On a weekend where much of the conversation was dominated by the weather, Max Verstappen once again reigned supreme over the rest of the field.
At a circuit where he won from 14th on the grid last year, the Dutchman was never going to struggle navigating his way to the front from his starting position of sixth. Perhaps the only surprise was that it took him 17 laps to do so.
Such was Verstappen’s dominance out in front, the champion-elect was even suggesting over the team radio that he come into the pits for extra practice for the team – much to the irritation of his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.
Let’s now take a look at what we learnt from the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix weekend.
Soaking Spa gives FIA a headache once again
The Belgian Grand Prix might have been held one month earlier than its usual end of August slot, but it made no difference to the weather that we have all come to expect with Spa-Francorchamps.
Such was the terrible weather forecast, particularly for Friday, the FIA had even devised plans to set the grid for the Grand Prix on Sunday based on championship order had qualifying not been able to take place.
Thankfully this woeful solution never came to fruition as miraculously no running was lost over the course of the weekend, despite, at many times over the three days, it seemed preferable to race an ark over a Formula One car, such was the ferocity of the rain.
Nevertheless, most of the sessions were delayed in some capacity, most notably the Sprint race which was pushed back just enough for a near biblical rain shower to hit the circuit just as the race was due to begin.
Much of the problem when it comes to rescheduling sessions during race weekends stems from a lack of flexibility within the FIA’s own rulebook. This includes, for example, the stipulation that a minimum amount of time must transpire between sessions.
Changing this would in some cases allow organisers to bring sessions forward to avoid incoming inclement weather. This would have sporting consequences, of course, but it is more important to get the running in so the fans can enjoy the cars on the track and critically so the drivers can get around the circuit safely.
Piastri stars despite DNF
Oscar Piastri’s weekend may have come to a sudden halt at La Source on lap one when he was unable to avoid conflict with Carlos Sainz, but the rookie had an otherwise stunning showing at Spa.
Piastri qualified just 0.01s behind the great Verstappen in the Sprint Shootout and even led the Sprint Race for a time when he bravely pitted for intermediate tyres when the race finally got going.
The Australian, who was clearly a substantial talent in the junior categories as he romped to both the F3 and F2 titles in consecutive years, has done more than enough in his debut F1 season and with Lando Norris across the garage from him, McLaren arguably have the strongest driver pairing on the grid heading into the second half of the season.
With a high downforce circuit coming up after the summer break in the form of Zandvoort, there’s every chance that the team from Woking will be right up there at the top of pecking order once again.
A better weekend for AlphaTauri
It has been a dismal season for AlphaTauri who, in just a couple of seasons, have fallen from the top of the midfield in Formula One to sadly becoming the sport’s basement dwellers.
However, the Italian team got back on the scoreboard on Sunday when Yuki Tsunoda took the chequered flag in 10th place, giving everyone involved with the team a much-needed lift.
A late overtake just took Daniel Ricciardo out of the points in Saturday’s Sprint in only the Aussie’s second race back in the sport, but much encouragement can be taken from a far more positive showing at a sodden Spa.
Sprint Saturday’s continue to impress
While I have no doubt that it was partly the weather that helped to create exciting sprint events in both Spielberg four weeks ago and at Spa this weekend, the format is certainly continuing to win fans over.
What can be said for sure is that the extra jeopardy created by the two additional competitive sessions, as well as the reduction in free practice time, makes for entertaining, and more importantly, more meaningful action.
It needs some tweaks here and there, particularly on wet weather weekends such as what we have just had. The parc fermé rules perhaps could be relaxed as it seems harsh to be forced to lock in a wet setup on a car 48 hours before the race as opposed to the usual 24 hours.
The format will certainly continue to evolve and the FIA will listen to fans, drivers and teams alike to explore how it can continue to be improved.
Formula One is now on its summer break but will return at the end of August with the Dutch Grand Prix from Zandvoort.
