After three weeks of summer vacation, formula 1 returned to action in spectacular (and enhanced) Spa-Francorchamps Circuitwhere in the absence of nine Grand Prix the decisive part of a championship that is leading by solvency will begin to unravel Max Verstappen (Red Bull). Dutch face off Belgian Grand Prix with 80 points advantage Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), however, does not let his guard down. And he’s doing well after seeing what’s been seen in Formula 1 lately. The shocks started all over again, as up to six drivers, including two of the top contenders for the championship, Verstappen and Leclerc, will be penalized and relegated to the back of the grid this weekend for engine swapping.

Leclerc, who had already assumed he would start last at Spa when assembling the new Ferrari power unit, according to estimates. Up to 15 more horsepowerHe found an unexpected ‘gift’ when he learned that Red Bull had decided to use the fourth engine in Verstappen’s car as well. And to add ‘spicy’, Norris, Ocon, Bottas and Mick Schumacher (currently only 10 positions) joined. list of criminalsso this Saturday’s classification (DAZN, 16:00 – 17:00) will rank them in the back of the table.

[Consulta la clasificación general del Mundial de Fórmula 1]

This situation allows carlos sainz ride the grand prix highest expectations and as the main reference at Ferrari. The Madrid man, who will take his second victory in Formula 1 after his victory at Silverstone on Sunday, started his first free practice session through the water as fast as he finished the day in Free Practice 2, in heavy rain unexpected for qualifying or race without development.

On the wet, Verstappen had the fastest time (1.45.507), 8-tenths ahead of Leclerc and 1 second ahead of Lando Norris (McLaren). Fernando Alonso, The morning party is far away, climbed to the top seventh place with Alp on a difficult day for teammate Ocon, could barely make a lap in the morning due to a problem with the gearbox. The afternoon session ended with lots of water on the track and the favorites minimizing the risks after a few scares involving Hamilton or Mick Schumacher.

[Consulta el calendario de la F1]

Before the holidays in Hungary, everything was pointing to a one-two for Ferrari and a very problematic race for Verstappen, who started tenth on Saturday after Red Bull’s third-quarter endurance failure. But the truth is, the Dutchman knew how to read the race at the Hungaroring better than anyone and took a scandalous spin to victory, the eighth of the season. This Sunday, even if he is suspended, he can start in 14th place if he outperforms the other five penalty-taken drivers on the grid in qualifying. And from there, nothing will stop him from trying another success.

Belgian Grand Prix. Free 2:

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1’45″507

2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) at 0″862

3. Lando Norris (McLaren) in 1″082

4. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) in 1″128

5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) in 1″142

6. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) in 1″386

7. Fernando Alonso (Alpine) at 1″468

8. George Russell (Mercedes) at 1″535

9. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) at 1″748

10. Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) at 1″839

11. Alexander Albon (Williams) at 2″013

12. Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo) at 2″110

13. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) in 2″151

14. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) at 2″274

15. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) in 2″360

16. Esteban Ocon (Alp) at 2″437

17. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) in 2″701

18. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) at 2″912

19. Nicholas Latifi (Williams) at 3″105

20. Mick Schumacher (Haas) at 4″434.