Formula 1 at Spa 2022: Max Verstappen drives through the field to finish first at Belgian Grand Prix

Starting deep in the field at Spa was no problem for Max Verstappen, who put on a master class

The talk ahead of the start of Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix was who would finish behind Max Verstappen, even though the Dutch driver was starting from the 15th spot on the grid.

Turns out everyone knew what they were talking about.

Verstappen looked like he was using a real-life cheat code at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamp, and once he was in the lead by Lap 18, every car behind him was just racing to see who the first loser was going to be.

"This whole weekend has been incredible, a weekend I couldn't imagine before," Verstappen said. "But we want more, and we will keep working hard."

In the end it was Verstappen's teammate, Sergio Perez, who successfully fought for second, followed by the pole-sitter, Carlos Sainz Jr., in third, George Russell's Mercedes in fourth and Sainz's Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc, in fifth, but bumped to sixth after a penalty, gifting the spot to Fernando Alonso.

"The pace was just not there," Sainz said. "In the end we finished on the podium, but we just didn't have it today. ... Max and Red Bull were in a class of their own today."

It figured straightaway that the start of the Belgian Grand Prix would be a bit tense, particularly as eight cars — including Verstappen and Leclerc — that had qualified well were relegated to the back of the field for engine changes.

"It was quite hectic first lap," Verstappen said.

Yet instead of the back of the field being an issue it was the front of the field, as it all went bad very quickly for Lewis Hamilton, who said he "didn't see" Fernando Alonso, who "was in my blind spot" when he drove down and over the Spaniard. That coming together ended with Hamilton's day being over, while Alonso soldiered on for a top-10 finish.

From there it was already looking like it would be just a short matter of time before Verstappen would make his way to the front, and that when he did the race would essentially be over.

"Max was just flying," Perez said. "He was from another planet. Untouchable."

Unofficial finishing order

1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
2. Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing
3. Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari
4. George Russell, Mercedes
5. Fernando Alonso, Alpine
   
6. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
7. Esteban Ocon, Alpine
8. Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin
9. Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
10. Alex Albon, Williams
11. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
12. Lando Norris, McLaren
13. Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri
14. Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo
15. Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
16. Kevin Magnussen, Haas
17. Mick Schumacher, Haas
18. Nicholas Latifi, Williams
19. Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
20. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

What we learned

Were Red Bull Racing trying to make a statement? More than likely they heard a lot of the chatter during the summer break from the other teams and the improvements they were bringing to Spa. While some teams, such as Williams, certainly looked faster, Red Bull have clearly moved the target once again.

Yes, a good bit of Max Verstappen's dominance was on thjat fresh engine, but Charles Leclerc's Ferrari also had a new powerplant.

Ferrari, in particular, looked to have lost speed in the straights (could they have guessed THAT badly on downforce?), while the Mercedes suffered their worst qualifying performance in some 10 years. 

Regardless, all those missteps -- combined with whatever Red Bull learned from Hungary to Spa -- has made the gap between the frontrunners look even bigger now.

One thing is certain. If Ferrari or Mercedes are going to climb back into the battle for the title with Red Bull Racing, they have got to figure things out and fast. Because Red Bull have proven they are not content with standing still.

And for that to happen, at least at Ferrari, there has to be a lot less second-guessing going on. Listening in on the driver radios is telling. While most teams, such as Red Bull, are just asking their drivers for how the tires are holding out, Ferrari is pitching — or more like negotiating — strategies to their drivers while said drivers are trying to chase down Verstappen or defending their position. As if Leclerc and Sainz didn't have enough to think about.

Even when they seemingly get a call right it all goes wrong. Just before the last lap, Ferrari called Leclerc into the pits to put fresh tires on him and give him a chance to set fastest lap of the race. Except they timed it wrong and instead of coming out ahead of Alonso, who was running behind Leclerc when they pitted, they came out with Alonso right on top of them. A battle for fifth place quickly ensued.

Leclerc eventually got past the Spaniard and into fifth place again, only to find out at the race's finish that he had sped down pit lane and received a penalty. That hard-earned fifth now became sixth, leaving more points on the table again in the chase for the driver's title and Constructor's Cup.