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Belgian GP Race Debrief

After an eventful weekend where a deluge of rain providing action, the Belgian Grand Prix was not the scintillating sporting spectacle it was thought to be. Alas, it was a decent race even if there was a very, very predictable outcome.

Red Bull: Hold the front page – Max Verstappen didn’t lead the opening laps of a race in 2023. However, Max then took the lead and drove off into the distance finishing with an insurmountable lead. Perez also returned to form and took P2.

Ferrari: A day of two halves for the Scuderia with Leclerc taking a much-needed podium while Sainz was caught up in lap one contact with Piastri and plummeted down the order and ultimately retired from the race.

Mercedes: A mediocre showing for Mercedes with Hamilton missing out on the podium (but taking fastest lap) and Russell losing places on the opening lap spending the race fighting through the field.

Aston Martin: A decent day for Aston Martin with Alonso gaining positions and ending up P5 while Stroll managed a one stop strategy to come in and take points in P9.

Alpine: A good recovery race for the beleaguered Alpine outfit with Ocon scoring points in P8 with Gasly close behind in P11 with the team capitalising on major rival McLaren’s issues.

McLaren: A slight fall from grace for McLaren with Norris struggling horribly on tyres and only finishing P7 while Piastri was caught up in lap one contract and recorded a DNF despite the successes of yesterday.

AlphaTauri: Finally some success for AlphaTauri with Tsunoda flourishing in the rain and scoring his third point of the season. Ricciardo was less successful however and poor tyre wear left him P16.

Alfa Romeo: A fair race for Alfa Romeo with Zhou and Bottas moving up the order to P13 and P12 respectively.

Haas: Limited progress or anything of note for Haas with Magnussen P15 and Hulkenberg plum last in P18.

Williams: A disappointing day for Williams as Albon ran in the points for most of the race but dropped into P14 towards the end while Sargeant was nowhere in P17.

Do comment your thoughts below.

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2 responses to “Belgian GP Race Debrief”

  1. David Sperry aka BigHemi Avatar
    David Sperry aka BigHemi

    I love the beauty and setting of the Belgian Grand Prix. Spa is a very long course with sweeping curves, most notably the legendary Eau Rouge. (When I lived in Belgium in the late 1970’s, I drove my Alfa Romeo GTV on part of the track that is actual public highway). But a track alone cannot make for an exciting race.

    I found this race, like Hungary, boring. Short bursts of racing action cannot make up for the total, utter dominance of Red Bull. It seems that Max, to his credit, can win from any place on the grid. All 13 races this year have been won by Red Bull, two by Perez and all the others, by Verstappen, including 8 in a row.

    As a long term F1 fan, I lived through the dominance of Michael and Ferrari, and frankly enjoyed the dominance of Sir Lewis and Mercedes, my favourite combo. I hold absolutely nothing against Max and RB, it’s just that I fear their dominance for years to come.

    Right now I’m keeping an eye on McLaren and Aston Martin to see which become the next best team.

    You did a great race analysis. If it turns up on RD, I’ll be sure to drop a few comments. .

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Gabriella B Avatar
      Gabriella B

      Spa is one of my favourite tracks on the calendar (along with Silverstone and randomly Jeddah).

      Max’s dominance doesn’t really make for an exciting race but there’s nothing we can do about it. Well done Red Bull for building that thing but it’s not fun to watch.

      I think McLaren will be the next best team, they’re going in the right direction and have two very good drivers (I don’t think Lance is quite there).

      I’ll put it on RD later. As much as I like the website it’s annoying to copy stuff into (unlike anywhere else) so I tend to put it off. 😉

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