Max Verstappen appears to be uncertain about his prospects for the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix. On the opening day in Spa, he topped the time sheets during the first practice session, but fell behind both McLarens in the second. Verstappen is not entirely satisfied with the setup of his RB20 – finding the right balance on Spa-Francorchamps is a delicate task.
For the Belgian race, Verstappen’s car has partially reverted to the ‘old’ specifications. While he used an upgraded version of the RB20 in Hungary, the car at Spa partially returns to the familiar chassis. This is particularly evident in the large air ducts on the hood, the ‘broad shoulders’ of the RB20. Underneath, the car has been updated; Verstappen is using a new combustion engine at Spa, an update that he has to pay for with a ten-place grid penalty.
Impressive Start for the Three-Time World Champion
In the opening session on Friday, the three-time world champion immediately set the tone. He recorded the best time, more than half a second faster than Oscar Piastri. In the second free practice, McLaren retaliated and recorded a one-two finish – Norris was the fastest at Spa, with Piastri and Verstappen in his wake. A good first day for the Dutchman, although he himself speaks of a ‘difficult’ start to the weekend.
‘Race is Now More Important’
After the first free practice sessions, Verstappen was asked by the press in Spa about the session and his RB20. “It’s difficult to find the right balance here,” he responded. “We’ve tried a few things now. Now it’s important that we analyze everything properly. It started as a reasonably positive day,” he referred to his fast lap in VT1.
He was less pleased with the second training session. “That wasn’t so good,” Verstappen continued. “We’ll have to take a good look at all the adjustments we’ve made. Hopefully, we can get the setup right for the race – I’m obviously starting somewhere at the back due to that grid penalty. Of course, you want to qualify well, but for us, the race is now slightly more important.”
