Having seemed sure to stamp his authority all over this weekend, he\u2019s now set for a duel with his teammate in one motorsport\u2019s most iconic settings.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
But there are sure to be external factors at play on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The weather forecast is for rain. Some are predicting it to be heavy.<\/p>\n
A revitalised Charles Leclerc will start third. Max Verstappen, the grid\u2019s undisputed wet-weather master, starts fourth.<\/p>\n
This track is a driver favourite in the dry but treacherous in the wet.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s sure to be gripping viewing.<\/p>\n
NORRIS GIVES PIASTRI A BAD DAY<\/p>\n
Norris appeared to start qualifying on the back foot after his Friday belting, but in the end the Briton needed only one lap to take pole, his first time good enough for top spot even after he failed to improve with his second attempt.<\/p>\n
Neither of Piastri\u2019s laps could get him past his teammate, leaving him 0.085 seconds adrift on the front row.<\/p>\n
It was vindicating for Norris, who insisted on Friday night that his gap to Piastri was completely explainable, and the Briton was even a touch defensive when asked about his improvement after taking pole.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was nothing to worry about,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople like to make a lot of things up.\u201d<\/p>\n
To be fair to Piastri, it was an unusual conclusion to qualifying. Track conditions deteriorated in Q3, with several drivers struggling or failing to improve on their Q2 times. Norris beat Piastri to pole, but he couldn\u2019t match the Australian\u2019s record-setting time from sprint qualifying on Friday.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s also true to say Piastri had the pace but failed to execute.<\/p>\n
Telemetry shows Piastri was level with Norris as they entered the rapid double left of Pouhon. Norris lifts to about three-quarter throttle \u2014 most drivers do \u2014 whereas Piastri stays just about flat. It earns him an advantage of almost 0.1 seconds on exit.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s at Stavelot, after the Fagnes chicane, that the lap falls apart. A snap through the 170-kilometre-per-hour right-hander costs him time in the moment but, worse, costs him time all the way through the flat-out final sector, leaving him with his ultimate deficit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lap until that point was strong,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it doesn\u2019t really matter if you could have done it. I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a bit disappointing. I think both laps in Q3 were a little bit like that, but that\u2019s how it goes sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s a silver lining for Piastri in qualifying second.<\/p>\n
As he experienced first-hand in the sprint, the driver starting second can get a massive slipstream advantage on the first lap that can propel them into the lead. Unlike on subsequent laps, it\u2019s harder for the leader to play games at the first turn at the start knowing all 19 other cars are bunched up behind them.<\/p>\n
But the benefit of starting second is strongest when it\u2019s dry. In the wet the game will change completely.<\/p>\n
Not that Piastri will fear the rain. Despite Norris being hailed for his wet-weather victory in Silverstone, Piastri would have dominated there were it not for his safety car penalty. Piastri also looked faster in the wet in Australia before both McLaren drivers slid off the road in a sudden downpour.<\/p>\n
But dry, wet or mixed, it\u2019ll be fascinating battle between them.<\/p>\n
VERSTAPPEN GAMBLE WINS THE SPRINT, BUT CAN HE WIN THE RACE?<\/p>\n
Piastri\u2019s worst fear came to pass immediately in the sprint. Verstappen, starting second and with a much skinnier rear wing, blasted past him down the long Kemmel straight on the first lap, easily depriving him of the lead immediately.<\/p>\n
The Australian had got a good start and had appeared to have executed a good enough exit from La Source, the first-turn hairpin, to stave off the attack, but the slipstream was simply too powerful.<\/p>\n
Despite being slower on the run down to Eau Rouge, the tow propelled the Dutchman to a 16 kilometre-per-hour speed advantage over the McLaren halfway down Kemmel \u2014 an unbeatable difference that assured him of the lead.<\/p>\n
More, though, was that Verstappen\u2019s top-speed advantage made him an uncatchable leader.<\/p>\n
Piastri spent the last 14 laps stuck in his DRS zone, and though the drag reduction system gave him a similar speed advantage every lap, it came much later down the straight \u2014 too late for him make up for the Red Bull Racing car\u2019s inherent advantage in a straight line.<\/p>\n
The difference between cars was clear when Norris eventually broke past Leclerc. He couldn\u2019t close in on the leaders in the power-sensitive first or third sectors but would make up considerable ground in the twisty middle split, when Piastri was held up by the slower Verstappen.<\/p>\n
With no scope for strategy and with no tyre degradation over the 15-lap sprint, there was no opening for Verstappen to be overhauled so long as he continued getting clean exits from La Source.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just happy that I was able to hang on to it,\u201d Verstappen said. \u201cVery pleased to win here. It\u2019s my favourite track, home crowd, home feeling \u2014 just very nice always to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
But repeating the feat will be impossible in the grand prix.<\/p>\n
Verstappen\u2019s low wing level was a choice based on key criteria.<\/p>\n
The first is that it was the fastest way to get the RB21 around the lap, opening the door to a front-row start.<\/p>\n
But the second is that the forecast suggested Saturday would most likely be dry, and so it proved.<\/p>\n
The same is not true for Sunday, when it\u2019s most likely to be wet, at least at some point during the day.<\/p>\n
With cars back out of parc ferm\u00e9 between the sprint and qualifying, Red Bull Racing has loaded up on downforce to ensure the car is drivable in the wet. The disaster of rainy Silverstone is still fresh in the team\u2019s collective memory.<\/p>\n
It left Verstappen fourth and 0.393 seconds off pole. While that deficit is now more evenly spread across the lap, there\u2019s now no place where the RB21 has an advantage over the title-leading car.<\/p>\n
But then again, if it does rain, you\u2019d be brave to discount Verstappen just because his car isn\u2019t the quickest one, especially in Belgium.<\/p>\n
HAMILTON\u2019S NIGHTMARE CONTINUES<\/p>\n
\u201cIncredibly painful\u201d is how Lewis Hamilton described his shock Q1 elimination at the Belgian Grand Prix, a race he\u2019s won five times.<\/p>\n
The Briton was eliminated in 16th in the grid-setting session after having his fastest lap deleted for cutting the corner at Raidillon, the same place that almost cost Piastri an SQ2 exit in sprint qualifying a day earlier.<\/p>\n
The result was compounded for Hamilton, having qualified 18th for the sprint. He finished the short race 15th, making Saturday an exclusively miserable affair.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s turning out to be a pretty bad weekend so far,\u201d he said, per the BBC.<\/p>\n
\u201cI made a mistake, so I\u2019ve got to look internally, and I\u2019ve got to apologise to my team because that is just unacceptable to be out in both Q1s.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very poor performance for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the first time this season Hamilton has been knocked out in Q1, and starting 13 places behind Leclerc is the biggest gap between the two drivers all year.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a much worse result than his season-average deficit of 2.2 places and 0.163 seconds behind the sister car.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s not just the result. It\u2019s also the context.<\/p>\n
Ferrari brought an important suspension upgrade this weekend targeted at curing some of the worst ills that have prevented both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc from being consistently competitive, especially over one lap.<\/p>\n
Leclerc excelled, qualifying an unexpectedly strong third in one of the team\u2019s best demonstrations of pure pace all season.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the hard work on the filming day we did and all the preparation and we come here and don\u2019t go through Q1,\u201d Hamilton said. \u201cIt\u2019s not acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
That said, arguably it\u2019s not quite as bad as it looks.<\/p>\n
Hamilton\u2019s disallowed lap was only 0.009 seconds slower than Leclerc\u2019s in Q1. While he clearly isn\u2019t as comfortable in the car as his teammate, the pace is there when he executes.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s cold comfort for the Briton, who now faces a long afternoon starting at the back.<\/p>\n
As for Leclerc, the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix winner was pleased to note that the upgrades are taking the car \u201cin the right direction\u201d but was cautious about his race prospects.<\/p>\n
\u201cWet weather \u2026 I don\u2019t think is a strength for our car at the moment,\u201d he said, perhaps thinking back to his failure to score in wet Silverstone last time out. \u201cBut having said that, every weekend is different.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will only be able to tell after the first few laps to see where we are, but I\u2019ll try to look forward before looking in mirrors.\u201d<\/p>\n
TSUNODA MAKES QUALIFYING STATEMENT IN NEW-MANAGER BOOST<\/p>\n
Laurent Mekies\u2019s first weekend as Red Bull Racing principal started with victory for Verstappen and continued with Yuki Tsunoda\u2019s best qualifying result for the team.<\/p>\n
Tsunoda has been tipped as a potential beneficiary from the leadership change. It\u2019s not that Christian Horner wasn\u2019t supportive but rather that Mekies knows what the Japanese ace is capable of.<\/p>\n
With a more technically minded boss at the helm, it was thought Tsunoda might get a second wind in his battle to close the gap.<\/p>\n
The improvement seems to have come immediately.<\/p>\n
Tsunoda qualified seventh, his highest grid spot for Red Bull Racing \u2014 though still not as good as his fifth place in Australia for Racing Bulls.<\/p>\n
It was his first Q3 appearance for the team since May\u2019s Miami Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
His deficit to Verstappen was 0.342 seconds \u2014 a season-low 100.34 per cent, his smallest deficit since Austria.<\/p>\n
It would be disingenuous to say it was simply improved vibes that got him there.<\/p>\n
The team made the call after the sprint to give Tsunoda its latest iteration of floor, given to Verstappen at the previous race in Silverstone.<\/p>\n
Through a combination of RBR\u2019s rushed upgrade pipeline and Tsunoda\u2019s big crash in Imola, the team has often not had enough spares to equip both cars with the same parts. Verstappen has understandably been prioritised.<\/p>\n
Tsunoda still doesn\u2019t have an identical car to Verstappen but at least now has the same floor, the most powerful aerodynamic part of the car.<\/p>\n
The Race has reported it\u2019s worth between 0.3 seconds and 0.4 seconds per lap \u2014 which puts Tsunoda\u2019s half-second deficit in Silverstone into context.<\/p>\n
This, combined with the set-up experiments and other preparatory work he and the team have been conducting in recent months, is the real explanation for the bump.<\/p>\n
But that doesn\u2019t negate the positive effect of having Mekies back in his corner.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s funny because when I was at Racing Bulls, when I was always getting into Q3 from Q2, he always smiled at me from the pit wall,\u201d Tsunoda told Sky Sports. \u201cHe was happy; he was showing me that happy emotion.<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly the same thing happened today as well. He smiled at me and showed that I did a good job. That was definitely a nice flashback to the old times.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t underestimate the effect of that happy emotion on Tsunoda\u2019s outlook for the rest of the season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Oscar Piastri seemed on track for a dominant round at the Belgian Grand Prix after storming to sprint…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25033,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[24577,2620,64,63,689,2071,2090,24562,13275,1199,24572,24557,24585,24578,2057,817,24563,18880,22756,24582,813,816,18917,841,24588,24575,24583,24566,24559,1737,24570,24580,24565,825,677,24586,2114,24581,16213,24590,6869,24568,24554,24561,24567,24587,24571,24579,24560,2643,85,24556,24558,24569,24564,24584,24576,24573,13739,2062,24555,24589,24574],"class_list":["post-25032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-afternoon-starting","tag-agence-france-presse","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-belgium","tag-british-broadcasting-corporation","tag-british-driver","tag-charles-leclerc","tag-christian-horner","tag-cold-comfort","tag-double-disappointment","tag-drag-reduction-system","tag-driver-favourite","tag-europe","tag-f1","tag-favourite-track","tag-filming-day","tag-final-sector","tag-first-turn-hairpin","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-front-row-start","tag-grand-prix","tag-happy-emotion","tag-home-crowd","tag-inherent-advantage","tag-japanese-ace","tag-kilometre-per-hour-speed-advantage","tag-lando-norris","tag-lap-falls","tag-leadership-change","tag-massive-half-second-margin","tag-max-verstappen","tag-oceania","tag-parc-ferme","tag-pit-wall","tag-pole-positiion","tag-positive-effect","tag-race-prospects","tag-rain-forecast","tag-real-explanation","tag-safety-car-penalty","tag-season-average-deficit","tag-set-up-experiments","tag-set-up-gamble","tag-silver-lining","tag-sister-car","tag-skinnier-rear-wing","tag-sky-sports","tag-sports","tag-sudden-downpour","tag-three-quarter-throttle","tag-title-leaders","tag-title-leading-car","tag-track-conditions","tag-tyre-degradation","tag-undisputed-wet-weather-master","tag-weather-forecast","tag-western-europe","tag-wet-weather-victory","tag-wing-level","tag-worst-fear"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25032\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}