At the Belgian Grand Prix each of the past two seasons Max Verstappen took a grid penalty as Red Bull changed components on his race car.
Verstappen overcame those penalties to win in both 2022 and 2023.
As we and others have noted, 2024 is not either of those seasons. The Formula 1 grid has changed, and the days of Red Bull dominating the field — and Verstappen overcoming penalties with ease — are behind us. Verstappen was quickest on Saturday and that performance during qualifying led many to believe that he would overcome the ten-place grid penalty, and P11 start, in the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.
But that was not the case. Verstappen crossed the line fifth on Sunday and was promoted to fourth following the disqualification handed down to George Russell following a post-race inspection. That recovery drive is an impressive result to be sure given his starting position, but another reminder that his and Red Bull’s days of dominance over the grid are in the rear-view mirror.
“The first stint, I stayed out of trouble the first few laps, got into that DRS train and basically just stayed there. Then we tried to do a nice undercut which I think worked quite well, but yeah the cars are all very similar in pace and then it’s just very difficult to move up,” said Verstappen after the race.
“So, I think from P11 we did a good job. I think looking at the championship it was a positive day for me, of course you want more but yeah with our pace the last few races, it’s not realistic to think we can go P11 all the way to the front again,” added the Red Bull driver. “Those days are behind unfortunately. But we have plenty of things to analyse over the break and see if we can improve the car starting already in Zandvoort.”
The results saw Verstappen extend his lead over Lando Norris to 78 points, as the Red Bull driver banked 12 points on Sunday, as opposed to Norris’ ten. But things are different on the Constructors’ side of things, as McLaren banked 28 points on Sunday at Spa, in contrast to the 19 Red Bull was able to put on the board.
This means that as the grid goes quiet for the summer shutdown, McLaren is just 42 points behind Red Bull. That fact might lead to some interesting discussions in Milton Keynes over the next few weeks regarding the status of Sergio Pérez alongside Verstappen.
“Luckily it’s changing a little bit, so it’s not one particular team that is taking points away but yeah, we know we have a bit of work to do, we want to do better and we’ll see what we can do,” concluded Verstappen on Sunday at Spa.
Can Red Bull find the answers they are seeking? How that question gets answered will go a long way toward writing the final chapter of what is becoming a legendary F1 season.
