstappen continued to pull away, eventually claiming a crushing victory of 22.3s over Perez, who finished 9.9s ahead of Leclerc.
In a last-minute pit stop, Hamilton was able to deprive Verstappen of the fastest lap, securing fourth place.
A notable mention goes to George Russell, who from an eighth-place start, managed to finish sixth with a contrary strategy.
2023 Belgian Grand Prix Results
Drivers Standings
Team Standings
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