Max Verstappen has suggested the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix was the most dominant weekend performance of his career to date.
The Dutchman set the fastest time in Qualifying on Saturday but started 14th once power unit penalties were applied.
By the end of the opening lap of Sunday’s race, the championship leader had risen to eighth.
He then took the lead from team-mate Sergio Perez on Lap 12, only ceding it again to Sainz briefly after making his first stop.
Two laps after his first stop, Verstappen overtook the Ferrari driver to reclaim top spot, never to relinquish it.
After 44 laps of racing, the margin of victory was 17.8s to Perez with Sainz 26.9s back in third.
“I think if you look at the whole weekend, yes,” Verstappen said when asked if the Belgian event was his most dominant performance.
“The car has been incredible from FP1. I didn’t think we expected it to be like this, but sometimes it’s nice when things positively surprise you.
“It’s been really enjoyable to drive the car around here this year, and of course, we knew we had our difficulties for the race when you start P14.
“But we stayed out of trouble in Lap 1, which wasn’t easy – it was very hectic in front of me.
“But once everything calmed down with the Safety Car, literally just overtaking one car every lap.
“Once I was back into P3 and I saw that my tyres were actually holding on quite nicely with the soft compound, I know that there was a good possibility we could win the race.”
Verstappen also picked up the bonus point for fastest lap, taking his haul for the weekend on to 26 points.
It leaves him with a 93-point advantage over Perez who climbed to second in the drivers’ championship by dint of his second-place finish.
With a maximum of 216 points still up for grabs, the championship could be mathematically decided in the United States Grand Prix in October.
Formula 1 moves to the 24-year-old’s homeland, with the Dutch Grand Prix beginning on Friday.
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