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The 2023 F1 Belgian GP will bring the first half of the season to a close. After this race, the teams and the drivers will head home for a well-deserved summer break. This is, however, breaking the tradition of a conventional calendar as Spa tended to make an appearance in the second half of the season.
With Paul Ricard losing its place on the calendar, the 2023 F1 Belgian GP has been bumped up to before the summer break. The race weekend in Spa will also be a sprint weekend so that should add an extra layer of intrigue into everything and with rain expected to make an appearance, things could get exciting as well.
Having said that, what can we expect from the last race weekend before summer break? Let's take a look.
2023 F1 Belgian GP: Preview
Key Storylines
#1 The weather forecast
Spa made the news earlier this season as well with the unfortunate death of a young driver in the FRECA racing series. The incident could have been avoided if the race director were more proactive and didn't allow racing to continue/begin in torrential conditions.
This weekend's weather forecast has rain predicted to make an appearance on all three days. The race director will be under the spotlight this weekend as he walks the tightrope between keeping the drivers safe and ensuring there is action on the track.
Let's hope the weather interventions don't create too much havoc and the 2023 F1 Belgian GP race weekend proceeds smoothly.
#2 The all-important Aston Martin upgrade
It's not an understatement to claim that Aston Maritn's fortunes this season hinge on how its 2023 F1 Belgian GP upgrade works. The team has been going through a worrying rough patch that began in Barcelona. Except for Canada, the car has dropped off significantly in the last few races.
The team is bringing an upgrade to Spa this weekend and will be hoping that it helps the team get back to its previous competitive levels.
#3 Max Verstappen's potentially record-breaking run
Away from the spotlight, there's almost zero attention given to the fact that Max Verstappen is on a potential record-breaking run. He's already won seven races in a row. The record for the most wins in a row is held by Sebastian Vettel and the great Alberto Ascari with nine consecutive wins.
Max is only two race wins away from matching that and then maybe going one step further. The metronomic level of his performances has caught a few by surprise as he continues to put together one good weekend after another.
There's a reason why a nine-race win streak has only happened twice in the sport's history which spans more than 70 years. What's happening right now is rare and will take some beating in the future.
Form guide
In form
Lando Norris has now secured two runner-up finishes in a row as he starts to establish himself as a frontrunner in F1. Not many would have thought such a reversal of fortunes possible for McLaren after the start of the season it had.
Having said that, right now Norris is the closest challenger to Verstappen and at the 2023 F1 Belgian GP, he will be hoping to pick up another podium finish.
Out of form
Aston Martin is down in the dumps right now and the reason mystifies everyone. The last three tracks have different demands and almost encapsulate all of the aspects of an F1 car.
The Aston Martin was slow in all of them. The team is bringing an upgrade at the 2023 F1 Belgian GP race weekend and will be hoping that it helps bring some semblance of competitiveness back to the car.
2023 F1 Belgian GP: Predictions
Who wins the race?
This one is far too easy especially if anyone remembers what happened last season. The Red Bull was as hooked onto the track as any car could be and Max Verstappen was breathtakingly fast last time around. He came through the field methodically to take the lead in the race and then win comfortably.
This time around as well, even though weather could be a factor, it's hard to look beyond him as the favorite.
We're picking Verstappen to win the 2023 F1 Belgian GP and to be fair, this shouldn't come as a surprise.
The surprise of the weekend (Team)
Alpine has had a torrid time of late as McLaren's surge has coincided with its decline. The team is now sixth in the constructors' standings and hopes of a P4 finish are nothing but a distant dream, To add to this, the misfortune of two consecutive double DNFs has left the team in a hapless situation.
Having said that, the 2023 F1 Belgian GP could prove to be a competitive one for the team. The car has tended to be a strong one around Spa and both Alonso and Ocon had a good race here last season.
We're backing Alpine to get back to its points-scoring form as the team tries to rebuild amidst broken dreams of challenging the front this season.
The surprise of the weekend (Driver)
Alex Albon has been the dark horse of the F1 grid this season with far too many impressive drives that have gone unnoticed. The race in Hungary was one such example as well. Having said that, the 2023 F1 Belgian GP gives him another chance to showcase his impressive skills.
Willaims should work well on the long straights and that should give Albon the opportunity to maybe sneak in another points finish.
Disappointment of the weekend (Team)
Long straights and Mercedes don't go hand in hand and this was evident last season as well. This year as well we've seen the team struggle to stay competitive in the long straight and it was evident in Austria as well.
Mercedes was the second-fastest car in Hungary. It might struggle to repeat that in the 2023 F1 Belgian GP.
Disappointment of the weekend (Driver)
The one thing that Yuki Tsunoda needed to make sure of was that he did not let Daniel Ricciardo get a good start in this new partnership. Well, Ricciardo did just that in Hungary, and now that he's more prepared and weathered in that AlphaTauri, he will be more confident.
Yuki cannot afford to lose to Daniel Ricciardo again but we're backing the Australian to get the better of him in the 2023 F1 Belgian GP.
