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Verstappen All Set for Belgian Grand Prix

  • Posted Aug 26, 2021 12:00 by Andrew Barnes-Roberts
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INTERNATIONAL: Max Verstappen is keen to put on a show for his army of orange-clad fans when he heads into Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix. He’s ready to strike back in his Formula One title battle with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. The Red Bull driver had a 33-point lead over his Mercedes rival, but that turned into an eight-point deficit in just two races. There was a controversial race-ending collision with Hamilton at the British Grand Prix, and then a ninth-place finish in Hungary.

A win on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit is just what Verstappen needs to get his championship challenge back on track. He’s won five races this season to Hamilton's four. The checkered flag would also be a fitting way to celebrate Red Bull's 50th race with engine supplier Honda, but Belgium isn’t exactly Verstappen’s stomping ground.

The 23-year-old has twice retired from the Belgian race and has never finished higher than third, but it’s always something of a home-game, with Verstappen having been born in Belgium to a Belgian mother:

"I mean for me, Spa already before I was in F1, it was my favourite track. And of course, even going to other tracks, it's still my favourite and then of course it's kind of a homegrown-prix being half Belgian, half Dutch. So, I always enjoy going there. And then of course, now it's fully back on the calendar. That's the other half where again, a lot of Dutch people will come. And of course, the two tracks are very close to each other and I'm looking forward to that as well."

Organisers have capped capacity at 75,000 fans per day due to Covid-19. Attendance is limited to citizens of Europe and the United Kingdom.


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