2024 Formula One Belgian Grand Prix Preview

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Image: Red Bull Content Pool / Getty Images

WHO ARE YOU SUPPORTING THIS WEEKEND?

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Round fourteen of the Formula One World Championship takes us to Belgium at the sim racers favourite,
Spa-Francorchamps. After the thrilling and controversial event that was the Hungarian Grand Prix, Spa is shaping up to be another classic.

What did you think about Oscar Piastri's maiden victory? After the controversial finish, McLaren stayed very quiet and continued like nothing was wrong. Could it all boil over at McLaren in Belgium this weekend?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1815688885747265698

Esteban Ocon to Join Haas in 2025​

Haas has signed Alpine’s Esteban Ocon on a multi-year contract to partner rookie teammate, Ollie Bearman, in 2025. Ahead of the final race before the break, and at the track where Ocon made his F1 debut in 2016, Haas announced Ocon would take the vacant seat left by the departing Kevin Magnussen.

With Ocon joining the American outfit in 2025, Haas have a Grand Prix winner in one of their seats for the first time in the teams would become the first Grand Prix winner to race one of their cars since they entered the sport in 2016.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1816382961379598835

The Frenchman has driven for Manor (2016), Force India (2017–2018), Mercedes reserve driver (2019), Renault (2020), Alpine (2021–2024). Haas will be the sixth team Ocon has driven for since his debut in 2016, although Renault became Alpine in 2021.

Spa's Brand New Track Surface​

Spa's track surface has been replaced for this weekend's grand prix. In the past, new track surfaces have caused teams a lot of problems. From the slippery and greasy Istanbul circuit to the grainy and deteriorating state of the Las Vegas strip. How will teams cope at the new Spa?

Formula One places a heavy strain on the circuit's surface, especially in the braking zones and fast bends because of the power and speed at which they are putting the power down. Over a long period, the track surface will begin to deteriorate and will therefore require resurfacing.

The Pirelli tyre choices for this weekend:
C2 as P Zero White hard
C3 as P Zero Yellow medium
C4 as P Zero Red soft

https://twitter.com/x/status/1815696514120843354

Max Verstappen Takes 10-place Grid Penalty​

The Dutchman is set to receive a ten-place grid penalty at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix. Verstappen has been on a knife edge ever since Canada when Red Bull had to introduce a fourth Honda powertrain. However, Verstappen has won the last two races at the circuit after similar grid penalties.

Unfortunately for Verstappen, his grid penalty is not the only reason his name is in the headlines. The Red Bull ace has had an official warning for his team regarding his sim racing antics before the Hungarian Grand Prix. Red Bull has officially banned him from competing in any events before a Grand Prix.

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Red Bull's Max Verstappen at last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. Image: Red Bull Content Pool / Getty Images

When to Watch the Belgian Grand Prix (UTC)​

Friday
Free Practice One - 11:30-12:30
Free Practice Two - 15:00-16:00

Saturday
Free Practice Three - 10:30-11:30
Qualifying - 14:00-15:00

Sunday
Race Starts - 13:00

Who are you supporting at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix? Let us know in the poll above or down in the comments!
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Connor Minniss
Connor Minniss
Website Content Editor & Motorsport Photographer aiming to bring you the best of the best within the world of sim racing.

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J
Lando Norris would be in WDC contention by now if he actually knew how to start a race. Instead we have to settle for a WCC scrap that Mercedes is actually still an outside chance of winning thanks to all this clowning around from the top three.
 
Pete Conway
Premium
I'd put Georgie boy as DoD, the right call and the right moves gave him the best result.
as for Checo, I'm not sure we'll see his face after the break, he helped Russell stay ahead of Max, didn't let Max through on his way to the pits, all on the way of dropping from the front row to 8th, a terrible race for him.
Oscar makes the podium again and Lewis is pissed off that George wasn't a pushover!
 
muzikant
Kingkoenig said:
Piastri lost the race in the pits. 4.4 seconds stop and he finishes less than 2 seconds from Russell. A « normal » stop in 2.4 or 2.5 and he wins.
Click to expand...
like... doesn't really exist in this sport. Piastri was of course also able to get closer because Lewis and George were fighting.
 
P
Damage Inc said:
Nothing put a "fire" under Lando's ass, the car got better allowing him and Oscar to be at the sharp end.

Indeed and I like Sainz, I don't slag him off.
Click to expand...
He got faster when suddenly Oscar was matching him at certain venues in the first half of 2023. This is not related to car performance; had Lando not pushed himself to be better he would be behind Piastri now. This is an example of why it's good to put competitive drivers to push each other in a team.
 
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T
I believe that Red bull has lost the WDC, they simply still don't know it. They don't have pace, they don't have tire management, they don't have a useful team mate, they no longer have the top speed to pass easy, and the strategy team seems in denial still believing that they can overtake like who passes lapped drivers. It's only a matter of time that Mclaren get their feces together and start to do 1-2's everywhere. That red bull nowadays is a car to finish between 3rd in a lucky day and 6th in a bad one, they no longer are contenders.

Only Lando and Mclaren mistakes and Max driving the wheels of that car are keeping Max in a pseudo-contention. RBR don't have the wind tunnel hours needed to turn around the situation, and Perez crashes have eaten the budget for updates.

What is specially infuriating is that for once in a year Perez was in a situation to help Max, and Perez and RBR kept letting him to form a DRS train that shielded Russel against Max. RBR let Max waste his tires trying to make an impossible pass against Russel that was protected by Perez's DRS train.

When Russel passed Perez, Perez acted as if Max wasn't needing his help, he never let him pass nor helped contain Norris, in fact he did the opposite when he had again the chance to help in the next stint. Only to Perez letting pass Norris as if he was his own team mate.

The guy deserves to be fired, not only he doesn't perform (is is humiliating that Max catched him before the half point of the race starting from 11th when Perez started from 2nd), he not even has in himself to try to help the team. And the team needs to start to think if they want to at least put a fight to try to have a slim chance to win this title. I believe that they are going to lose this title, but at least they should lose it trying their best not to.

They need to use a team mate and today didn't, they need to understand that they can't make risky stragegies work because they no longer have a dominating car nor the top speed of the past, and the car is incapable to make tires last, It almost feels as if the team where self sabotaging itself for some reason.

Lando and Mclaren keep wasting chances to win with what is clearly the best car on the grid, the team seems to not know who is their leading driver. And the on theory leading driver keeps piling mistakes under no pressure at all, if he is being so overwhelmed when he has a dominating car I can't imagine how he would fare in a real desperate situation with no chance to improve like Max was at the second half of 2021 or right now in 2024.

Mclaren needs to pick one of them and make the other work for him, the also need to have a big rethink of their pit comunications and strategy team procedures. They are going to look very lame barely winning with a car that had the pace to overwhelm the competition.

This 2024 title has 1997 vibes: everybody remembers how fast that Williams was, how Schumacher drove the wheels of a Ferrari that didn't deserved to fight for a title, and how Schumacher crashed Villeneuve. But nobody get's inspired or remembers anything about Villeneuve for clear reasons: he almost got to lost the title in a car that should have sealed the title by august.

If Piastri can get the team to work for him and he can get to learn to manage his tires that would be the worst news ever to Norris. Piasti is way more emotionally stable, he don't lose the plot in the races, thinks a lot more on the car, is better in dealing with the team, and is braver more skilled overtaker than Norris. The guy doesn't have the hype, but has impessed me more than Norris, Piastri only has that tire management flaw that I believe that with time he can overcome.
 
muzikant
TRASGU said:
I believe that Red bull has lost the WDC, they simply still don't know it. They don't have pace, they don't have tire management, they don't have a useful team mate, they no longer have the top speed to pass easy, and the strategy team seems in denial still believing that they can overtake like who passes lapped drivers. It's only a matter of time that Mclaren get their feces together and start to do 1-2's everywhere. That red bull nowadays is a car to finish between 3rd in a lucky day and 6th in a bad one, they no longer are contenders.

Only Lando and Mclaren mistakes and Max driving the wheels of that car are keeping Max in a pseudo-contention. RBR don't have the wind tunnel hours needed to turn around the situation, and Perez crashes have eaten the budget for updates.

What is specially infuriating is that for once in a year Perez was in a situation to help Max, and Perez and RBR kept letting him to form a DRS train that shielded Russel against Max. RBR let Max waste his tires trying to make an impossible pass against Russel that was protected by Perez's DRS train.

When Russel passed Perez, Perez acted as if Max wasn't needing his help, he never let him pass nor helped contain Norris, in fact he did the opposite when he had again the chance to help in the next stint. Only to Perez letting pass Norris as if he was his own team mate.

The guy deserves to be fired, not only he doesn't perform (is is humiliating that Max catched him before the half point of the race starting from 11th when Perez started from 2nd), he not even has in himself to try to help the team. And the team needs to start to think if they want to at least put a fight to try to have a slim chance to win this title. I believe that they are going to lose this title, but at least they should lose it trying their best not to.

They need to use a team mate and today didn't, they need to understand that they can't make risky stragegies work because they no longer have a dominating car nor the top speed of the past, and the car is incapable to make tires last, It almost feels as if the team where self sabotaging itself for some reason.

Lando and Mclaren keep wasting chances to win with what is clearly the best car on the grid, the team seems to not know who is their leading driver. And the on theory leading driver keeps piling mistakes under no pressure at all, if he is being so overwhelmed when he has a dominating car I can't imagine how he would fare in a real desperate situation with no chance to improve like Max was at the second half of 2021 or right now in 2024.

Mclaren needs to pick one of them and make the other work for him, the also need to have a big rethink of their pit comunications and strategy team procedures. They are going to look very lame barely winning with a car that had the pace to overwhelm the competition.

This 2024 title has 1997 vibes: everybody remembers how fast that Williams was, how Schumacher drove the wheels of a Ferrari that didn't deserved to fight for a title, and how Schumacher crashed Villeneuve. But nobody get's inspired or remembers anything about Villeneuve for clear reasons: he almost got to lost the title in a car that should have sealed the title by august.

If Piastri can get the team to work for him and he can get to learn to manage his tires that would be the worst news ever to Norris. Piasti is way more emotionally stable, he don't lose the plot in the races, thinks a lot more on the car, is better in dealing with the team, and is braver more skilled overtaker than Norris. The guy doesn't have the hype, but has impessed me more than Norris, Piastri only has that tire management flaw that I believe that with time he can overcome.
Click to expand...
you nail it mate, you're absolutely right! big changes are going to happen in the coming weeks that's what i think. Perez out for Yuki? will Ricardo keep his position?
 
Pete Conway
Premium
muzikant said:
you nail it mate, you're absolutely right! big changes are going to happen in the coming weeks that's what i think. Perez out for Yuki? will Ricardo keep his position?
Click to expand...
Both of you... I agree with much of what you say, but I don't think Yuki holding up Max did himself any favours, Checo should just get a train home and on Monday get a bus down to the dole office.
Red Bull have dynamite in their hands and putting another driver that thinks he can be WDC in the other car is a driver that's gonna have one bad day after another, Red Bull have to look outside of their spare seat parts box again, because Liam shouldn't just be dropped in there with the lion, and as I've said before, I feel tha Yuki is still just too tempremental, Danny doesn't have what it takes to go up against Max week after week now, Bottas/Hulk would be a better bet, they need someone who will support Max and bring home the points.

However, I don't believe it's all lost, McLaren are so used to being safe they almost can't believe that it's going well, and Strat calls and driver errors are throwing wins away, Ferrari are playing the old game of 'winning is for losers' (and I think McLaren are copying them)
Mercedes are catching up and will fight off the competition for Red Bull and end the Championship in 2nd place, pushing McLaren and Ferrari to 3rd and 4th
 
Pete Conway
Premium
pai said:
Russell bound to be DSQed, car was 1.5kg underweight.
Click to expand...
Really? He's still DoD in my books, I guess that because it wasn't a full lap of 'pick up' his tyres were a bit low on weight (after 30 odd laps)
I said for years, weigh the cars with new tyres not old worn ones that have been loaded with pick up.
 
P
Pete Conway said:
Really? He's still DoD in my books, I guess that because it wasn't a full lap of 'pick up' his tyres were a bit low on weight (after 30 odd laps)
I said for years, weigh the cars with new tyres not old worn ones that have been loaded with pick up.
Click to expand...
Confirmed, he's out. Congrats Hamilton :p
 
Badwheels
Fix. Lewis threw the race. Why do I say that? Find the video immediately after George crosses the line to win. They flash to the Merc garage and you will see Toto say "Thank You". I believe he was saying that to Lewis for not pressing George for the win. It was clear that Lewis was 1 sec/lap faster than George starting on the last 8 laps. Then all of a sudden he can't get by.

Wrong answer.


On another note, watching Piastri nail the jack dude was worth the price of admission.
 
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