Belgian Grand Prix: Verstappen faces challenge with grid penalty
Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium — Max Verstappen will approach Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix as a damage limitation exercise, starting the race from 11th on the grid despite setting the fastest time in qualifying.
The Red Bull driver incurred a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his engine quota. This marks the third consecutive year Verstappen has been fastest in qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps but suffered a grid penalty, having previously won from 14th place in 2022 and 6th place in 2023.
Verstappen, who holds a 76-point lead over Lando Norris—who starts fourth on Sunday—emphasized the challenge of maintaining his championship lead over winning the race.
“I need to survive lap one and just go from there!” Verstappen stated. “We also have a bit of a different tyre strategy to the other cars so we have to wait and see how that will evolve in the race, but yeah we’ll see what we can do.”
While remaining pragmatic about his chances, Verstappen is less confident this year compared to his previous comebacks at Spa.
“I mean I’m of course not as confident as I was the last two years around here in coming back to the front. I still see more as like a damage limitation race,” he explained. “That’s how it is but at least today was the best possible we could do in terms of the starting position for tomorrow.”
Verstappen is particularly wary of McLaren's race pace, noting their strength during Friday's practice sessions.
“Looking at their pace yesterday in the long run, it’s incredibly strong,” Verstappen remarked. “They look very comfortable out there. Of course, they are starting a little bit further back, I think they’re so fast they will quite quickly challenge for the front, for the lead.”
Setting realistic expectations, Verstappen said, “I would already be happy if we can match that race pace. So starting a bit further back, also being on different tyres, I don’t know how that is going to work out. Most teams around us have two hard tyres, we don’t. I don’t know if that’s better or not, of course, for the moment, but we’ll find out tomorrow. But, yeah. It’s definitely still a damage limitation.”
Verstappen opted for a relatively high-downforce rear wing compared to some of his competitors, benefiting him in the wet qualifying conditions but possibly increasing drag on the straights. He believes this setup will help him manage his tyres better in a dry race, enhancing overall competitiveness.
“I just hope that it’s better for me but when you of course look at the McLaren [starting in fourth and fifth] for example they’re in a very skinny wing,” Verstappen noted. “It seems to work for them but it didn’t really work for me yesterday so yeah a bit of a different strategy also there and I guess we’ll find out tomorrow how it will work out.”
Verstappen is optimistic about the DRS effect around Spa but remains focused on tyre management.
“I mean I have to pass cars. The DRS effect is quite big around here but at the end of the day I think it’s more important just to be good on tyres around here because if you’re good on tyres you can pass people,” he concluded.
As the championship leader gears up for a challenging race, all eyes will be on how Verstappen navigates his way through the field from 11th position.
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