F1 Data Analysis | Verstappen puts Perez to shame at Belgium GP

Verstappen was a class apart in Belgium

It soon became apparent in Belgium that nobody could match Verstappen. On Friday and Saturday, Verstappen was already much faster than the competition, and in the sprint race, the two-time world champion easily drove to victory. Of course, Perez hoped to win, but given the days before, that was not realistic.

Tyre strategies at Belgian Grand Prix

This was evident in Sunday's Grand Prix. Verstappen started from sixth place due to a grid penalty but quickly moved up two places at the start because of the collision between Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz. Verstappen only had to pass Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. The moment Hamilton lost DRS on Leclerc, Verstappen seized the ideal moment. The fact that he didn't make the move quicker was mainly due to the difference in top speed, as shown in the race preview.

With DRS, Verstappen managed to pass the two fairly easily and closed in about three seconds behind Perez. By then, the Mexican had not been able to create a big gap and thus faced an immense challenge. On the soft tyre, Verstappen didn't make up much of the gap, but after the first round of pit stops, the Dutchman struck straight away.

Where Verstappen made the difference at Spa-Francorchamps

As the lead driver, Perez still got "the advantage" from Red Bull Racing to go in first. This prevented his teammate from outsmarting him with an undercut. A lap later, Verstappen came in, and then it was 'game on' for Verstappen. With his out-lap, the Dutchman briefly showed what is really possible with the RB19.

Verstappen's out-lap was two seconds faster than Perez's. With this, Verstappen ensured that the gap was as good as gone by the time he completed one lap on the medium tyre. If you put the telemetry of those two out laps side by side, you can see where Verstappen made the difference.

Telemetry outlaps Sergio Perez (white) versus Max Verstappen (red)

Perez pulled a big gap with his rival at the start of the lap. Verstappen is visibly calmer going through Eau Rouge/Raidillon. Verstappen very clearly lifted in the section where Perez continued to accelerate as much as possible in that combination. However, that cost Perez for the rest of the lap. At that high speed, Perez demanded a lot from his tyres, making them seem overheated compared to Verstappen's for the rest of the lap.

Verstappen got his tyres up to temperature much better. Although the Dutchman lost ground on Kemmel Straight, he struck in sector two. At every corner from Les Combes, Verstappen got on the gas earlier, hit his brakes later and could upshift faster than his teammate. As a result, throughout the rest of the lap, Verstappen whistlingly gets back the deficit he gained exiting the pits and Eau Rouge/Raidillon. Indeed, Verstappen ended up two seconds faster than Perez in the out lap.

The telemetry of that particular outlay is not isolated, by the way. Perez demanded a lot from his tyres every lap in the first sector, only to lose more time in the second sector. On the contrary, Verstappen took it very easy in sector one (especially after his moment in Raidillon), only to turn it on in sector two.

Perez dominated by Verstappen

Comparing stints Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen

If you compare the second and third stints of Verstappen and Perez, this difference is all over the place. On the medium tyre, Verstappen averaged 1.51.387 in his second stint, compared to Perez's 1.52.689. The same can be seen on the soft tyre in the final stint. Verstappen averaged 1.50.195 there. Perez's average was 1.51.127.

In terms of tyre wear, Verstappen listened to Gianpiero Lambiase. The times seemed to suggest otherwise, but where Verstappen had a degradation of 0.045s per lap in his second stint on the medium tyre, he only degraded by 0.016s on the soft tyre. Perez did better on the medium tyre but burnt the soft tyres too quickly. He lost 0.023s per lap.

Verstappen also seems to really care in the final stages. He doesn't ease off. It is clear he does not need to drive that fast, as the lead over his teammate is big enough. However, the Dutchman refused to slow down and continued to blast out fast laps until the end. This increased the gap with Perez enormously. The latter will say he may have slowed down a bit after being passed by Verstappen, but this blow will hit hard, just like the one in Miami. Perez will have to watch his own driving style because what Verstappen does in sector one to get by in sector two should be a lesson to Perez. Otherwise, the next race will be another hit.

Race pace Sergio Perez versus Max Verstappen