Max Verstappen, a Red Bull driver, was not overly pleased with the racing at the Circuit de Spa Francorchamps in August 2022, even with all presumptions in the count. He acknowledged that he had weekends of racing that were far better and more exciting in the past, but the Belgian Grand Prix fell short due to limits put in place because of the weather, which limited the use of variables in tires which also resulted in a number of interruptions after the race.
Major Turning point from the Belgium Grand Prix
Max Verstappen, who finished first on the podium, said the choice of medium and hard Pirelli tires was not the best one. It resulted in him losing control of the entire cockpit on multiple occasions, which was crucial in keeping up with the Mercedes racers Lewis Hamilton, who won the race, and Valtteri Bottas, who finished second and allowed Max Verstappen to finish on the top.
Despite being dubious about their tire choice, the Mercedes teammates George Russel and Valtteri Bottas and Red Bull racer Max Verstappen returned to the pit lane on the first lap to change their tires for a better continuation of the race.
Hamilton claimed that the F1 race was becoming monotonous for the fans before the weekend race, but it seems that no one found satisfaction in it. Max Verstappen’s teammate George Russel, who finished sixth in the standings in the Belgian Grand Prix, was similarly dissatisfied with the tire strategy used throughout the entire race.
Zandvoort on the Horizon
After the first race on the redesigned Zandvoort course in 2021, drivers gave it overwhelmingly favorable remarks. However, while the track presented a challenge to drivers in terms of nailing a flawless lap, as many errors during qualifying last year proved, overtaking was more difficult.
As a matter of fact, Verstappen’s win from last year gave this track a world famous popularity which also innates with the issue of porpoising in the Formula One science.
Carlos Sainz Jr: Verstappen’s Nemesis?
Carlos Sainz was able to hold onto the same steering wheel that Sebastian Vettel will give up before the end of the Formula One season in 2020 thanks to the outcome of the 2022 France Grand Prix.
When the two were teammates at Toro Rosso, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz had a “toxic” relationship, according to former Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko.
Verstappen and Sainz began their Formula One careers together at Red Bull’s sister team Toro Rosso in 2015 on which they were competing for race victories at Red Bull and Ferrari, respectively.
Hamilton: The Trailblazer
Max Verstappen won handily despite starting in 14th place at the Belgian Grand Prix last weekend, helping Red Bull to a comfortable 1-2 finish. However, the Dutchman anticipates a more challenging challenge this weekend at Zandvoort.
Despite winning a record seven titles in his career, Sir Lewis Hamilton never managed to earn a victory in the Zandvoort as of today which is also an alarming situation for the Red Bull’s leading driver Max because he already knows that the British driver will surely cause a massive havoc for him in the final race.
Fictitious Sustenance?
Although Verstappen will compete in his native circuit, it is unclear whether he will receive the anticipated support from the home crowd or not, because we all know that the Dutch crowd are not used to greeting a home-grown champion ever in their age-old racing history.
In addition to that, Sergio Perez is also an unproven supporter of his teammate, Verstappen, who loves to make challenges whenever he gets the proper opportunity, despite driving for the same team since the beginning of this year.
Perez also accustomed to the habit which simply points towards a happy outcome but the meticulous Max may not get the proper guidance from his senior counterpart in crucial moments.
Outsmarting Capabilities
The only superior power Max Verstappen possesses is the ability to outperform others during race turning points, which is also a contributing factor to his success in this year’s driver’s championship, and thus he never faces the horrific outcomes that were causing the others to lag behind him.
For obvious reasons, flares are theoretically forbidden in almost all F1 stadiums. Some fans, though, still bring them into the stands which will also boost the courage of Max Verstappen in September 4.
