The 25-year-old Verstappen is in a league of his own this year and celebrated his 45th victory from sixth place ahead of his team-mate Sergio Perez, the tenth this year. “When we put on the second set of tires, we flew. I felt really comfortable there,” said Verstappen after his eighth win in a row.
After the overwhelming success in Spa, he is only one win away from the record set by his German predecessor Vettel, who had won nine races in a row in 2013. Verstappen’s third world title in a row is only a matter of time anyway. The Dutchman leads 125 points ahead of his Mexican teammate Perez. Converted to the remaining races, that’s five wins ahead.
Eighth Verstappen win in a row
With his eighth win in a row, Max Verstappen says goodbye to the Formula 1 summer break. The world championship leader dominated the Grand Prix in Spa and, despite a small moment of shock, won in front of Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc.
Therefore, the world championship leader will switch off in the truest sense of the word during the break. “I would like to spend a good time with family and friends,” said the Red Bull driver. When asked whether, given his form with eight Grand Prix victories in a row, he wouldn’t rather be driving again next weekend, the Dutchman said: “I don’t think it matters. If we set the car up well for the next race, we will be quick again.”
debate
How realistic is the perfect “bull” season?
A short chase is enough
Verstappen, who started sixth in Belgium after an illegal gearbox change and only needed 17 laps to the top, was so superior in Spa that he joked over the radio in the last third of the race: “I could make an additional pit stop, then we would have one bit of extra training.” For the Red Bull team, it was the 13th Grand Prix win in a row across all seasons; no other racing team has won twelve races this season.
Knowing that their vehicle was superior, the team changed the gearbox on the double world champion’s car for the fourth time this season before the race and accepted a penalty for this irregularity. After his best time in qualifying, the 25-year-old had to start five places further back, but didn’t stay there long and gradually caught up. First Lewis Hamilton was no obstacle, in the end he also flew past Perez.
The international media therefore once again took off their hats. “Red Bull is making Formula 1 the Max Verstappen show,” said the English “Telegraph”. For the “Guardian” they will “breathe with relief in the paddock that the summer break is about to start. So a breather from a season that has become an absolute winning streak for Max Verstappen.” For the Spanish “Marca” the 25-year-old has “no rival” this year, the French “L’Equipe” compared the Dutchman’s dominance with one “Forcible march towards the third crown”.
Only pit radio dispute causes excitement
There was only a short crack on the pit radio when Verstappen argued with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase (“Use your head a bit more”) about race tactics and when to change tires. After the race, the driver then said that he was only half serious about it. “There’s a lot of respect there, but sometimes they’re like an old married couple, they tease each other,” said team boss Horner. ORF expert Alexander Wurz also saw it as due to the lack of external competition: “Something like this only comes to a head when it’s boring.”
“Motorhome” after the Belgian Grand Prix
The ORF crew analyzes the most important scenes from Spa.
“This victory was so easy for Max Verstappen that the toughest challenge came from his race engineer,” said the English “Sun”. Because once again nobody could brake Verstappen, not even rain, which, however, held back on the Sunday of the race. Only the strong wind disturbed Verstappen’s lonely journey a little. “I really have to hold onto the steering wheel,” he reported, describing the “problems” of a season dominator.
The fact that the team’s trophy was damaged a week after the cup mishap in Budapest fits into the same category. In four weeks it will continue in Zandvoort. The next Verstappen Festival could follow at the “Oranje” home game. Numerous fans once again supported their hero in Spa. “Thank you, ‘Orange Army’, your support is surreal,” said Verstappen.
