Verstappen and Red Bull are miles ahead in the standings after Belgium
The Belgian Grand Prix once again confirmed Max Verstappen's dominance in the 2022 championship. His lead is such that his second world title is now only a matter of time, as is Red Bull's.
A #33 en route to the title, Ferrari capitulates.
Even starting from 14th place, Max Verstappen did not encounter any major difficulties in winning, while Ferrari once again had a stroke of bad luck.
And even worse for the Scuderia, Charles Leclerc has lost his second place in the drivers’ championship to Sergio Pérez. If things stay like this, Red Bull would achieve a first in its history: acquiring the top two positions among the drivers.
Max Verstappen, on the other hand, has acquired a colossal lead over the rest of the field with his 284 points: he is 93 points ahead of his new runner-up, Pérez, and 98 points ahead of Leclerc. His second title seems to be only a matter of Grand Prix, and he could be crowned champion as early as the Japanese Grand Prix… if, and only if, he doesn’t further extend his already incredible lead by then.
Among the constructors, the observation is just as merciless: Ferrari is trailing by 118 points, far away from Red Bull’s 457 units.
Mercedes remains in ambush (316 points), trailing Ferrari by 41 points. The German team maintains a strong position among the drivers: George Russell dominates Lewis Hamilton, respectively in 5th and 6th places (170 and 146 points). But the younger of the two is only one point behind Carlos Sainz… the Spaniard will have to be careful!
Alpine widens the gap over McLaren.
The French team is a pleasure to watch! Throughout the Grand Prix races, the A522 is improving, with Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso making good use of it.
Esteban Ocon, 7th at Spa, has been more spared by bad luck this year, allowing him to sit in 8th place in the championship (64 points), not far behind Lando Norris, who returned empty-handed from Spa Francorchamps. Fernando Alonso, with his 5th place, is 13 points behind his French teammate.
Lando Norris’s podium at Imola doesn’t save McLaren from a tough year. The Woking team isn’t far behind Alpine (95 points against 115), but the French team seems to have gained a decisive advantage in terms of performance.
There are now only 8 Grand Prix remaining for Alpine to make a gap on McLaren, which is in turmoil trying to find a replacement for Daniel Ricciardo.
