Max Verstappen

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Max Verstappen Wins 2022 Belgian F1 Grand Prix; Lewis Hamilton Crashes out on Lap 1

Aug 28, 2022
SPA, BELGIUM - AUGUST 28: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on August 28, 2022 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
SPA, BELGIUM - AUGUST 28: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on August 28, 2022 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

Michael Schumacher's single-season wins record is officially in jeopardy.

Max Verstappen continued his dominant 2022 Formula One campaign Sunday, breezing to a victory in the Belgian Grand Prix for his ninth win of the season.

The 24-year-old is only four wins behind Schumacher's record set in the 2004 campaign, a mark that many thought would never be broken. Verstappen has eight races remaining in the 2022 campaign, which gives him a little bit of an advantage over Schumacher, who won his 13 races in 17 tries.

Verstappen would have to win every race for the remainder of the 2022 season to eclipse Schumacher's all-time winning percentage mark.

Regardless of where he lands on the all-time list once the season is over, we're looking at a mortal lock for a repeat champion and one of the best stretches in racing history. Verstappen has won three straight races on two different occasions this season; he's the first driver since Kimi Räikkönen to win two straight in Belgium.

Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz Jr., George Russell and Charles Leclerc originally rounded out the top five Sunday. However, Leclerc was given a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane in an effort to earn the fastest lap of the race. The penalty pushed Fernando Alonso into fifth place. Meanwhile, Perez has now overtaken Leclerc for second in the points standings.

Leclerc is the only driver in F1 with multiple wins this season, but Ferrari has not been able to consistently give him top-flight cars. He has as many retirements as wins (three) and has finished off the podium in eight of his last nine races.

Perez has only one win this season but has finished second on six different occasions. This was his first podium since Great Britain after a shaky few weeks of action.

After five straight podium finishes, Lewis Hamilton's 2022 season turned back into a nightmare as he lasted only one lap before bowing out. Hamilton is currently on pace for the worst season of his F1 career. He's gone a career-worst 15 straight races without a win dating back to last season and sits a distant sixth in the points standings.

The seven-time F1 champion has never finished worse than fifth in points and was top-two each of the previous eight seasons. Sunday was only Hamilton's third retirement in the past six seasons.

After losing his chance at an eighth championship at the final race of 2021, it appears the torch in F1 has officially been passed over from Hamilton to Verstappen.

Max Verstappen Tops Lewis Hamilton to Win 2022 Hungarian F1 Grand Prix

Jul 31, 2022
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - JULY 31: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 leads Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 during the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on July 31, 2022 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - JULY 31: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 leads Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 during the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on July 31, 2022 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

The Hungarian Grand Prix featured several lead changes, but it was Max Verstappen who came out on top in Sunday's Formula One race.

It's the eighth win of the year for Verstappen, who started in 10th place at the Hungaroring track. On the final laps, he narrowly held off Lewis Hamilton, who charged into second amid some late rain.

George Russell finished third after winning the pole in qualifying, while Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc fell out of podium contention.

Verstappen expanded his lead in the Formula One season standings after his second straight win.

Results

1. Max Verstappen

2. Lewis Hamilton

3. George Russell

4. Carlos Sainz

5. Sergio Perez

Full results at Formula1.com.

Fans have become used to seeing Verstappen in front of the pack, but this performance was certainly more surprising than others.

The Red Bull driver had a disappointing performance in a wet qualifying Saturday to start 10th.

After moving toward the front, a spin seemed like it could derail his chances.

The talent of the reigning champion was still on display as Verstappen recovered well from the spin, eventually pulling into first place.

Despite some late rain, the Dutchman remained ahead to win yet another grand prix and continue his dominance of the 2022 Formula One season.

Hamilton, who began in seventh place, also showed his driving ability to climb up to the front for another podium finish.

Once again, a major story from Sunday was the decision-making of Ferrari. The team has seemingly cost its drivers wins during multiple races this year, and it might have been the case in Hungary.

Leclerc led during the race but took three pit stops that slowed him down on the way to a sixth-place finish. Sainz was also in position to win before falling down the standings.

Ferrari received a lot of criticism:

https://twitter.com/LalitaChemello/status/1553754009055420418

"Tough one, really tough one," Sainz said on the radio at the end of the race.

The drivers will try to regroup during the summer break before returning to action in Belgium on Aug. 28. Verstappen will head into the 14th race (out of 23) with an 80-point lead in the driver standings.

Carlos Sainz Wins 2022 F1 British GP; Points Leader Max Verstappen Finishes 7th

Jul 3, 2022
Ferrari's Spanish driver Carlos Sainz Jr (R) leads Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen during the Formula One British Grand Prix at the Silverstone motor racing circuit in Silverstone, central England on July 3, 2022. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Ferrari's Spanish driver Carlos Sainz Jr (R) leads Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen during the Formula One British Grand Prix at the Silverstone motor racing circuit in Silverstone, central England on July 3, 2022. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Carlos Sainz earned the first Formula One win of his career with an impressive showing at the British Grand Prix.

The Spanish driver won the pole in qualifying, also the first of his career, and survived a thrilling battle Sunday at the Silverstone Circuit in England to secure a first-place finish. The rest of the podium remained competitive as Sergio Perez grabbed second place late over Lewis Hamilton.

Max Verstappen still leads the driver standings with six wins in 10 races, although he wasn't able to continue his dominance while finishing in seventh.

British Grand Prix Standings

1. Carlos Sainz

2. Sergio Perez

3. Lewis Hamilton

4. Charles Leclerc

5. Fernando Alonso

Full results at Formula1.com.

There were several lead changes throughout the race, although the biggest moment came after a restart in the 43rd lap.

Carlos Sainz blew past teammate Charles Leclerc and pulled away from the competition:

It created a major battle for second between Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez, but Sainz was all by himself on the way to the historic win.

Though Sainz had let Leclerc pass him earlier in the day, his performance down the stretch led to a well-earned victory.

Perez then showcased his driving ability to grab second, while Hamilton ended on the podium after a memorable day in England.

The race began with a scary moment on the first turn of the first lap as Zhou Guanyu, Alexander Albon and George Russell were involved in a dangerous crash.

Despite Zhou remaining in his car for several minutes, he eventually left on a stretcher before Alfa Romeo announced he was conscious and undergoing a medical evaluation.

The Chinese driver later posted on social media that he was okay.

Zhou, Albon and Russell were all forced to retire from the race, however, with the last being a significant factor:

Russell had left his car in order to check on Zhou, but he was unable to return to the race after receiving assistance to get the car back to the pit.

The drama continued after a restart, featuring a wild stretch from Max Verstappen. The 2022 points leader briefly took the lead after a mistake by Carlos Sainz, but car trouble caused him to drop:

Verstappen fell from first to sixth after a quick pit stop to change tires, but further damage to the car pushed him even further off the pace. The Dutch driver finished in seventh after barely holding off Mick Schumacher.

At the front of the race, the big story was pit strategy between Sainz, Leclerc and Hamilton.

The two Ferrari drivers came in relatively early for new tires, allowing Hamilton to jump out to a lead for the first time all season. When Hamilton finally pitted on Lap 34, he dropped to third place, but he was still within striking distance of his competition.

Leclerc passed teammate Sainz and did enough to stay in front of Hamilton following the pit stop, which seemingly set him up for a win.

The big shift still came on Lap 40 when Esteban Ocon was forced to stop on the track. The safety car allowed most drivers to pit for soft tires, although Leclerc stayed out on hard tires.

This might have been the difference as Leclerc fell off the lead and eventually into fourth place. Sainz took advantage to come through with a surprising win.

The Formula One season continues with the Austrian Grand Prix next Sunday.

Canadian F1 Grand Prix 2022 Results: Max Verstappen Earns Win Ahead of Carlos Sainz

Jun 19, 2022
MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JUNE 19: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 leads Fernando Alonso of Spain driving the (14) Alpine F1 A522 Renault during the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 19, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Lars Baron - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JUNE 19: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 leads Fernando Alonso of Spain driving the (14) Alpine F1 A522 Renault during the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 19, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Lars Baron - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Carlos Sainz made things interesting, but Max Verstappen was not to be denied.

For the sixth time this season, Verstappen took the checkered flag, winning the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday.

He had to hold off a stiff challenge from Sainz, who pushed him but couldn't overtake him before finishing second. And Lewis Hamilton finished third, reaching the podium for the second time this season.

The race came down to Verstappen and Sainz battling it out in the final 15 laps.

"It was really exciting at the end," Verstappen said in his post-race interview on ESPN. "I was giving it everything I had. Of course, Carlos was doing the same. Following is tricky around here, but I could see he was pushing, charging, pushing, charging. ... The last few laps were a lot of fun."

Sainz came very close to overtaking Verstappen on several occasions but couldn't quite pull past him.

"I tried everything to pass Max today," he said after the race. "But today we just didn't have enough pace delta to get close enough in the hairpin. ... But the positive thing is that we were quicker, we were faster in this race, just needed that little bit more to overtake him here."

While it was ultimately a frustrating result for Sainz, who's still seeking his first career F1 victory, it was a better afternoon for Hamilton, who reached the podium for the first time since Bahrain.

George Russell and Charles LeClerc rounded out the top five.

The safety car was required in the 50th lap, as Yuki Tsunoda went straight into the barrier. That made things interesting, though Verstappen staved off the drama, navigating an older pair of tires than Sainz had to secure the win.

He now holds a 46-point lead over Sergio Perez in the drivers' championship, while Red Bull is 76 points clear of Ferrari.

Up next is the British Grand Prix on July 3 at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN.

Lewis Hamilton Discusses Back Injury; Mercedes Star's Status for Canadian GP TBD

Jun 12, 2022
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - JUNE 12: Fourth placed Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes climbs from his car after complaining of pain during the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on June 12, 2022 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Bryn Lennon - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - JUNE 12: Fourth placed Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes climbs from his car after complaining of pain during the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on June 12, 2022 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Bryn Lennon - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Lewis Hamilton could miss time after dealing with a back injury in Sunday's Azerbaijan GP.

The seven-time Formula One champion finished fourth in the latest race, but it didn't come easy.

"I was just holding and biting down on my teeth due to the pain, and the adrenaline [helped], I cannot express the pain that you experience, particularly on the straight here," Hamilton told Sky Sports after the race (h/t Haydn Cobb of Motorsport).

"At the end you are just praying for it to end," he added.

The superstar was in clear pain getting out of his car:

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said after the race the injury could "definitely" cause Hamilton to miss next week's event in Canada (h/t Jonathan Noble of Motorsport).

"He's really bad," Wolff said of Hamilton. "We have just got to find a solution. At this stage I think he is maybe the worst affected from all drivers. But pretty much everyone, as far as I understood from the drivers, said that something needs to happen."

The bouncing was an issue for several drivers, with a helmet cam from Charles Leclerc showing the extent of the problem.

Mercedes drivers Hamilton and George Russell took the brunt of it, with Hamilton suggesting the team lost over a second per lap because of the bouncing. Max Verstappen cruised to the easy win in Azerbaijan ahead of Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez in second.

Hamilton is now in sixth place after the latest race, 88 points behind Verstappen for first.

Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix 2022 Results: Max Verstappen Wins Race; Charles Leclerc DNF

Jun 12, 2022
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - JUNE 12: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 leads Carlos Sainz of Spain driving (55) the Ferrari F1-75 during the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on June 12, 2022 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - JUNE 12: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 leads Carlos Sainz of Spain driving (55) the Ferrari F1-75 during the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on June 12, 2022 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

After a long, exhausting dry spell of exactly one race, Max Verstappen is back to his winning ways.

Verstappen earned his fifth win of the 2022 Formula One season at Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, further extending his lead in the points standings as he blazes a path toward a second straight championship.

Sergio Perez now sits in second place behind Verstappen in the standings after a second-place finish at the Baku City Circuit. George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top five finishers.

Charles Leclerc, who entered the race just nine points behind Verstappen, did not finish for the second time in three races and has fallen to third in the standings.

Leclerc started the race on the pole and was in the lead when his power unit went out on Lap 21. Both Ferrari cars suffered power issues in Sunday's race, with Carlos Sainz not even making it 10 laps into the race when his car failed.

Ferrari will have to take a long, hard look at its cars after suffering mechanical issues in Spain and Azerbaijan. Those failures have caused Leclerc to go from points leader to 34 points behind the red-hot Verstappen.

Hamilton, the sport's most famous driver, remains in a frustrating spot as he stands winless eight races into the 2022 season. The seven-time champion has done no better than third in a race this season; Sunday's result was his second-best performance of the year and came despite his car porpoising throughout the race.

Mercedes has struggled all season to field cars worthy of Hamilton's status. This is the longest he's gone without a victory in a season since 2013—his first win in that campaign came in the 10th race of the year. He's on pace to finish outside the top five in points for the first time ever.

Monaco F1 Grand Prix 2022 Results: Sergio Perez Wins Race after Rain Delay

May 29, 2022
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - MAY 29: Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 leads Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 during the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 29, 2022 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - MAY 29: Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 leads Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 during the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 29, 2022 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Sergio Perez earned his first win of the 2022 Formula One season in a weather-shortened Monaco Grand Prix.

Sunday's race was delayed by rain, allowing the drivers to finish just 64 of the 77 scheduled laps before the two-hour time limit expired. Perez took advantage of mistakes by the Ferrari team during its pit stops and stayed in front, securing a win for Red Bull Racing. 

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz finished just behind the leader for second place, while teammate and pole winner Charles Leclerc ended up fourth. Max Verstappen finished in third place to break his streak of three straight wins.

Final Leaderboard

1. Sergio Perez

2. Carlos Sainz

3. Max Verstappen

4. Charles Leclerc

5. George Russell

Full results via Formula1.com.

Ferrari was in excellent position heading into the race with Leclerc and Sainz starting on the front row after qualifying.

After looking good on the wet track early, some miscommunication led to drama on the 22nd lap:

Leclerc dropped from first position to fourth, allowing Perez to move into the lead.

There were a few stoppages along the way after that, including a crash by Mick Schumacher. 

Schumacher and Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen both failed to finish in Monaco.

All eyes were still on the top four with Perez, Sainz, Verstappen and Leclerc running in close proximity to one another as the clock ticked down.

Despite some late challenges, especially from Sainz, no one was able to pass the leader and Perez closed out the victory.

Verstappen remained in first place in the driver standings after his podium finish, but Perez helped trim the margin to Leclerc while sitting in third. Lando Norris also added an extra point after finishing with the fastest lap of the race.

The F1 season will continue with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on June 12.

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