The 24-year-old Dutchman, who started from 14th place on the starting grid after being penalized for an engine change, took a sumptuous victory ahead of his Mexican teammate Sergio Pérez, who started in second position.
To discover
Formula 1: the calendar for the 2022 season
Formula 1: manufacturers' classification
Formula 1: drivers classification
“
Verstappen has taken a new step
”, for Christian Horner.
Horner was full of praise for Verstappen, who took a blistering 93-point lead over Pérez in the Drivers' Championship, with Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) now third, 98 points as he only eight races remain by the end of the season.
“
You are witnessing a driver who becomes one with the car and who is in a state of grace in his career
,” he said.
“
Since winning the championship last year, Max has taken another step forward.
He has liberated himself in many ways and he now drives at an incredible level
,” said the Red Bull team principal.
"
Max was simply above the rest of the competition and not just in the race, but all weekend
," he added.
Horner claimed Verstappen's victory was one of Red Bull's '
best ever performances
' in F1 since 2005. Horner also insisted on Verstappen's maturity: the Dutchman was able to cross '
safely
' the chaos of the first lap, which notably saw Lewis Hamilton retire after colliding with the Alpine of Fernando Alonso.
"
He wasn't greedy at the start, he was very patient, especially at Eau Rouge, and he just chose his path
," he said.
The manufacturer's title assured for Red Bull?
His special adviser Helmut Marko assured him that Verstappen only needed "
two or three
" additional victories to "
be safe
" and secure the drivers' and constructors' titles.
“
The objective for us now is clear, because we want to finish first and second in the championship (drivers) for the first time in our history
,” stressed the Austrian.
Coming to Zandvoort this week for the Dutchman's home GP, the Milton Keynes team leads with 10 wins and 475 points against four wins and 357 points for Ferrari.
A new Verstappen Festival is expected in the sand dunes of Holland on Sunday.