F1 champ Max Verstappen surges from 14th to win Belgian GP

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — Components One factors champion Max Verstappen rapidly carved his means by means of the sphere from 14th to win the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday and widen his lead in within the title race.

Verstappen, who within the ultimate race earlier than F1’s summer season break drove from tenth to the win within the Hungarian Grand Prix, produced one other imperious drive and moved nearer to a second straight world title. His lead within the standings is now 93 factors — however it’s over Purple Bull teammate Sergio Perez as a result of Charles Leclerc dropped to 3rd in one other poor Ferrari exhibiting.

Verstappen was main the race by lap 12, and he earned a bonus level for quickest lap. His third straight win was his ninth this season and twenty ninth general.

Perez completed second to leap forward of Leclerc within the standings. Carlos Sainz Jr. began from the pole for Ferrari and completed a disappointing third. Leclerc began fifteenth and completed fifth behind the Mercedes of George Russell, however Leclerc dropped to sixth after he was handed a five-second penalty for rushing within the pit lane.

That pushed Alpine driver Fernando Alonso into fifth, and Leclerc, who’s now 98 factors behind Verstappen within the standings, was shocked by the penalty and appeared defeated within the championship race.

“I didn’t even know, nobody instructed me,” a shocked Leclerc mentioned of the penalty. “Why did I get the penalty?“

As for his title race with Verstappen?

“I’m not focusing a lot on the championship now. Purple Bull had been on one other planet at present,” Leclerc added. “We have to know why we’re so distant.“

Lewis Hamilton’s bid for a sixth straight podium ended on the primary lap when he clipped Alonso and briefly went airborne.

Sainz began from the pole as a result of Verstappen and Leclerc had been among the many a number of drivers to be hit with grid penalties. Sainz acquired away on the beginning and Russell and Hamilton zoomed previous Perez and behind Alonso.

First place, Purple Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, proper, speaks with second place Purple Bull driver Sergio Perez of Mexico sin the Parc Ferme after the Components One Grand Prix on the Spa-Francorchamps racetrack in Spa, Belgium, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022.

Hamilton then overtook Alonso on the surface however clipped the aspect of his Alpine, sending Hamilton’s Mercedes up within the air. Race stewards reviewed and took no motion, although Alonso clearly felt Hamilton had not left him sufficient room as he tried passing him again.

“What an fool closing the door from the surface,” Alonso ranted. “We had a mega begin however this solely is aware of methods to drive and begin in first.”

Hamilton later lower off an interviewer who tried to relay Alonso’s feedback to him.

“It doesn’t matter what he mentioned,“ mentioned Hamilton, who added he didn’t see Alonso “in my blind spot.”

Seconds after Hamilton pulled over, Nicholas Latifi slid throughout the monitor and nudged the Alfa Romeo of Valtteri Bottas into the gravel, bringing out the security automobile.

Hamilton stood subsequent to his automobile as smoke billowed out, then walked slowly again to the workforce storage. He was later issued a warning for refusing to go to the medical centre.

Ferrari made one more weird name on this unusual season of botched technique: Ferrari known as in Leclerc for brand spanking new tires with one lap remaining in a futile bid to attain the quickest lap. Leclerc was overtaken by Alonso as he got here out of the pits, needed to overtake the Spaniard again, and failed to attain quickest lap.

Esteban Ocon of Alpine was seventh and adopted by Sebastian Vettel of Aston Martin, Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri and Alex Albon of Williams.

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Extra AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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