Terrific race grants Max P8 at Spa

Published on 23 August 2015 by Stefan Meens

After several terrific overtakes, Max Verstappen finished the Belgian Grand Prix in eighth position. In a race, that was won by Lewis Hamilton, the Dutchman kept his calm and progressed through the field. Until the very last lap, Max diced with Kimi Raikkonen for seventh place with the 17-year-old having to settle for P8 and four world championship points.

“It went well”, said Max to Verstappen.nl. “From P18 to P8 and almost seventh. The race pace was good, I was able to stay close to the Ferraris and Williams. Also, the team had a great strategy and the engine worked well so I think we can be very pleased with today's race.”

The 2015 Spa Grand Prix proved to be an exciting one. Prior to the start, Nico Hulkenburg's Force India stranded on the starting grid prompting another formation lap, in which Carlos Sainz notifies Toro Rosso that his car has “no power”. The Spaniard is called into the pits whilst the rest of the field, bar Hulkenberg, line up on the grid.

As the lights go out, Hamilton keeps the lead with Sergio Perez working his way up into second due to Nico Rosberg's slow start. Max manages to squeeze past both Manors, McLarens and Raikkonen in the first lap. “The start went well, even though the McLarens were off the line better. So we still have some work to do on that front.”

In the following laps, Max gradually work his way through the field. An overtake at Kemmel on Marcus Ericsson propels the youngster into the points. Max is now chasing down Felipe Massa in the Williams. Both drivers make their first pit stop at the same time and as the duo return to race track, the Brazilian manages to edge ahead of Felipe Nasr. Unfortunately for Max, he rejoins the race behind the Sauber but with an incredible overtake at Blanchimont he regains the spot behind Massa. “I thought, I'll just give it a try and in the end it worked”, said the Dutchman without a hint of fear. “There's enough run-off area there anyway.”

Meanwhile, Massa's team mate Valtteri Bottas rejoins the track with three softs and one hard tyre. The Williams pit crew's mistake costs the Finn a drive through, granting Max P10. He gains another position when Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull loses all power turning into the Bus Stop. A Virtual Safety Car is called whilst the marshals remove the Australian's car.

When the race resumes, Max is only 20 seconds shy of a podium position. However, he is unable to keep up with the drivers ahead of him and the team decides to call him in. The medium Pirellis are exchanged for the faster softer compound and Max is send out with the plan to attack the drivers ahead with the help of his fresher and faster tyres.

The first man up the road is Valtteri Bottas in ninth. Max decreases the gap by over 1,7 seconds a lap and overtakes the Finn a handful of laps before the finish. Sebastian Vettel, who until that point was holding on to third, has a massive scare with three laps to go. At the exit of Eau Rouge, his right rear tyre explodes, putting an end to Vettel's hopes for points. The incident means Max is now in P8.

In the final lap, Max has Raikkonen in sight and as the pair go through Eau Rouge, the STR10 slipstreams his way past the Ferrari on the run down the Kemmel straight. Unfortunately, Max is not able to hold on to seventh. He locks up into Les Combes and the Finn regains his position. “It almost worked. I passed him but I lost downforce because Massa was in front of us.”

The race therefore finishes with Max in eighth. Lewis Hamilton claimed a dominant win ahead of his team mate Nico Rosberg and Romain Grosjean for Team Lotus. Sergio Perez and Daniil Kvyat finished in an impressive fourth and fifth position.

Result Belgian Grand Prix:

 P Driver                 Team          Time 
 1 Lewis Hamilton     GBR Mercedes      1:23:40.387 
 2 Nico Rosberg       GER Mercedes      +2.058s 
 3 Romain Grosjean    FRA Lotus         +37.988s 
 4 Daniil Kvyat       RUS Red Bull      +45.692s 
 5 Sergio Perez       MEX Force India   +53.997s 
 6 Felipe Massa       BRA Williams      +55.283s 
 7 Kimi Raikkonen     FIN Ferrari       +55.703s 
 8 Max Verstappen     NED Toro Rosso    +56.076s 
 9 Valtteri Bottas    FIN Williams      +61.040s 
10 Marcus Ericsson    SWE Sauber        +91.234s 
11 Felipe Nasr        BRA Sauber        +102.311s 
12 Sebastian Vettel   GER Ferrari       DNF 
13 Fernando Alonso    ESP McLaren       +1 lap 
14 Jenson Button      GBR McLaren       +1 lap 
15 Roberto Merhi      ESP Marussia      +1 lap 
16 Will Stevens       GBR Marussia      +1 lap 
NC Carlos Sainz       ESP Toro Rosso    DNF 
NC Daniel Ricciardo   AUS Red Bull      DNF 
NC Pastor Maldonado   VEN Lotus         DNF 
NC Nico Hulkenberg    GER Force India   DNS