Max Verstappen took pole position at the 2024 Belgium GP qualifying by a whopping margin. However, the Dutchman had taken a new engine for the weekend, which got him a 10-place grid penalty. As a result, the Red Bull driver will start the Grand Prix from P11. Although the pace looked blistering, Verstappen shared his realistic views on beating the McLarens.
“I know it’s not how it’s going to be tomorrow. We optimized everything from our side for tomorrow”, said Verstappen according to BBC’s F1: Chequered Flag podcast. He explained that Red Bull’s race pace will not be as strong as the qualifying, where the Dutchman took pole by almost a six-tenths gap to P2.
The championship leader suggested that the McLaren might be “out of reach” in the race. When asked if he could repeat the 2022 heroics of starting outside the top 10 and still winning, Verstappen replied, “We live in a bit of a different world now. A lot of competitive cars up at the front. So I don’t think it’s that straightforward for me”.
The Dutchman was the class of the grid during the practice sessions. Although McLaren looked competitive on the soft tires, the gap on the medium tires was considerable.
Verstappen is running a higher downforce level which will help him follow cars around the twisty middle sector. However, he may face a lack of top speed on the Kemmel straight, which may hand the advantage to McLaren.
Still, with Verstappen revealing that the car has been set up for the race, a comeback from him cannot be ruled out. McLaren has also had an underwhelming qualifying and will be starting P4 and P5.
However, the dry conditions predicted for the race will suit them as they’ll challenge the ones ahead. For Verstappen to come through the field and then overtake them seems like a huge task.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s long-run pace is better than Verstappen
Norris and Piastri’s FP2 long runs were stronger than Verstappen’s. Norris’ runs cannot be compared to Verstappen as they were on different tires. Regardless, the Briton was quicker on the soft tires. According to the data, Norris’ pace fell off massively after two laps on the soft tires.
However, Piastri and the Dutchman were both on mediums. The Aussie’s average lap time was over three-tenths quicker than Verstappen. Piastri’s lap times were consistent and within a half-a-second window. Meanwhile, Verstappen’s pace dropped off massively after Lap 5.
This points towards the fact that the McLaren is kinder on the tires. Verstappen will also spend many laps in traffic which will further deteriorate the RB20’s tire life.
The Dutchman would ideally like to win the Belgium GP to go into the summer break on a high after recent disappointments. While it looks difficult, if anyone can do it, it’s Verstappen.
