F1: Max Verstappen faces catch-up race at Belgian Grand Prix

Reigning F1 world champion and championship leader Max Verstappen faces a catch-up race at the Belgian Grand Prix, which takes place this weekend. The Dutchman with Belgian roots decided to have the engine in his Red Bull car replaced and therefore has to move back ten places on the grid. He however remains the big favourite at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, which in the last days also welcomed film star Brad Pitt.

Red Bull fitted a new combustion engine in Verstappen's car for the fifth time. The team thus exceeded the annual limit of four power units. The change will therefore cost the 26-year-old F1 driver a 10-place grid penalty for the Belgian GP race, which starts at 3 pm on Sunday.

Red Bull chose to replace the engine before the Belgian Grand Prix because it is known as a race circuit where overtaking is quite possible. Verstappen has proved that over the past two years. Last year, due to a grid penalty, he started from sixth place and won by 22 seconds. The year before that, Verstappen started from 14th place and took over the lead after just 18 laps.

Verstappen does think it will be tough this year. “The teams are closer together and McLaren is probably the fastest, so it's not going to be as easy to come back as in the last two years,” he said. “Then we had a lead and I was also looking forward to that catch-up race. Now I know it's going to be tough, but you never know. A Formula 1 race is never straightforward. Something can always happen and hopefully we will have a bit of luck.”

New film with Brad Pitt

Spa-Francorchamps will not only host the Formula 1 race this weekend, there will also be film shoots for a new film with the famous American actor Brad Pitt. In the film, entitled ‘F1’, Pitt is playing the role of Sonny Hayes, a fictional former Formula 1 driver. Filming for the project is also done during real Formula 1 races. Earlier this week, Pitt was already shooting scenes at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

^{Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen during the free training ahead of the Grand Prix F1 of Belgium, in Spa-Francorchamps, 26 July 2024 © BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS}