Belgian Grand Prix Review

This year’s Formula 1 season is one of the closest in recent history. Last weekend Oscar Piastri became the seventh different winner but not without a touch of drama in Hungary.

McLaren asked Lando Norris to invert positions with his teammate after he undercut Piastri in the last round of pit stops. The Briton eventually ceded first place with a handful of laps remaining and sweaty McLaren engineers on the pit wall.

Summer Break

This weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix signals the last race before the championship takes its mandatory summer break. The 14th race of the season promises close battles and perhaps more team orders.

McLaren’s season has been phenomenal thus far, bagging two pole positions, nine podiums, and two incredible victories. However, despite those great results, it’s Red Bull and Max Verstappen that led the respective championships.

The Dutch driver has won the last three Belgian GP and has the advantage of a partisan crowd at Spa-Francorchamps who travel from the nearby Netherlands.

The Track

Spa-Francorchamps is my favourite track on the Formula 1 calendar. It has been a fixture in the sport since the inaugural season in 1950.

At 7.004 km it’s the longest circuit and offers a fast and flowing nature. There are only seven turns with the most famous being Eau Rouge. It provides an eye-opening four-story leap to the top and should be driven at full throttle to carry enough speed onto the Kemmel Straight.

The teams will have to weigh up where they want to be fast at Spa-Francorchamps. The first and third sectors favour a low downforce while the middle sector needs some downforce to extract a faster pace.

McLaren And Red Bull In Battle Once Again

The McLarens have a great car in the MCL38 as it’s seemingly fast on most circuits, while the Red Bull has struggled in recent weeks. Norris is in a confident mood heading into the weekend: “The car felt brilliant, and it’s a good position to be in to close out the first part of the season. I’m excited to get back in the car and hopefully bring home another haul of points for the team.”

Mercedes has garnered a few wins and podium spots and could be a dark horse this weekend.

All eyes will be on Norris, Verstappen, and Piastri. The 23-year-old showed mettle to jump Norris at the start in Hungary and could do the same here. Verstappen will take a 10-place grid penalty after changing his power unit. But don’t discount the Dutchman, he has won from the back of the grid before and has a lot to prove after last weekend’s race.

Predictions

Winner: Oscar Piastri
Podium: Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen
Top 4 and 5: Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz
Winning Margin: Under six seconds
Fastest lap: Lando Norris
Pole position: Lando Norris
First to retire: Zhou Guanyu
First car to retire: Alpine
Most Team Points: McLaren
Both Cars Qualify for Q3 Shootout: Mercedes
Practice 1/2/3 Winning Car: Hamilton/ Mercedes
Safety Car: Yes
Top 6: Charles Leclerc, Fernando Alonso, Pierre Gasly
Top 10: Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll ,Yuki Tsunoda
Fastest pit stop: Red Bull

Sean Parker

Sean Parker is a motorsport journalist and sports content creator at The South African. He has worked for the country's premier motoring publications, and is a Formula 1 contributor to Bet.co.za, the Bet Central podcast, and Vision View Sports radio.