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Within the first twelve laps of the 2022 F1 Belgian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen took the lead despite starting the race back in P14 after taking on an engine penalty.
The Dutchman returned to the track after a long summer break in even better form than he had in the first half of the season to secure his ninth win of the year and further extend his comfortable lead in the drivers' standings from Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver started the race behind Verstappen but was only able to make it up to sixth, with the Scuderia simply unable to match the pace of Red Bull this weekend. The team decided to pit the Monegasque for fresh tires to try for the fastest lap for an extra championship point and a P5 finish. For crossing the pitlane speed limit, however, he was given a five-second penalty, dropping him to a disappointing P6.
Carlos Sainz had a phenomenal start to the race from pole position but simply did not have the pace to fight Sergio Perez or Max Verstappen, who gave Red Bull yet another double podium.
Mercedes were set to return for the second half of the season with an absolute bang, chasing their first race win of the year, only for it to turn into an absolute nightmare for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton at the start of the race. After making contact with Fernando Alonso on the very first lap, he was forced to retire from the race. The Spaniard was certainly not happy with the collision and was heard giving quite a heated comment on his team radio. He said:
“What an idiot closing the door from the outside. I mean, we had a mega start but this guy only knows how to drive and start in first.”
Valtteri Bottas, too, was forced to retire from the race on his birthday this afternoon after colliding with the Williams of Nicholas Latifi.
Here are some of the best Twitter fan reactions to the 2022 F1 Belgian Grand Prix
F1 extends contract to keep Belgian GP on the calendar for 2023 season
F1 announced earlier today that the Belgian GP will remain on the calendar for the 2023 season, despite rumors of the iconic circuit being removed next year.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 about the announcement, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said:
“We have to congratulate the job [the race organisers] did. You’ve seen the investment they did. You see the number of people that are coming here… Incredible crowd, incredible attention to the people, and this is great. Great I think for the sport. We always said that the race is a part of our tradition, and it has a very important space in our calendar, and this is a fact that we wanted to share in this moment.”
Several drivers, including Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, have previously spoken about their desire to see the iconic circuit on the calendar in the upcoming seasons. Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who drove his final Belgian Grand Prix today before retiring at the end of the season, also emphasized that it "would be a shame" to lose Spa from the F1 calendar.
