Lewis Hamilton gets one over F1 rival Max Verstappen at Belgian Grand Prix

30 July 2023 , 15:10

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Lewis Hamilton took an extra point for Mercedes with the fastest lap at Spa (Image: Getty Images)

Lewis Hamilton snatched a point away from Max Verstappen with a brave decision at the end of the Belgian Grand Prix.

The Spa-Francorchamps race was dominated by Red Bull. Verstappen took his eighth consecutive Formula 1 victory while team-mate Sergio Perez came home comfortably in second place.

Hamilton missed out on the podium, with Charles Leclerc taking that last spot in the top three. And Mercedes realised that was going to happen with a couple of laps left to go in the race.

So they opted to bring in the seven-time world champion for a fresh set of medium tyres. He had enough space behind him not to lose fourth place, provided the pit stop went off without a hitch.

And there were no problems at all. Hamilton was back out on track in good time to not lose any places, and made the most of the gamble to secure an extra point by taking the fastest lap away from Verstappen.

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The Dutchman is so competitive that he would have been slightly annoyed inside to have lost out on that point. But was clearly not too bothered by it as he beamed throughout his post-race interview.

"It's a new spot [to win from] P6! I knew we had a good car, it was just about surviving Turn 1, it all got very tight and I just stayed out of that. This track is super hard on the tyres, so you don't want to do unnecessary things.

Verstappen won the race comfortably with Perez in second for Red Bull (Getty Images)

"It was tricky with the laps that it was raining – I had a little sideways moment, definitely not a corner you want it to happen on!" That latter part was referring to a small moment he had in the fearsome Eau Rouge corner where, just for a moment, the rear end of his Red Bull stepped out of line.

But he quickly regained control and was a little more careful for the next few laps as light drizzle collected on the track. But the rain clouds soon parted and the threat of heavy downpours dissipated, leaving the Dutchman to romp to another convincing victory.

It meant Red Bull's record of winning every race so far this season continued, meaning team principal Christian Horner was again thrilled after the Grand Prix. "It's been the most amazing first half of the season. To go unbeaten into the summer break is mind-blowing. We just need to keep this level going," he said.

Daniel Moxon