Max Verstappen’s Recent Performance at the Belgian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen clinched victory in the F1 sprint race during the Belgian Grand Prix last weekend but ended up placing fourth in the main race on Sunday. Starting from P4, he made a strong push to catch Charles Leclerc on the final lap, though ultimately fell short and missed the podium celebration for the third time this season.

This is a noticeable change for Verstappen, as he hadn’t experienced a streak like this in his career before becoming the Formula 1 champion. After his second-place finish in the Canadian Grand Prix back in June, he’s now gone through three consecutive Grand Prix without cracking the top three.

The series of events started when rookie Kimi Antoneri collided with him, taking Verstappen out during the first lap of the Austrian Grand Prix. Following that, he managed only a fifth-place finish in the British Grand Prix. Given his fourth-place result in Belgium, it’s clear that he’s outside the top three in three races now.

The last time Verstappen faced a similar situation was in 2019, specifically during the Russian Grand Prix. Interestingly, that race is no longer part of the calendar. In that race, he finished behind Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, as well as Ferrari’s Leclerc. At the following Japanese Grand Prix, he had to retire after just 14 laps due to damage from an opening-lap crash with Leclerc.

In the subsequent Mexican Grand Prix, Verstappen started from pole but encountered trouble right away when he collided with Hamilton, forcing both to fall back in the pack. Things continued to go wrong when, on lap four, he made a risky move to overtake Bottas, resulting in contact that left his car with a damaged rear tire.

It’s worth noting that the tire problem didn’t fully manifest until he reached the pit lane. Verstappen attempted to navigate the entire circuit on compromised tires but ultimately had to take a pit stop and found himself back in P20, trailing Romain Grosjean by 30 seconds.

Despite these challenges, he executed a one-stop strategy effectively, making his way through the field as other drivers made multiple stops. When Daniel Ricciardo took a pit on lap 50, Verstappen moved into sixth place and ultimately finished there.

Many drivers would likely love to experience a “down” three-race streak as Verstappen has now, especially when considering his recent top six results. This situation highlights how impressive Verstappen’s performance has been over the last six seasons.

For those curious, he returned to the podium at the following 2019 US Grand Prix, finishing in third. He wrapped up the season with a win at the Brazilian Grand Prix and a second-place finish in Abu Dhabi.

The big question now is: Will he manage to secure three consecutive podium finishes in the upcoming races? The first test of that quest begins this weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix.