Max Verstappen has been one of the most dominating F1 drivers in the world over the course of the last two seasons. The Dutchman has looked like a completely different driver since he won his first F1 world championship last year after defeating the seven-time champ, Lewis Hamilton. The duo was involved in a fierce fight for the last season and found themselves crashing into each other on several occasions in Silverstone. However, last year\’s race in Spa is what made the championship fight more interesting. Max Verstappen clinched a victory in Spa from former Williams driver George Russell. The Mercedes rookie driver finished behind the Dutchman in P2 while Hamilton took the last podium spot. The battle continued on during the remaining races, and the championship was decided during the final lap of the season.
Since then, Verstappen has shown total dominance this season, winning eight of the first 13 races. The Red Bull driver has an 80 points lead over Ferrari\’s Charles Leclerc in the drivers\’ championship. The Dutchman could break another record that Lewis Hamilton had never achieved if he wins in Spa during the weekend. With a victory at the Belgian GP, Max could become the first driver since Kimi Raikkonen to win two back-to-back races in Spa. Raikkonen achieved the feat by winning the GP in 2004 and 2005. Surprisingly, Hamilton has never won at Spa on two consecutive times, despite taking the chequered flag on four occasions.
Lewis Hamilton won his last race in Spa during the 2020 season and finished P3 last season. Before that, the 37-year-old won the Belgian GP in 2010, 2015, and 2017. However, with the progress Mercedes have shown in recent times, Lewis could pull off an upset for Verstappen by winning the upcoming race in Spa. But, if Max wins, he would have an opportunity to extend his hefty 80-point lead and move quite far ahead of Leclerc. Ferrari\’s season has been affected gravely by a series of errors, reliability issues, and strategic blunders.
Is F1 Dropping Spa From The 2023 Calendar?
Elsewhere, several reports have suggested that F1 is planning on taking off Spa from the 2023 racing calendar. Several teams and personalities have expressed concerns about the potential drop. Red Bull boss Christian Horner reckoned Spa as one of the most historic F1 races. He suggested that F1 without Monza, Silverstone, and Spa would be like ATP tournaments without Wimbledon. Horner felt these races needed to be ringfenced and protected as they are a part of F1 history and DNA.
The former British driver added, \”We\’ll definitely make our opinion known, but you\’ve got to trust the people who are running the business at the end of the day.\” Verstappen also shared that losing Spa would be a shame as it was his favorite track in the world. The 24-year-old added, \”I just think it\’s just an amazing track in a Formula One car.\”