The reigning world champion launched from sixth due to a gearbox penalty, but surged into the lead on lap 15 and ran unchallenged to the chequered flag to score Red Bull's 12th-consecutive win of the season.
When the lights went out, polesitter Leclerc swung across Perez’s bows to maintain the lead at La Source, where Carlos Sainz, starting fourth, locked up and then collided with Oscar Piastri running just behind from fifth on the grid on the inside.
The McLaren was pinched against the inside wall, damaging its suspension and ripping the side of the Ferrari’s right-side sidepod, with Piastri slowing on the run downhill to Eau Rouge and later stopping on the first lap of 44.
Up ahead, Perez used his RB19’s straightline speed to blast by Leclerc into the lead the first time they ran up the Kemmel straight and he quickly built a DRS-breaking lead.
Verstappen was fourth by the end of lap one having been left sixth due to a grid penalty, where he remained behind Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who had started third, and Leclerc over the first phase of the race as Perez continued to pull clear ahead.
But when Hamilton lost DRS to Leclerc on lap six, Verstappen pounced going up the Kemmel straight and, with DRS himself, had enough to make a move to the inside and seal third place.
He then pursued Leclerc, who’s gap to the lead had stabilised somewhat at just over two seconds, but as the end of the opening 10 laps approached it had eked out again to three seconds.
Source: Autosport