Verstappen wins F1 Belgian Grand Prix, 8th season win, 13th for Red Bull

Max Verstappen was first across the finish line to win Sunday’s F1 Belgian Grand Prix. The Dutch racer won by a wide margin, more than 22 seconds ahead of Sergio Perez, who crossed the finish line second. Monegasque Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari, a victory for the Scuderia after a difficult year. 

Verstappen’s victory marks the 13th consecutive win for Red Bull Racing, a record not achieved by any other F1 team in the renowned event’s history. 

The Dutchman driver won the race from sixth position on the grid. By lap 17 of 44, he took over the lead from Red Bull teammate Pérez and was untouchable thereafter.

Verstappen’s win marks yet another successful weekend for the Red Bull Racing team as they won 1st and 2nd place with Pérez completing the combination. It also marks the 13th time in a row the Red Bull Team has won a race, setting an F1 team record. 

The Mexican driver picked up the most points left behind by Verstappen except for a few races.

Sunday’s race at Spa-Francorchamps went without any significant incidents. The Belgian based track, approximately 4.35 miles long, has undulating corners such as the famous Raidillon, and is located in a coniferous forest that pulsates to the beat of revving motor engines.

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris had a challenging afternoon in the European country, unable to replicate the great performances that had kept them atop the leaderboard all weekend. During lap 3 of the 44 scheduled races, Piastri collided with Carlos Sainz for track position, forcing him to retire.

The Spaniard then cut off the Australian's racing line and forced him to scrape the wall, leaving McLaren to retire the car for body damage. The seventh place finish for Norris was at least enough to score some points for his team.

Sainz also suffered damage, eventually forcing him to retire from the race as well.

Verstappen is now aiming for the individual record of consecutive wins held by Sebastian Vettel, who achieved nine consecutive victories in 2013. Vettel won nine consecutive races for Red Bull in 2013, beginning with the Belgian Grand Prix and concluding with the Brazilian Grand Prix. 

That streak that gave him his fourth and final World Drivers' Championship title, all of which he won successively between 2010 and 2013.

Although Red Bull had a fantastic season, other teams such as Scuderia Ferrari and Aston Martin may need to improve their vehicle performance and strategy. 

Ferrari has garnered press attention in recent weeks because of interference with their drivers' strategies, an attempt at ensuring Leclerc finished ahead of Sainz, which backfired, creating internal turmoil for the Spaniard as he lost team support.

Aston Martin started the first third of the season as the second fastest car, which few expected. The British racing team has not added any upgrades to enhance their performance and stalled in the middle of the pack for several races in a row. 

Other teams such as McLaren and Mercedes improved their performance as the year progressed.

In Formula One, engine and car regulations are changed every seven years, and the team that adapts to the new rules best usually leads during that period. Last time this occurred, the Mercedes team helped Lewis Hamilton break records.

Red Bull is now alone at the top with Verstappen on course to win his third straight world championship.

Red Bull's second F1 team, AlpaTauri, also made some changes, terminating Nyck de Vries after a difficult start to the season.

They also promoted reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo, a move that exploited his experience, and spurred a little competition with the team’s other driver, Yuki Tsunoda.

Sergio Pérez, whose seat represents Ricciardo's actual goal, has also improved since the announcement. Since becoming their CEO and Team Principal in 2005, Christian Horner has led the team to 11 world titles, including six for drivers Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen and five for constructors.

Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey's designs have won more than 200 Grands Prix and numerous titles in Formula One's history. He is regarded as one of the greatest automotive engineers of all time.

Newey's designs have been among the most successful in Formula One history, a fact evidenced by 11 championships with three different F1 teams, and seven different drivers who have won the Drivers' Championship in his cars.

As the Belgian Grand Prix marks the beginning of the summer break for F1 teams, the season will resume on August 27 in Zandvoort, in celebration of the Dutch Grand Prix.