Max Verstappen won the sprint and the Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps after Charles Leclerc's pole, in a weekend shaped by rain, red flags and a farewell for two Alpine leaders.
Max Verstappen won the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix on 30 July 2023 at Spa-Francorchamps, after taking the sprint the day before. Charles Leclerc had started from pole, but Sergio Perez finished second, 22 seconds behind the winner. Verstappen had also started the sprint from pole, so the weekend ended as a clean sweep for him.
The 2023 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 30 July 2023 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot, the twelfth round of the season and the third weekend to use the sprint format. Max Verstappen took both the sprint and the main race, finishing 22 seconds clear of Sergio Perez in the Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc had taken pole for the race, but he could not keep Verstappen behind him for long.
Why was the Spa weekend unusual for the calendar?
The date for the Belgian race had been announced in September 2022 and immediately caused controversy, because it clashed with the Spa 24 Hours, a long-distance race for GT cars that was already scheduled for the same weekend. The endurance event was forced to move to the 29 June to 2 July weekend, leaving Formula One to take the 28 to 30 July slot.
The race was the 79th running of the Belgian Grand Prix and the third of six sprint weekends that season. It also marked the farewell of Alpine's team principal, Otmar Szafnauer, and sporting director Alan Permane, who were both leaving after the weekend.
Rain, a red flag and a five-place penalty could not stop Verstappen's sprint and race double at Spa.
What did the championship look like before Spa?
Verstappen led the drivers' championship by 110 points from his team-mate Perez, with Fernando Alonso third, a further 32 points behind. Red Bull were top of the constructors' table, 229 points ahead of Mercedes, and Aston Martin were a further 39 points back in third.
The grid also had a change. Daniel Ricciardo had replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri from the Hungarian Grand Prix, but he broke a metacarpal bone during the second practice session for the Dutch Grand Prix. Liam Lawson took over for the next five races, so Spa was the last Grand Prix for Ricciardo until the United States round. Pirelli brought its hard, medium and soft compounds.
How did the single practice session go?
The only practice session took place on 28 July at 13:30 local time, under heavy rain. It was briefly red-flagged after Logan Sargeant lost control and crashed into the barriers. Carlos Sainz Jr. was quickest at the close, with Piastri and Norris of McLaren behind him. Stroll, Gasly, Ocon and Verstappen never set a time.
How did qualifying settle the grid?
Qualifying was due to start at 17:00 local time but was delayed by ten minutes by rain. In the first segment Norris damaged his floor after he corrected a small loss of control and ran through the gravel. Piastri set the fastest time for a moment before Verstappen went to the top of the timing sheets, and Albon, Zhou, Sargeant, Ricciardo and Hulkenberg were eliminated.
In the second segment Ocon ripped the right side of his front wing and joined Tsunoda, Gasly, Bottas and Kevin Magnussen on the sidelines. Magnussen was later given a three-place grid penalty for impeding Leclerc. DRS was available to everyone in the final segment, and Verstappen was fastest, but he carried a five-place grid penalty for a new gearbox driveline, which handed pole to Leclerc.
| Grid | Driver | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari, second pole of the season |
| Second | Sergio Perez | Red Bull, second in qualifying |
| Third | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes, third in qualifying |
| Sixth | Max Verstappen | Fastest in qualifying, then five places dropped for a new gearbox driveline |
| Twentieth | Nico Hulkenberg | Started from the pit lane after unapproved parc ferme changes |
Hulkenberg qualified 20th, but the new elements on his car had been changed without the approval of the technical delegate during parc ferme, so he was required to start from the pit lane.
What happened in the sprint shootout?
The sprint shootout was held on 29 July and was delayed by 35 minutes by rain. All cars began on intermediate tyres in the first segment. Alonso was second fastest by the end of it, while Norris was only 13th and Tsunoda, Bottas, Magnussen, Zhou and Hulkenberg were knocked out.
In the second segment Stroll crashed on medium tyres after switching to them on a wet track, and the session was red-flagged. Alonso was caught out by the stoppage and failed to progress, which was his first elimination from that stage of qualifying in 2023. Confusion followed because the FIA had not declared the track wet, which had prompted Stroll's tyre switch.
The third segment saw everyone on soft tyres as the track dried. Verstappen improved on second behind Hamilton to take pole for the sprint, with Piastri 0.011 seconds back in second and Perez eighth.
How did the sprint race play out?
The sprint started on full wet tyres after four formation laps, and the race was shortened from 15 laps to 11 after an aborted start. Piastri, Sainz, Gasly, Hamilton, Perez, Ricciardo, Albon, Stroll, Bottas and Hulkenberg all switched to intermediates. Verstappen led until the second lap, when the rest of the field followed him onto intermediates.
On lap three Alonso lost control on the kerb at turn 12 and spun into the gravel, bringing his first retirement of the season and a safety car. Once the safety car pulled in at the end of lap five, Verstappen passed Piastri down the Kemmel Straight and stretched his lead to six seconds at the line. Hamilton and Perez banged wheels through turn 17, and Perez's sidepod was damaged. He later ran into the gravel and retired.
Verstappen finished ahead of Piastri and Gasly. For Gasly it was his first top-three finish since the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while it was Piastri's first top three in Formula One. Hamilton crossed the line fourth but was penalised five seconds for the collision with Perez and dropped to seventh.
How did the Grand Prix begin?
The race started at 15:00 local time. Leclerc held the lead into the first corner, but Sainz locked up and collided with Piastri, who had been trying to pass on the inside. Piastri's suspension was damaged and he retired on the first lap. Sainz's sidepod was also damaged, but he was told to adjust his aero balance and hold fifth. The stewards did not investigate, and the drivers blamed each other.
Perez went around Leclerc on the Kemmel Straight and soon had a lead of over a second. Verstappen, who had started sixth after his gearbox penalty, overtook Hamilton on lap six and went past Leclerc into turn seven on lap nine to take second. Sainz, still carrying damage, dropped behind Alonso, Tsunoda, Albon and Sargeant.
How did the strategies decide the race?
Perez and Leclerc pitted on lap 14, and Perez lost a little time to a malfunctioning wheel gun. Verstappen's quicker stop on the next lap cut Perez's lead to 1.5 seconds. On lap 17 Verstappen passed Perez on the Kemmel Straight to take the lead for good.
A brief shower arrived on lap 20, but no driver switched to intermediates, although Stroll moved from medium to soft tyres. Sainz pitted to retire at the halfway mark of 22 laps because of the earlier damage. By lap 31 every driver except Russell, Gasly and Stroll had made two stops. Ocon then passed Tsunoda for ninth and Stroll for eighth.
Hamilton made a third stop in the closing laps, changing to fresh mediums to try to take the fastest lap point from Verstappen on the final lap. He succeeded, and the point was his reward for a late gamble on the tyres.
How did the race finish?
Verstappen took the chequered flag 22 seconds ahead of Perez, with Leclerc third, Hamilton fourth, Alonso fifth, Russell sixth, Norris seventh, Ocon eighth and Stroll ninth. After a quick stop Norris had been as low as 17th before recovering ten places to finish seventh. Tsunoda took the last points position, giving AlphaTauri their first points since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
What was the result for the title race and the teams?
Verstappen's sprint and Grand Prix double tightened his grip on the drivers' title, while Red Bull's weekend strengthened their lead in the constructors' table. Perez finished second, 22 seconds down on the winner.
Off track, the weekend marked the end of Szafnauer's and Permane's time with Alpine, as both left the team after the race.
