Red Bull's Max Verstappen triumphs to take battling win at Belgian Grand Prix after starting in 14th

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen sealed his ninth victory of the 2022 Formula One season and his 29th overall, as the Championship leader made up thirteen places to secure a famous win at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps with a sublime drive. Sergio Perez finished just under eighteen seconds behind his Red Bull teammate in P2 to secure the team’s fourth one-two finish of the 2022 season. Ferrari's Carlos Sainz rounded off the podium places to finish in third.

Ad Verstappen, who started the race in fourteenth after a grid drop for a component change, had it all to do to make up the positions on track to be able to fight for the victory, despite finishing Saturday’s qualifying session top of the timesheets. Carlos Sainz, who ended Q3 in second place, moved up into pole position for the race. Belgian Grand PrixHamilton retires from Belgian GP after Alonso collision in first lap2 HOURS AGO Charles Leclerc also started back down the grid in P15 due to a grid penalty.

Despite being almost two seconds off the pace on Saturday, both Mercedes received a reprieve due to drivers taking penalties around them and started from 4th and 5th respectively. There was drama on the first lap of the race, as Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton leapfrogged Sergio Perez into the first corner to take P2 and P3 respectively. The Mercedes driver then tried to get past the Alpine into the Les Combes chicane around the outside, but they made contact, which briefly saw Hamilton’s car launched into the air.

Mercedes were forced to retire the car, which prompted a full safety car on Lap 2. Perez got back up into second place after the incident, with Sainz remaining in the lead of the race. The safety car came in on Lap 5, and by then Verstappen had