“A damage limitation race,” Max Verstappen rules out any hopes of a Belgian GP triumph
Max Verstappen has been winless since the Spanish Grand Prix this season.
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Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen starts in P11 at the Belgian Grand Prix despite setting the fastest time in qualifying on Saturday. Verstappen was charged with a 10-place grid penalty for taking a fifth power unit.
Max Verstappen leads the championship by 76 points after 13 races. But the 26-year-old has been far from dominant against the challenging likes of McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes this season.
The three-time world champion won at Spa in 2022 and 2023, despite starting around the back of the grid on both occasions. However, Verstappen has said that his confidence isn’t the same as it was in previous years, given the challenges faced by Red Bull.
We'll see what we can do, I'm not as confident as I was the last two years around here in coming back to the front, I still see it more as a damage limitation race, that's how it is. But at least today we did the best possible we could in terms of the starting position for tomorrow.Max Verstappen said after the Belgian GP qualifying
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"We'll see what we can do, I'm not as confident as I was the last two years around here in coming back to the front, I still see it more as a damage limitation race, that's how it is. But at… pic.twitter.com/T1s5UpgFJg
Verstappen has vouched to give his best efforts to maximize his result, starting outside the top 10 in the 44-lap race. The upcoming Grand Prix will feature a competitive grid, with many eyeing the win in the absence of the Dutchman on the front row.
Christian Horner praises Sergio Perez’s performance post Belgian GP qualifying
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner praised Sergio Perez, who starts P2 for the first time since Shanghai this year. Perez made his final Q3 runs on a set of used tires, despite which he managed to set good lap times.
I have to say a big congratulations to Checo as well, he only had scrubbed tyres in Q3, and his middle sector on the scrubbed tyre was only two-tenths off Max. To miss out on pole by 0.011s and starting on the front-row is a great effort.Christian Horner told the media including RacingNews365
Sergio Perez has been under constant scrutiny for his poor form this season, with many in denial of his future with Red Bull. But the 34-year-old’s qualifying run at Spa delighted Christian Horner, who has been a constant supporter of him.
Horner asserted that the Mexican delivered a terrific performance just a few hundredths off the pole on a set of used tires. Perez will now look to triumph in Belgium, powering through the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes in the 44-lap race.
In case you missed it:
- Max Verstappen breaks silence on Lewis Hamilton asking him to ‘act like a world champion’
- Sergio Perez delighted to finally ‘put it together’ and qualify P3 for Belgian GP
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Yashraj Chowdhury
(599 Articles Published)