Top 3 finishers react to Belgian Grand Prix and 'surviving Turn 1'

Max Verstappen once again drove with impeccable class and style to secure his eighth win of the 2023 Formula 1 season in the Belgian Grand Prix.

The Dutchman, born in Belgium, started the race in sixth place and was leading the Grand Prix by Lap 17. From there, the victory never looked under threat, and he and teammate Sergio Perez secured 1-2 for the Red Bull Racing team.

Verstappen, who had never won from sixth on the grid, said: "It's a new spot (to win from) P6! I knew we had a good car. It was just about surviving Turn 1, it all got very tight, and I just stayed out of that.

"This track is super hard on the tyres, so you don't want to do unnecessary things. It was tricky with the laps that it was raining - I had a little sideways moment, definitely not a corner you want it to happen on!"

Verstappen and Perez have won all 12 of the season's opening races for Red Bull - a new record.

The points scorers in Spa ????#BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/CRdHuXQUYk

'Nothing to do'

Perez, who started second behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, had a good launch off the line, sugaring past Leclerc into Turn 5 at the end of the long Kemmel Straight. Realising that it's impossible to stop an in-form Verstappen, Perez admitted that he is happy with P2.

"It was a good race for the team; we had a great start to get through Charles, which was one of the targets," Perez said.

"I was doing my own race. Max came through pretty fast - nothing I could do there. Then it was just about bringing it home. I look forward to not leaving the podium again from now until the end of the year."

Sending us into the summer break in style ???????? pic.twitter.com/S38FnHLRZC

Leclerc, who had a positive turn in pace in the Ferrari, took heart in the positive weekend he