Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen drove brilliantly on Sunday at the 2022 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, moving from 14th on the grid to first place by the end of the race.
Fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez came in second some 17.8 seconds behind to help bring home his team's fourth one-two finish of the year, while pole-sitter Carlos Sainz finished third for Ferrari, approximately 26.8 seconds behind the winner.
When the lights turned green at a sun-drenched Spa-Francorchamps, Sainz comfortably kept the lead despite the best attempts of Perez, who also started at the front of the grid. Alpine's Fernando Alonso and Mercedes-Benz AMG's Lewis Hamilton were soon able to pass Perez, but an aggressive move by Hamilton saw the Mercedes driver come into contact with Alonso. It was the end of the race for Hamilton on the first lap, and a lap later there was a safety car period after Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas spun out while trying to avoid the Williams of Nicholas Latifi.
Meanwhile Verstappen, who topped Saturday's qualifying, started the race at 14th due to a penalty for swapping in a new power unit. The reigning world champion was already in eighth place after the race resumed on lap three following the exit of the safety car, and by lap eight he was third, with Perez and Sainz still ahead.
2022 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix
Perez later handed second position to Verstappen, and Sainz eventually lost the lead spot to Verstappen by lap 19. Sainz then also lost second place to Perez just two laps later due to the sheer pace of the Red Bull cars.
Mercedes' George Russell finished fourth after starting at fifth, while Alonso, despite his early setback, managed to finish the race in fifth.
It was another bad day for Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Debris entered one of his car's brake ducts early in the race, causing an unscheduled pit stop and dropping the driver to 17th place. However, he was able to move up to sixth place by the end of the race.
As a result of the weekend's action, Verstappen's lead in the 2022 Drivers' Championship extended further, with the Red Bull driver now sitting on 284 points. Perez has moved back into second with 191 points, while Leclerc is now in third with 186 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Red Bull leads with 475 points, versus the 357 of Ferrari and 316 of Mercedes. The next race on the calendar is the Dutch Grand Prix scheduled for the coming weekend.
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz at the 2022 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix
Below are the full results from the 2022 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix:
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
2) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing +17.841 seconds
3) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +26.886 seconds
4) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG +29.140 seconds
5) Fernando Alonso, Alpine +73.256 seconds
6) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +74.936 seconds
7) Esteban Ocon, Alpine +75.640 seconds
8) Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin +78.107 seconds
9) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri +92.181 seconds
10) Alexander Albon, Williams +101.900 seconds
11) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +103.078 seconds
12) Lando Norris, McLaren +104.739 seconds
13) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri +105.217 seconds
14) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo +106.252 seconds
15) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren +107.163 seconds
16) Kevin Magnussen, Haas +1 lap
17) Mick Schumacher, Haas +1 lap
18) Nicholas Latifi, Williams +1 lap
NC) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo - DNF
NC) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG - DNF
