Never since 2021 has he let so many consecutive victories slip away… Max Verstappen, leader of the Formula 1 world championship, will try to return to success this weekend during “his” Belgian Grand Prix, after three races of drought and despite a probable penalty on the grid.
On the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the Dutchman – born in Flanders around a hundred kilometres away – can believe it since no victory has escaped him since 2021.
Proof of his supremacy in one of the oldest races on the F1 calendar: he had won in 2022 a distant 14e place on the grid. Party 6e Last year, he again left his opponents no chance.
And this year again, the three-time defending champion could start far from the front of the race since, according to his statements, he will “very probably” be penalized ten places on the starting grid on Sunday, at 3 p.m. local time, due to an engine change beyond the authorized quota.
The information was not yet confirmed on Thursday evening – neither by his Red Bull team nor by the race stewards – but Verstappen indicated on Thursday that he knew “that it would happen”.
“Some circuits are naturally more conducive than others [pour recevoir cette sanction]. On a street circuit, where overtaking is more difficult, “we don’t want a penalty for the engine, so, yes, it will most likely be here” that he will receive it, he said, questioned by the press on the eve of the 14e round of the season.
A penalty which, unlike in previous seasons, could destroy his chances of victory: having been extremely dominant in recent years, the horizon has darkened this year for the Dutch giant, who has already let six GP victories out of 13 slip away – compared to only two last year at the same time.
At the wheel of his RB20, he is now being beaten regularly by several teams on the grid, including Mercedes, winner of two of the last three GPs (in Austria and Great Britain), but especially McLaren, who scored a double in Hungary last weekend, ahead of the Dutchman, only 5e from a race where he appeared particularly nervous.
Perez in danger
The Woking (England) based team, second in the provisional standings of the constructors’ championship, is now the main competitor to Red Bull, which now has only a 51-point lead (389 points for Red Bull against 338 for McLaren).
If the reigning world champion team still has enough margin to avoid losing the lead in the championship at the end of the Belgian weekend, it must more than ever capitalise on the good performances of Verstappen and his team-mate Sergio Pérez.
In the last six races, Perez — only 7e in the drivers’ championship – however, only collected 17 points, compared to 104 for Verstappen.
The future of the Mexican, officially committed until the end of 2026 in the ranks of the Austrian team, could also be reassessed at the end of the Belgian GP according to influential advisor Helmut Marko, interviewed by the Austrian media.
Another team, other difficulties: Ferrari has continued to lose ground since its last victory, in Monaco at the end of May.
Third in the constructors’ standings, the famous Italian team will try to build on its good performances in Hungary – where Monaco’s Charles Leclerc finished 4the ahead of his Spanish teammate Carlos Sainz, 6e — to recover its second place (only 16 points separate it from McLaren).
“The Spa-Francorchamps circuit will allow us to check whether we have done a good job in recent weeks to mitigate some of the side effects […] due to the recently introduced updates,” explained Scuderia boss Frédéric Vasseur.