Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc are the two prime contenders for the race win in Belgium, owing to what happened in Belgium on Saturday. While the latter will start the race in P1, the former showcased enough pace to take on the entire grid and beat them. However, both of them quickly conceded to a McLaren race win, when talking about their own chances on Sunday.
Speaking after the Qualifying session on Saturday, Verstappen claimed his initial charge would try to topple the Mercedes and Ferrari drivers. However, he finds it difficult to get the better of McLaren, who starts the race from P4 and P5.
“Hopefully, at least we can fight with Ferrari and Mercedes. McLaren, I don’t know, they might be out of reach but we’ll find that out tomorrow.”
mclaren seems to be super strong this weekend??? max verstappen hazirlanpic.twitter.com/KNbOPtA5eD
— eylul (@mv1lovebot) July 20, 2024
Meanwhile, Leclerc conceded that McLaren was on “another planet” in Belgium and shouldn’t have a problem in picking up the race win.
“I think McLaren is in another planet this weekend. Considering what they’ve shown yesterday- if they keep the same pace that they’ve shown yesterday, I feel like they are incredibly quick.”
For the most part of 2024, the McLaren drivers have been the quickest on the grid. However, poor strategy calls have led to the Woking-based team losing out on race wins. But, the team continues to learn from its mistakes and has shown signs of improvement. Thus, there is still hope for them to win the race in Spa-Francorchamps.
McLaren would be happy with where they are at
Being the fastest team in terms of dry race pace, McLaren’s Lando Norris is a happy man to be starting the Belgian GP in P4. With his teammate right behind him, the British driver remains confident of a good outing in Spa once racing begins.
An iconic track with some iconic moments. ️
See you tomorrow! #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/cWAgbC8r9H
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) July 27, 2024
The Woking-based team has by far been the fastest this season and continues to build the momentum. Red Bull has also had to face several problems with their car, the latest of them being an issue with the engine in Verstappen’s car.
Reportedly, some of the team’s engineers had to stay back till 2 in the morning to work on the issue. While the problem has been worked out, McLaren still holds a distinct advantage. Heading into the summer break after the race, the advantage could greatly help swing the momentum in McLaren’s favor as they look to dethrone Red Bull as the constructors’ champions.
