Echoing Ozymandias’ grand statement, this was a victory that marked his and Red Bull’s superiority, passing through the echoes of the Ardennes mountains. Formula 1 has had some great races this season, but this time at Spa-Francorchamps it was an afternoon that only Verstappen will enjoy. However, it was not without significance on two levels. For Verstappen at the sharp end of the title battle, his pace and control would have left his rivals with little but despair. while for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes in their race to return to competitive pace, a miserable weekend could not end soon enough. On paper Verstappen’s win should have been something of a classic. That he wasn’t was indicative of how dominant he and Red Bull were in Belgium. He took the checkered flag from 14th on the grid, passing through the field to do so. However, with such a pace advantage, instead of the visceral, breath-taking thrill so many passes should entail, they were instead barely noticeable. A Sunday drive, dog in the back, head out the window enjoying the wind in his face watching the opposition slip away mercilessly, one by one. Verstappen finished 17 seconds clear of teammate Sergio Pérez in second and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in third. Neither of them had even come close to staying with the Dutchman. The world champion had a real advantage in qualifying and, but for his grid penalty for getting a new engine, would have been on pole. As it turned out, the sanction was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. He was quietly confident he would be back and such was his accuracy and composure at this point in his career, few doubted he would at least get on the podium. Such small beer was not on the agenda. When the lights went down, he delivered a masterclass with an authenticity that was extraordinary. His passing was exemplary, albeit in a car that was demonstrably faster than the midfield he was dispatching. He was up to 10th by the end of the first lap, then eighth a lap later, his victims weak as he overshot the Kemmel Straight. Two more fell on the restart after a safety car and on lap eight he passed George Russell’s Mercedes for third. Sainz pitted and Pérez passed shortly after. The Dutchman had completed just 12 laps to secure the lead with reckless, disarming ease. He was untouchable, as he admitted. Lewis Hamilton (right) collides with Alpine’s Fernando Alonso in the first lap. Photo: John Thys/AFP/Getty Images “If you look at the whole race weekend, then yes, it was the most dominant of my entire career,” he said. “The car was incredible, I don’t think we expected it, but it was nice. I was passing a car every lap and I knew there was a good chance of winning the race.” From there he was unstoppable, setting the fastest lap and opening up a gap of nearly 20 seconds while barely breaking a sweat, which made what was quite an achievement seem less impressive. Perhaps overwhelming then for the fans (minus the large sections of the orange army who once again bounced around with gleeful abandon at every lap), however its significance will not be lost on the rest of the grid. This was Red Bull displaying an advantage perhaps not seen since Mercedes enjoyed in the early years of the turbo-hybrid era. Their pace was simply unmatched. “He was on another planet this weekend,” Sainz said aptly. He would know he had fought as hard as he could from his Ferrari, which, it should be noted, also had a brand new engine this weekend, but his fastest lap was 2.6 seconds slower than Verstappen’s car. Sainz was eyeing Ferrari’s fast-degrading Pluto to the massive, dominating mass of Red Bull’s Jupiter. Quick guide
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Thanks for your response. Verstappen now has nine wins this season with eight races remaining. With Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc just sixth from 15th, the defending champion now leads Pérez by 93 points and Leclerc by 98. Moments after the flag dropped in Belgium, the debate began as to when, and not if, he will secure his second title. For Mercedes who have enjoyed similar dominance in the past, Spa could not be a bigger contrast. As Red Bull signaled a swift attack, the momentum of a Mercedes counter-attack simply ebbed. On a high after last-round success in Hungary, they were woefully off the pace here all weekend, which was exacerbated when Hamilton collided with Fernando Alonso, who finished fifth, on the first lap. Hamilton’s car was damaged and he was forced to retire. The seven-time champion held his hands up over the incident, but it was indicative of a driver trying to make the most of every little chance he gets because his machinery is not up to scratch. Russell’s team-mate finished fourth but was as far off the pace of the leaders as Mercedes have been all season. There’s no sense that the frustration and disappointment will ease any time soon. With Mercedes having set the standard for so long, Red Bull and Verstappen have taken it over for good this season. Spa was a display of their ominous control, enjoying Verstappen’s poetry in motion. Esteban Ocon was seventh for Alpine, Sebastian Vettel eighth for Aston Martin, Pierre Gasly ninth for AlphaTauri and Alex Albon 10th for Williams.
