The chasing pack has become one of the most intriguing aspects of the 2023 Formula 1 season because there are now four teams fighting for second place. Before, it was Aston Martin, Mercedes, and Ferrari, but McLaren have now entered the fray following their positive results since the Austrian Grand Prix.
And after yet another impressive outing last time out, McLaren are going to be one team to look out for in the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, where more valuable points are up for grabs.
McLaren are eager to prove that their recent performances are not a fluke, but now that they are under the spotlight, will they be able to sustain their meteoric progress?
Read more below as SBOTOP brings to you the latest Belgian Grand Prix 2023 updates.
McLaren are firmly in the mix despite mixed fortunes
Lando Norris has been responsible for McLaren’s rise with a pair of second-place finishes in back-to-back races. Teammate Oscar Piastri finished P4 and P5, but he could’ve done better if it wasn’t for bad luck.
At Silverstone, Piastri was comfortably running in third place for much of the race until an ill-timed Safety Car cost him his maiden podium finish (P4).
And then at Hungaroring, Piastri dropped to P5 because he needed more stops than usual because of high levels of tyre degradation in his car.
Late in the Hungarian Grand Prix, Piastri was battling with Sergio Perez that had the crowd at the edge of their seats. He was doing everything he can to fend off his Mexican counterpart, but Perez eventually took second place because he had too much pace.
But despite the mixed results between Norris and Piastri, it was still a great two weekends for McLaren because they’ve improved to fifth in the constructors standings. McLaren couldn’t even get a single point at the start of the 2023 campaign, so right now they can give themselves a pat on the back.
McLaren will look to continue to prove their doubters wrong, and the good news is that they now have a solid foundation to work with.
Is Checo finally back on track?
It felt like Sergio Perez was going to struggle again after he finished ninth in the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying. However, he dug deep and finished in P2, so now he’s confident again ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.
Checo badly needed last weekend’s result because he was on a major slump in the races prior. After winning four podiums in the first five races, he recorded one podium in the next five races, with P16 in Monaco being his worst outing.
Perez remains the closest challenger to Max Verstappen’s three-peat bid. However, he still has a long way to go to catch his teammate, as the Dutchman leads Perez by 110 points in the drivers’ standings.
It’s upon Perez to safeguard his Red Bull seat moving forward. Checo needs to keep this up, especially since Red Bull are keeping tabs on Daniel Ricciardo’s progress with his new team, AlphaTauri.
History
Rain is expected to fall throughout this weekend, which has been the norm in Spa. In fact, it was on this track that we witnessed the shortest race in Formula 1 history because of inclement weather.
They delayed the 2021 edition of this race multiple times because of the downpour of rain. With Max Verstappen leading the way for the first three laps, they gave him the win, while George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished P2 and P3.
Last week, Red Bull beat McLaren’s long-standing record for most consecutive wins in a single season with their 12th straight win at the Hungarian Grand Prix, and they’re eyeing No. 13.
McLaren’s previous record was 11 during the 1988 Formula 1 season.
The great Michael Schumacher has the most wins on this track with six, whereas Lewis Hamilton has the most among current drivers with four, with the last win being in 2020.
What are the odds?
Red Bull are likely to extend their impressive winning streak this weekend, as Max Verstappen is being favoured by the Belgian Grand Prix 2023 odds. They priced the Dutchman at 1.35 compared to 2.88 and 3.08 against any other driver in the Sprint and in the actual race.
Lando Norris has a good chance of earning another podium finish because he is valued at 1.80, while Sergio Perez, Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz Jr., and Charles Leclerc are all in the running for the final podium slot at 1.91, 2.02, 2.13, and 2.28, respectively.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FORMULA 1 STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
