Max Verstappen started the Saturday of the Belgian Grand Prix with a successful sprint race but returned to the McLaren-dominated reality in qualifying. The Dutchman looked back on a day of ups and downs at Spa-Francorchamps.
Between the sprint race won by Verstappen and the qualifying session, the Red Bull mechanics were busy with the rear wing on his car. A larger version for more downforce was placed after Verstappen stated that they should double-check the weather forecast.
Thoughts went back to Silverstone a few weeks ago. There, Red Bull gambled incorrectly and the leader drove with a rear wing that was far too small on a wet track.
With a forecast full of wetness for Sunday, Verstappen didn’t want to experience that again. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have changed that rear wing.” In Saturday’s sprint race, the smaller version gave him the top speed with which he managed to keep Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in their faster McLarens behind him.
Verstappen did not mean that such a scenario would occur again in a dry race on Sunday. “No, I don’t think so. The fifteen laps of the sprint race were just enough. And in it, things went much better than we could have ever expected: that you keep the McLarens behind you.”
‘That is the reality’
That the sprint race was a positive outlier became clear to Verstappen in qualifying. Norris and Piastri fought for pole, and Leclerc also went underneath after two bad laps in Q3, in which the Dutchman completely lacked grip. “Then you’re fourth again, but that’s the reality. And tomorrow I think we have to fight for P3.”
Whether it is dry or raining doesn’t matter too much to Verstappen. “In the rain, you have a bit more chaos. But McLaren has found something with tire degradation this year, and you see that even more in the rain. So far this year, we haven’t really had a chance in the rain. Tomorrow is no different.”
Top advisor Helmut Marko appeared optimistic shortly before. “I’m not too worried about tomorrow. In the rain, Max is always in a class of his own,” the Austrian said.
Verstappen could smile at Marko’s positive attitude but didn’t agree. “Helmut doesn’t see in the car. Of course, you have to be positive, but I feel what I feel in the car. And when I watch onboard images of other cars, I know enough.”
‘Still not the balance to attack a corner’
Despite a series of updates in recent weeks, including a new front wing in Spa, things are still not going as Verstappen wants with the Red Bull RB21. “I think those updates do work, but it still doesn’t give the balance I want to really attack a corner.
The balance problems remain the same.” With half a season ahead, Verstappen doesn’t know if Red Bull will manage to solve that problem definitively. “Time will tell.”
Verstappen remained the debut of his new team boss Laurent Mekies this weekend. The Frenchman surprisingly took over from Christian Horner. The dust clouds seem to have settled a bit two weeks after the news. “He’s good, very good,” Verstappen replied when asked about the atmosphere in the team. “Everyone is happy, in a good mood. There have been years when that was different. But I don’t need to go into too much detail.”
Mekies is ‘a different team boss’
The reigning world champion can talk ‘more technically’ with Mekies, who is trained as an engineer and worked in that role in the premier class for years, than with his predecessor Horner. “He is more technically knowledgeable, so it is normal that you can deal with him more technically,” Verstappen confirmed. “And if you want to talk about the technical side of the car, that’s good, yes.”
“He’s a different kind of team boss,” Verstappen said somewhat cautiously. Mekies stated earlier that he mainly held talks in his first two weeks, including, of course, with his top driver.
The Frenchman is known as a good communicator. “Maybe the team needs that,” Verstappen said. “I get along well with him, which is already a bonus. Hopefully, we can do that much more intensively in the coming weeks and months.”
The Belgian Grand Prix starts on Sunday at 3:00 PM.