2023-07-30 06:53:21
Will Spa be the playground of a team other than Red Bull? If Verstappen, solid leader of the F1 championship, arrives in Belgium as a favorite, the McLarens are on pole to dislodge him.
For the last Grand Prix of the season before the summer break, the British team dreams of confirming its renewed form with a success, which would end a series of seven consecutive victories for Verstappen – twelve for Red Bull, a record.
Thanks to improvements made to the MCL60, McLaren, in great difficulty at the start of the season, has returned to the forefront.
Proof of its regained form, its two drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have finished in the Top 5 each time in the last two races – in Great Britain at the start of July and in Hungary last weekend.
Since his two consecutive second places, Norris, the best placed of the duo, is now eyeing the top step of the podium. But the Briton, in search of a first victory in F1, will however have to defeat the defending champion Verstappen on this 12th round of the season.
On another planet last year, “Mad Max”, born in Hasselt, some 100 km north of the circuit, won from a distant 14th place on the grid.
The Dutchman’s form has not faded since, as he has never done worse than a 7th place in the GP (in Singapore in 2022) and a 2nd place this season (in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan) . Apart from a possible failure of the Red Bull, it is difficult to see what might prevent it from winning, or at least from the podium.
On the mythical circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, nestled between hills and forests of the Belgian Ardennes, the rain expected on Friday and Saturday, sprint day, might however reshuffle many cards.
It would be reminiscent of the 2021 Belgian GP: at that time, Verstappen had won following a mock Grand Prix – only two laps behind the safety car, due to the deluge which fell on the circuit.
Apart from the rain, the sprint – the third this year – will change the course of the weekend and might bring a little more spice to a season that has been fairly dull until now.
This article has been published automatically. Sources: ats / afp
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