Pleased with the first tests in Belgium, Max Verstappen believes that the true hierarchy of the field will only emerge after FP3.
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Max Verstappen showed a satisfied face at the end of the first day of free practice for the Belgian Grand Prix. Despite the abandonment of the controversial rear wing introduced in recent weeks, the four-time world champion immediately found a good balance with his RB22.
The Dutch driver set the best time in FP1 before finishing FP2 in third place, behind Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris. An encouraging day for Red Bull, which also saw Isack Hadjar finish fifth.
“It went pretty well. We didn’t encounter any major problems and the car’s balance was good from the start,” Verstappen explained.
“The car was well set up and we mainly worked on the final adjustments. Some things worked, others a bit less, but overall, the car behaved well and, with the package we have, it was a good day.”
The true hierarchy expected on Saturday
While Friday’s times are encouraging, Verstappen remains cautious about Red Bull’s real level compared to the competition. The Dutchman finished nearly five tenths off the reference set by Kimi Antonelli and believes that the current gaps do not yet fully reflect the strengths present.
According to him, the third free practice session will provide much more clarity before qualifying.
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“We are focusing primarily on ourselves. I don’t really know what we can still gain compared to the others,” he said.
“I think we will see the real gaps only during the third free practice session. It’s not a surprise, that’s generally what happens. I hope we can reduce the gap before qualifying.”
A new wing that already seems adopted
This weekend at Spa, Red Bull returned to a more classic version of its rear wing after the problems encountered with the inverted model used in previous races. This part had caused two consecutive failures on Verstappen’s car, prompting the team to remove it.
Despite this change, the performances shown on Friday are reassuring. While Verstappen still reported “unacceptable” downshifts during FP2, this issue did not prevent Red Bull from having a solid start to the weekend.
Saturday’s qualifying session will now determine if the Milton Keynes team is capable of returning to the level of Mercedes and McLaren in the fight for pole position.
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