Max Verstappen has no rival on the grid and is getting closer to becoming Formula 1 World Champion for the second consecutive season. Last weekend he took almost 18 seconds ahead of second-placed Sergio 'Checo' Pérez to climb to the top of the podium at the Belgian Grand Prix. He is the Mexican the closest pursuer of him also in the general, but they are almost 100 points that separate him from the Dutch. The next appointment is precisely at Verstappen's house, at the Dutch Grand Prix.
After the first two free practice sessions on Friday, this Saturday, September 3, the third and last will take place. It will start at 12.00 (Spanish time). After it will come the highlight of the day on Saturday, the classification, where the distribution of the drivers on the starting grid will be decided on Sunday. The qualifying sessions will start at 3:00 p.m. They can be seen live on DAZN and can be followed on the La Vanguardia website.
Verstappen was the protagonist and the absolute dominator, from start to finish, of the Belgian Grand Prix. He didn't mind having to start from the bottom of the grid, forced by the changes he had to make to his car's engine. With eight races remaining in the championship, he sealed his ninth victory of the season to the astonishment of Carlos Sainz, who started first and finished third. "I thought we would have a chance to defend ourselves. We started well, but we had no rhythm. Our tires were overheating. The Red Bulls played in another league and we had to survive because we were not competitive," said Sainz at the end of the race.
Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, started in third position and finished in fifth. His start was perfect, overtaking 'Checo' Pérez and placing second, but Lewis Hamilton cut off his wings in a controversial action at the fifth corner. "What an idiot closing the door from the outside. We had done a mega start but this guy only knows how to drive when he starts first," Alonso told his team over the radio. The accident between the two had no consequences for the Asturian, beyond the interruption of his great start, but it did for the Briton, who had to leave with his Mercedes smoking.
At the appointment this weekend, Alonso still arrives in ninth position. Sainz, for his part, took the opportunity to close the gap on Charles Leclerc in his attempt to approach the podium in the general classification. The Monegasque gifted Alonso fifth place by stopping in the pits to change tires, with the aim of snatching the fastest lap point from Verstappen. He did not succeed, he gave up his position and, in addition, he was penalized for exceeding the speed limit in the pit lane. In the Netherlands, the fight to get closer to Sainz's top three will continue. The champion last year at the Zandvoort circuit was, who else, Verstappen.
