In the words of Sergio Pérez, Max Verstappen “was flying. He was on another planet” during Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix.
The Dutchman faced an uphill battle after taking a “back of the grid” penalty alongside a slew of other Formula One drivers, including title rival Charles Leclerc. Despite a P14 start, Verstappen surged through the field.
He led the race before the end of lap 12, and while there was the help of the safety car early on—after a collision between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso and then Valtteri Bottas spinning to avoid Nicholas Latifi—Verstappen won by an easy 17.8 seconds, with teammate Pérez taking second and Carlos Sainz holding on for third.
