Max Verstappen wins F1 Belgian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen of Red Bull won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday, his third successive Belgian Grand Prix victory.

The 25-year-old Dutchman had to start from sixth place after a grid penalty, but he soon left the competition far behind. 

His Mexican teammate Sergio Pérez finished third, more than 20 seconds down, while Monaco's Charles Leclerc was over half a minute behind. Britain's Lewis Hamilton missed out on a podium finish but set the fastest lap, earning him an extra point. 

It was Verstappen's 45th Grand Prix win, his 10th of the season and his eighth in a row. Red Bull extended its record run to 13 consecutive victories. 

The next Grand Prix is in the Netherlands on 27 August. At Zandvoort, Verstappen will have the chance to equal German Sebastian Vettel's record of nine consecutive Grand Prix wins in front of his home crowd.

Verstappen also won the sprint race on Saturday. With a 125-point lead over Pérez, he is on course for a third consecutive world title.

^{© JOHN THYS / AFP}