“Red Bull” pilot Max Verstappen had lost the leading position after visiting the pits, but later overtook Oscar Piastri and won the Belgian GP sprint race. On the drying track, Piastri finished second, while Pierre Gazlee took third place.
Due to the rain, the start of the race was postponed, the pilots circled behind the safety car for several laps on the Spa track, but the start was given in progress. When the race started, only 11 laps were to be completed.
Initially, all drivers went on the track with wet weather tires, but when the safety car went into the pits, some of them entered the pits on medium wet weather tires. Among them was Piastri, the owner of the second starting place.
Verstappen switched to other tires a lap later, which resulted in second position behind the McLaren driver. After everyone had entered the pits, Alpine’s Gazlee took third place, followed by Sergio Perez, Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, who had lost several positions.
Fernando Alonso, who is celebrating his 42nd anniversary today, slipped in the third lap, after going to the curb. Even before that, the veteran did not have the best race and was only in 16th position. After skidding, he stopped in the gravel lane, narrowly avoiding hitting the barrier.
LAP 4/11
And Alonso slides off into the barriers????
⚠️ @astonmartin Safety Car deployed ⚠️#BelgianGP #F1Sprint pic.twitter.com/UIhWhlQCfM
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 29, 2023
The safety car went on the track, but in the sixth lap the fighting resumed. Verstappen initially kept the second place, but “Kemmel” confidently passed Piastri on the straight. He crossed the finish line more than six seconds ahead. Gazli, meanwhile, managed to hold off Hamilton, who had received a five-second penalty for causing a collision with Perez and dropped from fourth place to seventh in the final results.
Perez was in fourth place for a while, but Hamilton aimed to overtake him. In the heat of the battle, the Mercedes pilot hit the side of the Red Bull formula with the front left wheel of his car, passing shortly after. Perez’s car was damaged, he lost several positions, then went off the track and the team called the athlete to the pits, where he had to retire.
LAP 7/11
Hamilton and Perez battling ????
The pair touch and then Perez slides off into the gravel the following lap #BelgianGP #F1Sprint pic.twitter.com/vOBMdIf3DQ
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 29, 2023
After Hamilton’s penalty, Sainz finished fourth, followed by LeClair and Lando Norris. Hamilton and his teammate George Russell scored the last available points.
On Sunday, the “Grand Prix” race will be held in Belgium, which will start at 16:00 Latvian time. No precipitation is promised yet.
Belgian GP sprint race:
1 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull Racing
2 Oscar PIASTRI McLaren +6.677
3 Pierre GASLY Alpine +10.733
4 Carlos SAINZ Ferrari +12,648
5 Charles LECLERC Ferrari +15.016
6 Lando NORRIS McLaren +16.052
7 Lewis HAMILTON Mercedes +16.757
8 George RUSSELL Mercedes +16.822
9 Esteban OCON Alpine +22.410
10 Daniel RICCIARDO AlphaTauri +22.806
11 Lance STROLL Aston Martin +25.007
12 Alexander ALBON Williams +26.303
13 Valtteri BOTTAS Alfa Romeo +27.006
14 Kevin MAGNUSSEN Haas F1 Team +32.986
15 Guanyu ZHOU Alfa Romeo +36.342
16 Logan SARGEANT Williams +37.571
17 Nico HULKENBERG Haas F1 Team +37.827
18 Yuki TSUNODA Alpha Tauri +39.267
19 Sergio PEREZ Red Bull Racing DNF
20 Fernando ALONSO Aston Martin DNF
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2023-07-29 16:31:15
#Verstappen #overtakes #Piastri #wins #Belgian #sprint #race #F1LV #Blog
