Max Verstappen has won the Belgian Grand Prix in three of the past four seasons, but Tom Coronel feels the Red Bull racer faces an ‘obvious’ disadvantage at Spa this week.
Red Bull had not won at Spa since 2014 before Verstappen took his first Belgian GP victory in 2021. It set the 27-year-old up to win three times on the trot in the Ardennes forest, until Lewis Hamilton ended his arch rival’s run with the Briton’s final victory as a Mercedes driver.
The Belgian GP is a second home race for Verstappen, as the Dutchman was born in the city of Hasselt in Limburg. Spa is also one of his best circuits and a track that the Red Bull driver believes should permanently be on the F1 calendar, even if it will soon be a rotational event.
As part of the contract that Spa agreed with Formula 1 back in January to continue staging the Belgian GP through 2031, the race will only be on the bill in 2026, 2027, 2029 and 2031. Verstappen is also losing his main home event, as 2026 will yield the final Dutch Grand Prix.
Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesMax Verstappen must ‘try to capitalise’ on Oscar Piastri fighting Lando Norris to win the 2025 Belgian GP
Verstappen winning the Belgian GP in 2025 would see him join Jim Clark and Kimi Raikkonen as four-time winners. This week’s trip to Spa is also big for his team, as the Belgian GP is Red Bull’s first race since the team fired Christian Horner and replaced him with Laurent Mekies.
READ MORE: The most successful F1 drivers at the Belgian GP of all time and at Spa
Friday 25th July to Sunday 27th July
Friday 25th July 11:30 1st Practice Friday 25th July 14:30 1st Sprint Qualifying Friday 25th July 14:49 2nd Sprint Qualifying Friday 25th July 15:06 3rd Sprint Qualifying Saturday 26th July 10:00 Sprint Saturday 26th July 14:00 1st Qualifying Saturday 26th July 14:25 2nd Qualifying Saturday 26th July 14:48 3rd Qualifying Sunday 27th July 13:00 Race
But Coronel is not holding out much hope for his Dutch compatriot Verstappen at Spa, as he believes the Red Bull RB21 will not be strong enough to fight the McLaren MCL39 that Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris will both look to claim their maiden Belgian GP wins in this Sunday.
“There’s no home advantage, especially not now,” Coronel has told RacingNews365. “But these are the circuits where you can make up a lot as a driver. But if the car isn’t as good, also because the circuit is so long, then you lose a lot there, too. It’s always exciting.”
So, while motorsport adviser Helmut Marko has confirmed that Red Bull will debut upgrades at the Belgian GP, Coronel suggests Verstappen’s best bet to win at Spa will be to let Piastri and Norris ‘squabble’. It is ‘obvious’ that he will face a disadvantage, so will need some help.
Coronel added: “Let those two squabble and try to capitalise on it. But the car is simply too strong. That’s just too obvious.
“That’s what all the drivers had with the Red Bull a few years ago. They knew it beforehand, and then it just stopped. You can’t do anything about it. You can only applaud and say they did a great job at McLaren.”
Red Bull face an additional hurdle for Laurent Mekies’ first race with an F1 Sprint at the Belgian Grand Prix
Even Marko has warned Red Bull they cannot have a ‘disaster’ in practice for the Belgian GP on Friday, as they will only get one session to dial their update in as there is also an F1 Sprint this weekend. Red Bull have tended to struggle to find a strong set-up straight away in 2025.
READ MORE: Five unforgettable Belgian GP from Schumacher vs Hakkinen to a 13 car crash
Position Drivers’ Championship PointsPts 1 234 2 226 3 165 4 147
Even Red Bull’s new team principal Mekies feels the team must improve how they start race weekends after seeing them struggle on Fridays whilst in charge of sister team, Racing Bulls. It will be key at Spa if Verstappen is to eat into his 69-point deficit to Piastri in the standings.
Red Bull will not enjoy three practice sessions and an overnight simulator session this Friday night to help improve Verstappen’s set-up for the F1 Sprint at the Belgian GP. They will then have a limited window to make any changes before Saturday’s qualifying for the Grand Prix.