by FEDERICO ALBANO
The first free practice sessions for the Belgian Grand Prix showed a Verstappen seemingly unstoppableat least as far as the flying lap is concerned. The efficient load, the most lethal weapon that Red Bull has continued to show since 2022, on the Ardennes track was clearly evident in the data recorded by Max Verstappen during the first session, although there are notable differences between the choices of the various teams.
Verstappen full of energy and Pouhon in full
The first obvious choice is the team’s own Red Bullwhich puts on the track a RB20 with clearly more downforce than the competition. The Milton Keynes team seems to have opted for a particularly rewarding configuration in the central section of the trackwhile giving up something in the first and third sectors, the points of great extension. From the data of the comparison between Verstappen and Piastri this is particularly evident, with the Dutchman slower both in the passage at Eau Rouge (perhaps also due to a limitation of the compression load on the floor) and also slower in a more marked manner in the entire re-entry section from Stavelot to the Bus Stop chicane, where however he finds a particularly effective braking that rebalances the time lost on the straight. The passage at Pouhon at full speed is clearly the symbol of how much grip and therefore how much load the Red Bull manages to express in the central sector, and then suffer in extension yes, but still in a limited way compared to the abnormal gain of the central sector (0.6 on the second best split time in that section).
McLaren on the other hand
Curiously the opposite choice was shown on the track by McLaren. If last year the Woking team struggled to put on the track a car that was competitive enough on the straights to necessarily have to run with a high level of aerodynamic load, this year it is noticeable how the choices for Norris and Piastri are in fact very different. The MCL38 proved to be particularly fast on the straightespecially on the return stretch after Stavelot, also demonstrating a certain parsimony in the use of the hybrid part, while the central sector suffered (compared to Verstappen alone, but in a numerically significant way). It will be very interesting to understand how the choices of the team led by Andrea Stella will evolve already in the second free practice session, to understand if overall the path taken at the beginning will be confirmed or if the engineers from Woking will choose a compromise with more downforce also in view of the race. It must be said in this sense that precisely In terms of race pace, the performance was nevertheless very similar for everyonewith a rather pronounced degradation on all compounds, as is to be expected on a track with very high lateral loads and a lap of over 7 km.
And if we look at the trend we notice that Verstappen appeared to have a slightly lower degradation than the competition, but also that Oscar Piastri showed excellent references before recording two particularly high times. Considering that the discipline of the single lap seems to be the moment where Verstappen and his Red Bull are stronger compared to the race pace, the fact that the Dutchman will collect a 10-position penalty for the change of the internal combustion engine seems to be an element that can give more serenity in the choices to McLaren.
Ferrari with a decent load but of a lower level. Mercedes still not convincing
Behind Red Bull and McLaren there are Mercedes And Ferrari (with Albon recording the third fastest time but pushing hard on the engine and low load). The Brackley team appeared less brilliant than expected, with bouncing problems, which re-emerged with the introduction of the new higher load floor and with not very convincing pace simulations. On the other hand, Ferrari has noticed a good central sector overall1 tenth off the time recorded by McLaren, but significant gaps in extension. The SF-24 seems terribly inefficient, and the discrete load expressed brings with it difficulties on the straight, highlighting the development delay that the team is currently accusing after the latest vicissitudes. The balance and equilibrium, however, appeared good andthe step simulation was goodespecially that of Carlos Sainz. However, there is still a lot to discover: the power levels of the individual Power Units used remain an unknown and the second session will tell us which paths, compared to the basic one brought to the track, the engineers will take with the set-ups and from there we could have clearer ideas on what the balances of the weekend will be.
#Spa #Free #Practice #Analysis #Red #Bull #McLaren #Opposing #Ferrari