Formula 1 returns after almost a month of closure for vacations. To see the last race you have to go back to July 31, in Hungary. There, Max Verstappen, undisputed leader of the World Cup, climbed to the top of the podium and bagged 25 very important points to continue getting closer to what would be his second consecutive title. There are nine appointments left for the end of the competition and the difference between the Dutch driver and his closest pursuer, Charles Leclerc, is 80 points. It is increasingly difficult to think of a comeback. At the Belgian Grand Prix it will be seen if there is any real hope.
Formula 1 will restart its engines after the short summer break on Belgian soil, at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. After the first two free practices on Friday, August 26, the third free practice sessions will take place on Saturday, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Spanish time), and then the classification, between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. It can be seen live on DAZN F1, and can be followed on the La Vanguardia website.
The most recent precedent of the Belgian Grand Prix is ??historic. Last year Verstappen won, ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. Due to inclement rain, the start of the race had to be delayed several times. Three hours later than planned, the pilots went out and could not pass the three laps. The Grand Prix was suspended, but to determine the winners, only the first lap was taken into account, as determined by the regulations, since 75% of the race was not completed. Thus, it became the shortest race in history. In addition, half of the corresponding score was awarded. It was the sixth time this had happened.
This is not expected to happen again, but what does not change is the situation of Max Verstappen, who starts again as the top favorite. In Hungary he won, beating, precisely, Hamilton and Russell. Carlos Sainz achieved a creditable fourth place that allows him to stay in fifth position in the general classification, although with less and less advantage over Hamilton. Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez and Leclerc, the Red Bull driver’s closest pursuers, finished fifth and sixth, respectively. In this way, the Dutchman continues to widen the gap, increasingly insurmountable.
Fernando Alonso, for his part, finished in eighth position and remains in the middle of the table in the general classification of the World Cup. The Spaniard has already announced that he will not renew with Alpine and will go to Aston Martin. We have to see how this decision in the middle of the season affects his performance and the environment in which he will still be his team until the end of the season. After Belgium, the next round of the World Cup will be at Verstappen’s home, one more reason to distrust the possibility of a miraculous comeback in the remainder of the season. It will be in the Netherlands where the fifteenth race of the year will take place, the first in September.
