Max Verstappen raises the trophy that accredits him as the winner of the Belgian Grand Prix. /
Belgian Grand Prix
The leader of the World Championship came back in a masterful way and confirmed the superiority of Red Bull, with Sainz on the podium and Alonso fifth, accident included with Hamilton
Whoever expected that with the new regulations there would be a change of cycle in which the victories were not in the possession of one or two pilots has been enormously disappointed with the race in Belgium. Max Verstappen confirmed what many expected even from free practice: not even a change of engine that made him penalize and start from the last rows of the grid could prevent a new victory with which he further increased his advantage in the standings.
The Dutchman only needed 18 laps to complete one of his most perfect works. All his rivals fell along the way, one after another, under the fist of a Verstappen who not only made it clear that he is far superior to the rest, but also has the necessary weapons to do and undo at will. Ten positions gained in just nine laps allowed him to rise to the podium area, and in just as many others he was already the leader.
He did not need pole, something that was in the possession of a Carlos Sainz who could barely defend himself, to achieve his ninth victory of the year, third in a row, and also command the fourth double for the energy drinks team, since Sergio Pérez was second after very good tire management in conditions of very high degradation on the circuit of the Ardennes.
The victim of this superiority of Red Bull was Carlos Sainz himself. The man from Madrid ran out of options too soon, given that he first gave in with Verstappen and shortly after with a Pérez with whom he has seen on several occasions this season. The Spaniard went from dreaming of victory to settling for a podium finish that, in perspective, is not so frowned upon that his teammate Charles Leclerc was left out of the noble zone and his comeback fell short.
The rivalry always comes back
The resolution of this race cannot be understood without mentioning an accident that added a total of nine Formula 1 world championships. Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton met again on the track, causing an incident that will cause many rivers of ink to flow.
The Spaniard started third, which already invited optimism in the face of a hypothetical podium. The very poor start of Pérez, who started ahead, made him gain a position, which left a memorable image for the national fans: the two Spaniards commanding the Formula 1 Belgian GP. Alonso’s joy did not last long.
Lewis Hamilton, with a Mercedes clearly superior to the Alpine, won the outside of the Les Combes curve from Alonso, but as always betting well above his possibilities. Thus, although the Spaniard was closed to the maximum to avoid the clash, both ended up impacting and the seven-time champion was thrown into the air. As has happened many times before (on this same circuit, in 2014 with Nico Rosberg, as Alonso recalled after the race), Hamilton forgets that sometimes he doesn’t race alone and that not all drivers are afraid of him.
The touch was more expensive for the British than for the Spanish. Although Alonso lost several places and, with it, a good part of his options, Hamilton left and was left with a golden opportunity to achieve a new podium in this complex season for him. From then on it was a difficult race for Alonso, although calmer than he expected. When it seemed that it was going to be sixth, which was already a good result given what happened, Ferrari arrived with its now traditional bingo for its rivals in the form of a five-second penalty for speeding on pit road for Charles Leclerc.
Alonso gained a position at once and finished in a more than decent fifth place, which together with Sainz’s third place makes this Sunday one of the best for the Spanish fans. It is not the result that many dreamed of, but the evidence cannot be ignored: neither Sainz with Ferrari nor Alonso with Alpine can aspire to more than picking up the crumbs of what they leave up.
The Belgian GP (which will continue in 2023 after the last renewal) is the first of three consecutive in this summer return of Formula 1. If Spa was an orange party, what will happen next weekend aims to be memorable: the Dutch GP, home of Max Verstappen, at the Zandvoort track.
