Verstappen wins Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, Hamilton out on 1st lap

By Selcuk Bugra Gokalp

ANKARA (AA) – Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing won the Belgian Grand Prix of Formula One World Championship on Sunday.

"Amazing Sunday day guys, car was a rocket ship all weekend," Dutch driver, who also recorded the fastest lap, said after his ninth victory of the 2022 season with 1 hour, 25 minutes, and 52.894 seconds.

Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez finished as runner-up with +17.841 seconds, while Ferrari's Carlos Sainz finished third with +26.886 seconds.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton contacted with Fernando Alonso of Alpine Renault at turn 5 on the first lap at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. After the incident Hamilton was told to stop his car by his crew on the second lap.

"Looking back at the footage, he was in my blind spot and I didn't leave enough space so it was my fault today. Just sorry to the team. He was right in my blind spot," Hamilton said.

Williams driver Nicolas Latifi ran wide and spun into Valtteri Bottas of Alfa Romeo on the second lap and safety car was out as a result.

Verstappen took the lead on lap 12 and hanged onto it until the race ended.

Verstappen leads the driver standings with 284 points, while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc is placed second with 191 points, and Perez has the third spot with 186 points.

Red Bull has the lead in the constructor standings with 475 points, Ferrari is placed second with 357 points, and Mercedes has 316 points for the third spot.

The next round in Formula One will be held on Sept. 2-4 in the Netherlands.