There is nowhere quite like Spa-Francorchamps. Nestled within beautiful Belgian forests, this circuit has a reputation for being one of the most challenging tracks in Formula 1. The old version of the track was among the deadliest in motorsport; whilst the modern version is safer, it remains a formidable, and at times, tragically dangerous circuit. It was here that in 2019, young French Formula 2 Anthoine Hubert lost his life in a multi-car accident coming out of Eau Rouge. In 2023, Dutch driver Dilano van ‘t Hoff was killed in a similar incident, at the same location, whilst racing for Formula Regional Europe. Make no mistake, Spa demands respect.

Ahead of Formula 1’s mandated summer break, the question was whether or not anyone other than Max Verstappen would take victory. With 10 wins to his name, Verstappen had eased into a commanding championship lead, though a slippery performance in Q1, and some surprising pace out of the McLarens and Ferraris, suggested Belgium might provide some action at the front. In the end, this proved to be a false dawn, as Verstappen secured pole position once again, though there were some small surprises, such as Lando Norris failing to reach Q3, and yet another Q3 appearance for Meerkat’s Theo Pourchaire, who would start sixth, following a grid penalty for Sergio Perez.

Charles Leclerc joined Verstappen on the front row, but could not make any headway at the start. He briefly kept Verstappen honest, but could not keep up with the Red Bull for very long, and soon, Verstappen would begin to build a gap. Behind him, Pourchaire lost places to the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll, but held up Stroll’s veteran teammate Fernando Alonso for several laps, and also frustrated George Russell’s Mercedes for a time. Pourchaire’s teammate Liam Lawson, running further down the field, would ruin his own race by running wide on lap 15, poetically at turn 15, and Meerkat Racing took the decision to retire the car, owing to a gearbox issue.

He was not the only one to endure a poor race. Logan Sargeant ran wide and crashed out in his Williams, even before Lawson had retired. Pourchaire would twice run wide, including a heavy lockup at the final chicane, ruining any hopes he had of a sneaky point. Hamilton managed to spin on the kerb at the exit of the final corner, likewise ending hopes he had of creeping into the points.

The two biggest movers? Perez and Norris. Both were out of position, and both rose through the order in fairly straight-forward fashion. The ease of overtaking down the Kemmel Straight was on full display, several times, especially with DRS aiding moves into turn 7, much to the delight of the spectators.

There was one absolute certainty, namely that Verstappen would take his 11th win of the season. He serenely navigated the legendarily awkward circuit, and not for the first time, enjoyed a comfortable victory. Ahead of the summer break, it certainly seems that he will not be stopped in 2024.

The only item of hope, so to speak, was second place for Leclerc, marking something of a recovery after a few poor races. Meanwhile, it was yet another dismal race for Mercedes, whilst Racing Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda looked very good all weekend, taking an excellent seventh. Perez enjoyed a good surge up the field to take a podium, and Norris also made up several places.

Leclerc has gone back ahead of Norris in the standings, and Verstappen’s lead has grown to 118 points. Elsewhere, Perez continues to close in on Sainz, in the wake of several good displays.

In the constructor’s standings, Red Bull now enjoy a 97 point lead, whilst Ferrari have edged away from McLaren. Behind them, Aston Martin and Racing Bull continue to consolidate fourth and fifth in the standings.

So, that’s it for a month. F1 will return with the Dutch Grand Prix. Will Verstappen treat his home fans to something special?

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