Max Verstappen had been facing a tough time getting back on pole since the Austrian GP. In the last few races he faced two incidents that disrupted his performance. He also mentioned he faced issues with the balance of the car. Because of this, Red Bull’s rivals McLaren had almost caught them in the constructors and drivers standing. Martin Brundle claimed that Red Bull’s dominance is now over.
Former F1 driver Martin Brundle commented on Max Verstappen‘s performance at the Belgian GP. He stated that the Dutchman passed his easy rivals like Alex Albon, and Fernando Alonso quickly. As they weren’t competing directly with him for the championship. However, when he caught Lando Norris and the other leading drivers, they were all using the DRS to stay close together. It became harder for Verstappen to overtake and make further progress in the race at Spa.
Verstappen arrived on the back of Norris and the leading bunch in a train seeking shelter in the open rear wing DRS zone of the driver in front, he stalled out for progress.
Martin Brundle told SkySportsF1
Witnessing this performance from the top driver like Max Verstappen, Brundle stated that Red Bull used to be so dominant in F1. They used to win races from almost any starting position on the grid. He mentioned that they had the speed and performance to come from nearly any spot and still secure the victory. However, that level of dominance is no longer present. Brundle highlighted that Red Bull now face more competition and challenges in winning races.
Gone are the days when Red Bull was so dominant they could win any which way from almost anywhere on the grid.
Martin Brundle stated.
Martin Brundle mentioned that there was a lot of discussion in the paddock and around that McLaren would dominate the race. He also highlighted people’s guessing how long it would take Max Verstappen to move up from 11th place on the grid. This was after Verstappen received a penalty for using a new engine. Brundle said the guessing was about how quickly he could reach the front of the race.
There was much talk of McLaren being the pacesetters and ‘guesstimation’ as to how long it would take Max Verstappen from a new power unit-penalized 11th on the grid to emerge near the front.
Martin Brundle said.
Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)
Martin Brundle stated that people thought the fight for the next best positions, after the leading team, would be very close. Ferrari and Mercedes including Sergio Perez, who started from the front row in his Red Bull car, were all considered strong contenders. It was expected that these teams and drivers would compete closely for the best places behind the top team. However, Red Bull’s Perez fell from third to seventh, even behind teammate Verstappen who started eighth behind him.
It was perceived that the best of the rest would be a close call between Ferrari, Mercedes, and Sergio Perez in the front-row-starting Red Bull.
Martin Brundle added.
Martin Brundle noted that McLaren was expected to be very fast however they got outpaced by Mercedes. The competition for the top position was expected to be close between Ferrari, Mercedes, and Sergio Perez in his Red Bull. However, Perez failed to perform his best in the race.
