Formula 1 is heading into summer break and at present, there seems to be no way to witness more thrilling racing when it comes to the pursuit of the race win. The Belgian Grand Prix could not change anything as compared to the first 12 races rounds of the 2023 Formula 1 campaign, which had clearly demonstrated a clear fact, namely Red Bull’s ability to triumph on any circuit.
Max Verstappen’s starting position is inconsequential; as long as he avoids early collisions, he becomes unstoppable and can easily secure the race win regardless of track characteristics or weather conditions. The Dutchman has widened his lead over his teammate to 125 points before the summer break, equivalent to a margin of 5 Grand Prix races, and there are only ten races remaining in the season in the second part of the year.
The battle among Scuderia Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, and Aston Martin persists, with the gaps varying depending on various circuit characteristics.
No rival for Red Bull, others contend for a place in the spotlight.
Excluding the periods under the safety car in his ten victories this year, the current and future F1 world champion has consistently established significant gaps between him and any rivals, usually exceeding 20 seconds, which basically means a free pit stop.
What’s worse, his composure and control seem even more refined, leaving his competitors in an embarrassing position. Following the Belgian Grand Prix, Helmut Marko said that Max Verstappen would have won the race even starting from the last place and unfortunately this is a true statement.
While DRS played a significant role in Hungary, it was more relevant at the 7.004-kilometre Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot, although compared to the recent past, its impact may not be as powerful. Nonetheless, this is just one less significant piece of the puzzle.
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“Maybe Ferrari and Mercedes are now closer in terms of strength, but we don’t really care that it looks weakened if we bury them with degradation,” said a source close to the team, according to F1 journalist Giuliano Duchessa for formu1a.uno
Without a doubt, the RB19’s fundamental performance surpasses its competitors by a significant margin, setting the standard for tire wear as well. It is puzzling that Sergio Perez hasn’t been able to harness its full potential and has been so far off his teammate; however, the silver lining for him is that he concluded the mid-season with a performance closer to the expectations of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, alleviating some of the pressure which has been mounting given his teammate’s impressive results. As of now, the Dutchman remains an unreachable figure for everyone; while the Mexican had a decent race, he once again couldn’t come close to challenging for the lead, despite starting in front if his teammate.
Once Max Verstappen made his pit stop, he could push one second per lap faster than Sergio Perez, and he left his competitors further down the grid far behind.
On a positive note, Scuderia Ferrari performed better than anticipated, and the progress of the SF-23 was evident. The encouraging news for the Maranello team is that they managed to set up the car effectively well in advance. The SF-23’s stability remained consistent, similar to what was observed in Canada, Austria, and, more distantly, in Baku.
The car’s low drag on the long straights and its strong braking capabilities are its strengths. Development adjustments, reconsidered during the race, were part of the process, and they contributed to stabilizing the car’s performance throughout the race.
In the Belgian Grand Prix, only the Red Bulls at Kemmel had an easy time overtaking the SF-23 car of Charles Leclerc. However, the balance of the Ferrari challenger, without bouncing issues, ensured it didn’t falter during the long sequence of corners from Les Combes to Stavelot.
Carlos Sainz could have engaged in a thrilling battle with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc for third place, but the damage caused by the crash with Oscar Piastri at the race start proved to be significant, resulting in a loss of around 3 seconds due to reduced downforce and subsequent increased tyre degradation.
Despite significant damage to the floor and side of his SF-23 car, the Maranello team requested the Spaniard to continue racing on the track for the second sting.
On paper, it seemed illogical considering the poor lap times, but the Italian side was banking on the possibility of a red flag being triggered by the imminent weather change. This would have allowed them to carry out repairs and potentially secure some points.
The SF-23 has already undergone somekey changes in its appearance since the start of the 2023 Formula One championship and will undergo further modifications as much as can be done considering the constraints of financial rules.
The Ferrari Racing Division plans to finalize the evolution of the SF-23 car by implementing new components by late September and early October, and the upcoming aero package is rumored to be even more substantial than the one previously introduced at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.
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