Introduction
Max Verstappen recovered from a five-place gearbox penalty to say his eighth successive victory within the 2023 Components 1 Belgian Grand Prix, with teammate Sergio Perez including to the celebrations for Pink Bull as he accomplished a one-two end result.
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Verstappen steadily picked off his rivals throughout a tense 44-lap encounter at Spa-Francorchamps, taking P1 after Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc had began the race on pole. The championship chief then stored his automotive on the observe throughout a mid-race bathe that threatened to – however didn’t fairly pressure – a transfer from slick tyres to intermediates.
Perez additionally labored his well past Leclerc to return house within the runner-up spot, crossing the road some 20 seconds behind Verstappen and giving Pink Bull their first good end result for the reason that Miami Grand Prix again in Might.
Leclerc held on for the ultimate podium place, denying seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton (who pitted late on to internet the quickest lap), whereas Fernando Alonso put his Aston Martin forward of the opposite Mercedes machine of George Russell to take fifth.
Lando Norris initially misplaced a number of positions after beginning the race on medium tyres after which switching to hards, however a transfer to softs as spits of rain started to fall proved impressed, and he wolfed up the competitors on his grippy rubber and finally bagged seventh.
Aston Martin secured one other double-point end as Lance Stroll backed up teammate Alonso within the ninth, whereas Esteban Ocon and Yuki Tsunoda accomplished the factors within the eighth and tenth, respectively, by way of some late scrapping.
Pierre Gasly went longer into the race than anybody else with a sizeable first stint, however a gradual cease when he finally boxed hindered his efforts and left him eleventh on the chequered flag, adopted by the Alfa Romeos of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu.
Williams had combined it within the points-paying locations early on, with the FW45 exhibiting unbelievable straight-line pace, however they light because the totally different slick-tyre methods performed out, leaving Alex Albon 14th and Logan Sargeant seventeenth.
Haas duo Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, each impacted by pre-race penalties, wound up fifteenth and 18th, respectively, whereas sixteenth went to the second AlphaTauri of Daniel Ricciardo, who couldn’t match teammate Tsunoda’s points-scoring efforts.
Solely 18 vehicles completed the race after a first-corner conflict between Dash podium finisher Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz led to each drivers retiring – the McLaren man clipping the within wall at La Supply and stopping along side the observe and the Ferrari nursing harm earlier than being known as in to retire.
When the drivers returned to parc ferme, Verstappen couldn’t cover his delight as he punched the air in celebration for the tenth time this season, transferring only one win away from matching Sebastian Vettel’s successive victory file of 9 races within the course of.
It additionally means Verstappen now holds a lead of 125 factors over Perez within the drivers’ standings because the Dutchman continues his push in the direction of what can be a 3rd world championship on the bounce.
Mario Isola, Motorsport Director, Pirelli:
Lastly, on a day with cheap climate, the rain solely made an look briefly with out having any important influence on the best way the race performed out. Coming into this remaining a part of the weekend virtually in the dead of night elevated the variety of unknown components and, together with the massive variety of dry climate tyres out there, as they had been solely used for a number of laps in yesterday’s qualifying, this gave the groups a wider than regular vary of potential methods. Degradation on the Delicate and Medium tyres was in step with our simulations, given the comparatively low observe temperature. These low temperatures additionally meant the Exhausting was not very aggressive, and it was solely utilized by one driver for a number of kilometres. When it comes to efficiency, the opposite two compounds had been as much as the duty, and the stint lengths diverse in response to whether or not a driver selected to push proper from the begin to take advantage of the out there grip or handle the scenario to elongate the stint as a lot as potential, which was the case for the three drivers who solely made a single pit cease.
Lastly, I wish to congratulate the followers (380,000 attendance) who put up with some very moist climate. They had been rewarded with an incredible present, partly right down to the Dash weekend format, which meant that, proper from Friday, there was loads of pleasure on the observe. Components 1 is quickly going to take a brief break, though we nonetheless have two extra days of testing on Tuesday and Wednesday right here at Spa, working with Aston Martin and McLaren. The every day work programme will rely rather a lot on what the climate has to supply.
How the race was gained from the tyre standpoint:
Medium and Delicate had been essentially the most used compounds through the race, with the Exhausting solely utilized by Norris for 12 laps in his second stint. 13 drivers opted to start out on Softs, seven on Medium. The softest of the three compounds Pirelli introduced right here proved to be very aggressive, additionally giving the groups higher flexibility when it comes to technique, with seven drivers opting to push proper from the beginning, stopping earlier than lap 10 (Sainz additionally pitted, having sustained automotive harm) whereas others prolonged the stint as a lot as potential, like Gasly for instance, who pitted after 23 laps. Those that began on Mediums additionally adopted totally different methods: Russell managed to do 22 laps, Stroll simply two fewer, whereas Tsunoda stopped on lap 9 and Alonso on 10. This compound was the out-and-out selection for the second stint, with rather more comparable stint lengths, in a window between 15 and 20 laps.
Probably the most crucial second of this part got here shortly after half-distance when, for round ten minutes, it rained barely. Lap instances quickly elevated, reaching the restrict for the crossover level to intermediates, however then the rain stopped, and the observe dried rapidly. For the ultimate phases, based mostly partly on what had been discovered within the first a part of the race, the Delicate was again in favour of the groups and drivers. Right here too, the stint lengths diverse: the primary three finishers accomplished an identical distance (Verstappen 14, Perez 15 and Leclerc 16), Norris did 27, whereas Ocon and Zhou ran for 19 whereas Tsunoda and Hulkenberg did 20.
Three drivers did only one cease – Russell, Stroll and Gasly – the primary two of those ending within the factors, whereas the Frenchman was simply outdoors in eleventh. One other trio, the 2 Williams drivers and Lewis Hamilton made three stops. Within the case of the Williams pair, it was for strategic causes, whereas the seven instances world champion got here in for a set of latest Mediums to safe the additional level for the quickest race lap.
What’s subsequent?
Now it’s time for the Components 1 summer season break. The championship will resume with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort from 25 to 27 August, and only one week later, the motion switches to the ultimate European spherical of the season, from 1 to three September, when Monza hosts the Components 1 Pirelli Gran Premio d’Italia 2023.
2023 Components 1 Belgian Grand Prix Race Outcomes
PosNoDriverCountryTeamTimePointsOverall
1.1Max VerstappenNetherlandsRed Bull Racing1:22:30.45025314
2.11Sergio PerezMexicoRed Bull Racing +22.305s18189
3.16Charles LeclercMonacoScuderia Ferrari+32.259s1599
4.44Lewis HamiltonGreat BritainMercedes-AMG Petronas+49.671s13148
5.14Fernando AlonsoSpainAston Martin F1 Group+56.184s10149
6.63George RussellGreat BritainMercedes-AMG Petronas+63.101s899
7.4Lando NorrisGreat BritainMclaren Racing+73.719s669
8.31Esteban OconFranceAlpine F1 Group+74.719s435
9.18Lance StrollCanadaAston Martin F1 Group+79.340s247
10.22Yuki TsunodaJapanScuderia AlphaTauri+80.221s13
11.10Pierre GaslyFranceAlpine F1 Group+83.084s022
12.77Valtteri BottasFinlandAlfa Romeo F1 Group+85.191s05
13.24Zhou GuanyuChinaAlfa Romeo F1 Group+95.441s04
14.45Alexander AlbonThailandWilliams Racing+96.184s011
15.20Kevin MagnussenDenmarkHaas F1 Group+101.754s02
16.3Daniel RicciardoAustraliaScuderia AlphaTauri+103.071s00
17.2Logan SargeantUSAWilliams Racing+104.476s00
18.27Nico HulkenbergGermanyHaas F1 Group+110.450s09
8.55Carlos SainzSpainScuderia FerrariDNF092
5.81Oscar PiastriAustraliaMcLaren RacingDNF034
21.21Nyck De VriesNetherlandsScuderia AlphaTauriDNS00
2023 Constructor Standings
Listed here are the team-by-team highlights:
