Long-time Formula 1 and DTM driver Timo Glock assesses Max Verstappen’s extremely strong performance at the Belgian Grand Prix and talks regarding Ferrari’s renewed defeat.
Red Bull Racing clinched a squeaky clean one-two at the Belgian Grand Prix at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, with a terrific Max Verstappen and a good Sergio Pérez. Ferrari was only 3rd for Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc’s insight: “Now it’s going to be very difficult for us.”
Long-time Grand Prix and DTM driver Timo Glock watched what was happening in the Belgian Ardennes for German Sky. The 91-time GP participant says regarding the performance of Red Bull Racing: “It was a demonstration for everyone. The opponents will ponder hard, Ferrari as the pursuer in the first place. All the teams have seen the big strides Red Bull Racing is taking and that Max Verstappen is in a league of his own. It was a gala performance.”
How does the 40-year-old from Lindenfels rate Charles Leclerc’s World Cup chances? Timo continues: “I don’t want to say that they are at zero and take away their hope, but what happened in Belgium now is a big damper in the world championship fight. Of course the season is still long, but the dominance that Red Bull Racing has now shown will not be gone overnight. Red Bull Racing can now manage the points cushion well. Ferrari is currently not one, but two steps behind.
Ferrari’s racing strategy often gives cause for discussion, but Glock, who came tenth in the Formula 1 World Championship in 2008 and 2009, thinks: “There was nothing else that might have been done. The problem was that Leclerc had to pit following a few laps because of that visor that got caught in the brake, so he had to start all over once more. But there wasn’t much in it anyway. The gap to Red Bull Racing is so big that it didn’t matter what you tried strategically. It was flatly impossible to beat Max Verstappen that day. The consideration at Ferrari must now be where this deficit comes from.”
Running, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
01. Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing, 44 Runden in 1:25:55,608 h
02. Sergio Perez (MEX), Red Bull Racing, +17.841sec
03. Carlos Sainz (E), Ferrari, +26,886
04. George Russell (GB), Mercedes, +29,140
05. Fernando Alonso (L), Alpine, +73,256
06. Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari, +74,936
07. Esteban Ocon (F), Alpine, +75,640
08. Sebastian Vettel (D), Aston Martin, +78,107
09. Pierre Gasly (F), AlphaTauri, +92,181
10. Alexander Albon (T), Williams, +101,900
11. Lance Stroll (CDN), Aston Martin, +103,078
12. Lando Norris (GB), McLaren, +104.739
13. Yuki Tsunoda (J), AlphaTauri, +105,217
14. Guanyu Zhou (RC), Alfa Romeo, +106,252
15. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS), McLaren, +107,163
16. Kevin Magnussen (DK), Haas, +1 Round
17. Mick Schumacher (D), Haas, +1 lap
18. Nicholas Latifi (CDN), Williams, +1 Runde
Out
Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Alfa Romeo, Dreher
Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes, collision damage
Championship status (following 14 of 22 races)
driver
01. Verstappen 284 points
02. Pérez 191
03. Leclerc 186
04. Sainz 171
05. Russell 170
06. Hamilton 146
07. Norris 76
08. Ocon 64
09. Alonso 51
10. Bottas 46
11. Magnussen 22
12. Vettel 20
13. Ricciardo 19
14. Gasly 18
15. Schumacher 12
16. Tsunoda 11
17. Zhou 5
18. Albon 4
19. Stroll 4
20. Latif 0
21. Nico Hülkenberg (D) 0
Constructors’ Cup
01. Red Bull Racing 475 Punkte
02. Ferrari 357
03. Mercedes 316
04. Alpine 115
05. McLaren 95
06. Alfa Romeo 51
07. Haas 34
08. AlphaTauri 29
09. Aston Martin 24
10. Williams 4