Red Bull's Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix weekend turned out slightly better than expected. After all the struggles at Silverstone, team principal Laurent Mekies had anticipated another difficult weekend at what he described as an "energy-starved circuit", but in reality it proved less problematic.
Max Verstappen made a strong start to the weekend on Friday and followed it up on Saturday by qualifying on the front row. The four-time world champion immediately admitted, however, that Isack Hadjar's slipstream had been worth three tenths, and that he otherwise would not have finished second.
