24/07/2024
NEWS STORY
Max Verstappen: Spa has always been my favourite track, with its fast corners and lots of opportunities for overtaking.
The fans are also great and we receive a lot of support there. Hungary was a tricky race and a weekend to forget and move forward from. We have been working as a Team to optimise our performance and get the best out of the car that we possibly can. Of course the weather makes things a bit more unpredictable but we will see what the race brings. The Team have been working very hard and, being the last race before the summer break, we are looking forward to having a well deserved rest and want to come back stronger; for this weekend, we will try and deliver the best result possible.
Sergio Perez: The recovery we managed on Sunday in Hungary was very positive. I think it showed how comfortable I was in the car over the weekend and the potential we had. It's frustrating that we didn't get to fight for the podium, because we had the ability to be up there with the race performance we showed, the final stint was very promising. Now it's down to me to put the whole weekend together in Belgium and I am confident we can. We are working well together as a Team and what my mechanics were able to do to rebuild my car overnight in Budapest shows the incredible hard work everyone puts in, day in and day out. There's one race to go before the summer break and I want to repay my Team for last weekend with a good result, they are all that matter to me.
Stats & Facts
• Max has won the last two Belgian Grand Prixes by a margin of 22.305 seconds (2023) and 17.841 seconds (2022) respectively, despite not starting in the top five on the grid either time.
• In winning from 14th on the grid in 2022, Max rose to the lead of the race by the end of lap 12. Only two drivers have ever started that low on the grid and reached the race lead in fewer laps, although they were due to early pit stops (Markus Winkelhock, Nurburgring 2007 and Esteban Gutierrez, Barcelona 2013). Max made 11 on-track passes on his way to the front.
• Checo has backed up Max perfectly in both years, with Oracle Red Bull Racing finishing 1-2 at Spa in 2022 and 2023. Between Max and Checo, last year's victory was the Team's 12th consecutive win to start the year, breaking the previous record for most consecutive wins from the start of a season (previously held by McLaren in 1988).
• Checo has frequently found his best form at Spa during his Formula One career. Prior to joining Oracle Red Bull Racing in 2021, Checo's career-best starting position was fourth, which he achieved three times... all at Spa-Francorchamps (2014, 2015, 2018).
• Checo's second place finish at the 2023 Belgian GP was the 33rd of his career, passing former Red Bull Racing driver Daniel Ricciardo on the all-time podium list. Checo now his 39 career podiums.