Belgian Grand Prix Weekend Betting Preview And Predictions

The Belgian Grand Prix hosts the third Sprint race of the season and the final race before Formula 1’s traditional summer (northern hemisphere) break.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen cruised to victory last time out at the Hungarian Grand Prix despite Lewis Hamilton’s heroics in qualifying to snatch his 104th pole position.

The Track

Without sounding too biased, Spa-Francorchamps is my favourite circuit on the calendar. It’s a power circuit dominated by long straights and fast corners.

It features arguably the most iconic section in motorsport: La Source, Eau Rouge / Raidillon, and blasting down the Kemmel Straight. The drivers head uphill flat out and hit over 300 km/h at Raidillon. The corner has a 17% gradient and a 40m elevation.

The seven-kilometre long track also includes fast corners such as Pouhon and Blanchimont. These are sections taken at full throttle. No less than 70% of Spa is driven at full throttle.

After navigating Blanchimont the drivers stamp hard on the brakes at the bus stop Chicane and begin the rollercoaster ride once more at La Source.

It’s a classic track and is one of seven to have featured in the inaugural 1950 Formula 1 championship.

We’re expecting a cracking race this year with the Sprint event taking place on Saturday. That means a furious qualifying session on Friday and the 44-lap main race on Sunday.

Who’s the Favourite?

The easy answer is Verstappen, but we’ve witnessed McLaren rise like a phoenix from the ashes after Lando Norris’ two second-place finishes at Silverstone and the Hungaroring.

 Zak Brown’s team introduced significant updates to the MCL60 in Austria and Norris scored fourth place in Spielberg to kick off a strong run of performances.

McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri started singing from the same hymn sheet when his car was fitted with the upgrades at Silverstone and he finished fourth and fifth in the last two races.

The fast nature of Spa means it’ll suit both teams quite well, and the RB19 has been fast in the hands of Verstappen wherever it has raced in 2023. The Dutch driver beat Norris by over 30 seconds in Hungary and we’re likely to see the two at the top again this weekend.

However, based on last year’s race and Verstappen’s unblemished form this season I’ve installed him as favourite for both the Sprint and GP.

The McLaren drivers will definitely be up there in the podium places. Mercedes is likely to be uncompetitive as it will struggle on the high-speed sections.

Another Mercedes-engined team is Aston Martin and they are bringing an upgraded package to Spa. The team has struggled since Canada and will hope Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll can change the team’s fortunes this weekend.

Other drivers who could do well are Alex Albon in the Williams. The British team is strong on long straights, and Albon has driven exceptionally well so far this season. Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are coming off two consecutive double DNFs. They will aim to get back into the points at Spa and have the package to do it.

Ferrari’s strategy and pit stop performances have been below par this season. It has been detrimental to Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz who finished seventh and eighth in Hungary. The drivers will hope the team can go through the weekend without any mishaps.

Watch out for the battle between AlphaTauri’s new recruit Daniel Ricciardo and teammate Yuki Tsunoda. The Australian finished 13th in Hungary and will look to finish ahead of the diminutive Japanese driver.

The Weather Factor At Spa

Rain has been forecast over the Sprint weekend and this could make things interesting. However, it also amplifies the safety aspect at the track after a Dutch driver in the Formula European championship was killed in early July. The tragic incident occurred in torrential rain and several F1 drivers said safety improvements should be made.

With lots of racing and very little practice set for this weekend, the rain could be the curveball some of the outsiders need to score points or get a good qualifying position.

End Of The First Half Of The Season

The drivers take a month-long break and come back at the end of August for the Dutch GP. Enjoy the race and check out the predictions below.

Predictions

Sprint winner – Verstappen

Sprint podium – Verstappen, Norris, Piastri

Sprint pole position – Verstappen

Winner – Verstappen

Podium – Verstappen, Norris, Piastri

Fastest lap: Norris

Pole position: Verstappen

First to retire: Sargeant

Most Team Points:McLaren

Both Cars Qualify for Q3 Shootout: McLaren

Practice 1/2/3 Winning Car: Verstappen/ Red Bull

Safety Car: Yes

Top 6: Ocon, Russell, Gasly

Top 10: Albon, Hulkenberg, Sainz

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.