Leadership in FP1
Friday of ups and downs for Max Verstappen at Spa-Francorchamps, both for the feedback on the track and for the officiality of the ten-place grid penalty, thanks to the use of the fifth internal combustion engine. A day that had started in the best possible way for the Dutchman, author of the fastest lap in FP1 with a half-second advantage over the McLaren of his direct pursuer Oscar Piastri, fresh from his first victory in F1 at the Hungaroring.
Step back in FP2
However, in the afternoon session the world champion seemed less convincing on the flying lap, despite finishing in third position behind the two McLarens and ahead of the Ferraris: “We tried different things – explained #1 while summarizing the day – in the first and third sector you reach maximum speed, but then the central sector is very long and speed is required in the curves. Consequently it’s very difficult to find the right balance. We have the data and we will analyse it. I think we started off quite positively today. The second tests were perhaps not as good as we wanted, so there are some things to reviewespecially with all the changes we’ve made.”
An uphill race
Few words, however, about the rest of the weekend. For Verstappen, a good performance in qualifying will be crucial for a less heavy relegation on the grid, in order to facilitate the comeback for the victory or the podium: “We have to start a few positions back because of the engine penalty, and so we still have to optimize some things“.
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