Race recap: Charles third, Carlos retired

Cloudy skies but a dry track for the start of the Belgian Grand Prix. Air temperature is 18 degrees, with the track at 28. Charles Leclerc is on pole, with Carlos Sainz fourth on the grid. 

Start. Charles maintains the lead, but on the Kemmel straight, Sergio Perez manages to get alongside him and move ahead. Carlos and Oscar Piastri collide at the first corner, and the Ferrari is damaged, but the Spaniard continues in fifth place. 

Lap 4. Fernando Alonso profits from Carlos’ difficulties, relegating him to sixth.

Lap 5. Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon also pass Sainz.

Lap 6. Now George Russell gets ahead of Carlos who drops to tenth.

Lap 8. Sainz pits for Medium tyres and tries to adjust the balance of the car. He rejoins 18^th. 

Lap 9. Max Verstappen closes on Charles and gets past, so the Monegasque is third.

Lap 13. Charles pits to cover Lewis Hamilton’s earlier stop. He takes on Mediums and rejoins still in third.

Lap 22. Carlos Sainz retires, as his car is too badly damaged to make it worth continuing.

Lap 28. Hamilton makes a second stop and Charles covers him on the next lap. The pit stop is carried out perfectly and he comes out ahead of his rival to keep third place.

Finish. There are no more changes at the front. Verstappen wins ahead of Perez and Leclerc. It’s his and the team’s third podium of the season.