MAX Verstappen was in imperious form as he came from sixth on the grid to win the Belgian Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver’s eighth consecutive victory in the final race before the summer break extended his championship lead to 125 points.

Verstappen led Sergio Perez home to a Red Bull one-two but was in another league from his team-mate.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took third ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.

“It’s a new spot, that’s for sure – [winning from] P6. I knew that we had a great car. It was just about surviving Turn One,” said Verstappen.

“From there onwards I made the the right overtakes. I just got a little bit stuck in the beginning in a DRS Zone and once that cleared I could just do my own thing – really enjoyable.”

Verstappen drove cautiously in the early laps as he picked his way up from his unusually low grid position, caused by a five-place grid penalty for using too many gearbox parts after he had qualified on pole by 0.8 seconds.

The world champion was up to fourth on the first lap but did not pass Hamilton until lap six and Leclerc until lap nine, both times using the DRS overtaking aid to overtake into the Les Combes chicane at the end of the long Kemmel straight.

Perez, who had passed Leclerc for the lead up the same straight on the first lap, hung on in front until his pit stop on lap 13.

Verstappen pitted the next time around, and only then began to show something like his true potential.

Emerging two seconds back from Perez, Verstappen was a second back after his first lap out of the pits, on his tail next time around, and ahead halfway along the Kemmel straight on lap 17.(BBC Sport)