Why the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix might be the most important race of the year
After a three week break the drama is set to resume at one of the greatest circuits on Earth
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Formula 1's three week summer break comes to an end this week as the paddock descends on the iconic Spa-Francorchamps Circuit for what might be one of the most important Grand Prix of the season.
Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton have been locked in the most intense title fight since 2016, but beyond that there are stories up and down the grid in which this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix will play a crucial part.
Here's five storylines to keep your eye on, and how best to do so...
1. The championship battle resumes
The fight for the 2021 F1 Drivers' championship has been nothing short of a Hollywood movie script.
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and 15-time Grand Prix winner Max Verstappen have exchanged blows and the points lead throughout the first half of the season in what might be the most intense title fight for five years.
It all came to a head at Silverstone, where a collision between the pair turned took the conflict to the next level. Like iconic driver rivalries Senna-Prost and Schumacher-Hakkinen, Hamilton and Verstappen may have different on-track and off-track styles, they also won't stop at anything to beat the other.
Spa marks the start of the second half of the season, and in a way this is where the championship could be won and lost. Hamilton's lead of eight points may sound minor, but if he wins his third Belgian Grand Prix in five years, and Verstappen hits trouble, that points margin could quadruple. Miss out on valuable points here, you'll find yourself fighting your way back into contention for the rest of the year.
Listen in to live team radio between the drivers on F1TV Pro and hear if the tempers overflow during this crucial race in the championship fight.
2. Low Downforce packages
Spa is known for being fast, properly fast. Drivers will keep the throttle pinned for around 80% of the lap, and that goes up to nearly 90% during qualifying where they'll ease through 200mph/320kmh on the run up the Kemmel Straight to Les Combes.
Teams will experiment with low downforce packages in a search for the perfect balance of top speed and corner grip, vital lessons that will be applied later in the year.
Keep an eye on which team can maximise this set-up as it could forecast performance in the following race at Monza, before appearing later in the year at Mexico City and Sao Paulo, where the championship will be nearing a close.
F1 rules dictate that Team factories must be closed during the summer break, so the engineers will need to apply the lessons learnt over the season so far to get up to speed as quickly as possible.
Why not check out F1 TV's live timing data to stay across who's topping the speed trap standings, and work out if they've got that all important balance sorted out.
3. Can Alpine carry form in their battle with Alpha Tauri?
The Hungarian Grand Prix three weeks ago provided one of the upsets of recent years as Alpine's Esteban Ocon took a surprise win in changeable conditions.
The 24-year-old's first ever Grand Prix win showed the strength of the A521 as a fourth place finish for teammate Fernando Alonso vaulted the French team ahead of Alpha Tauri in the Constructors' championship.
The question this weekend is, can they carry that form? Despite the race being turned on its head on the opening lap, Alpine still managed the race to stop a late charge from Hamilton.
Strategy was a vital part of their success, and with F1 TV you can track live tyre usage data as the race goes on to see the race tactics playing out on screen. Maybe you'll see how Alpine and Alpha Tauri play it safe, or roll the dice in order to beat eachother to the checkered.
Alpha Tauri have the crosshairs set on Alpine and will need to respond at this weekend's Belgian GP in an effort to reassert themselves in the fight for fifth place in the standings. What better place than at a circuit where star driver Pierre Gasly has scored points every time he's raced there in F1.
4. Daniel Ricciardo breakthrough
Whilst drivers like Verstappen, Hamilton and Sergio Pérez are stealing the headlines towards the sharp end of the championship, McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo is working away to get up to speed at his new team.
After winning races with Red Bull, the 32-year-old's switch to Renault didn't quite bare the fruit both he and the French manufacturer were hoping for across the two years together. Despite finishing fifth in the championship in 2020, the seven-time race winner is now at McLaren where he finds himself with less than half the points of his teammate Lando Norris, who has picked up three podium finishes in the first half of 2021.
It takes time to get comfortable at a new team, but it goes without saying that Ricciardo needs a breakthrough result and, having won the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix he certainly knows what it takes to win at the Ardennes rollercoaster.
With an attacking style, and famous for overtaking moves late on the brakes, Ricciardo is always worth watching. With F1TV Pro you can ride onboard with all of the drivers in real time, a handy tool to see if that breakthrough result is on its way.
5. George Russell and the Silver Arrows
F1's self-proclaimed 'Silly Season' where driver moves and contracts are talk of the paddock is set to kick off at Spa, but for Williams' George Russell, those conversations have been ongoing since he joined the championship in 2019.
Russell's status as a Mercedes junior driver has lead to the continual expectation amongst fans that one day the 23-year-old will join the Silver Arrows, and replace Vaterri Bottas.
After making Q3 for 13 times in a row before the 2021 Hungarian GP, Russell went on to score his first points for Williams in the race, taking the checkered flag in eight place.
His consistency, tenacity, and teamwork make Russell a star of the future, and there's no doubt Mercedes are watching his every move. Put together another strong race this weekend at Spa, just as the 'Silly Season' starts stepping up a notch, and Russell's future could start to look a lot more silver.
With F1 TV Pro's driver tracker you can see if Russell is putting together one of those performances that has him earmarked as a champion of tomorrow, and set for another F1 points finish.
For live, uninterrupted coverage of the 2021 F1 season, with the live pitlane channel, pre and post-race shows, plus all the features mentioned throughout this article, click here to check it out. (Regional restrictions apply)
Even better, why not use code SPA50 for 50% off F1 TV Pro for 2 months
Offer starts 26/08/2021 and ends 23:59 (BST) 29/08/2021. This limited time offer is only available on Pro, and customers will need to take out a monthly subscription. This offer can only be redeemed on web. Offer not available in Netherlands, France or New Zealand.
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Comments (16)
This is where the fun begins 👀
Did you just quote Anakin Skywalker...... 😏
This is the way.
As you can see, this article didn't age well 😂😂
This is going to be epic. Best turbo hybrid season!
Turned out to be the most important non-race.
This race will basically showcase how much work Merc have done over the summer and whether or not Red Bull can sustain the championship pressure - we all know who is the second half specialist between Max and Lewis
Teams are required to take 14 consecutive days of 'Factory shutdown' to ensure the thousands of staff get some well earned holiday, so not too much time to make major gains or developments 🏖
You know Toto the King 😏 his team is a monster and knows what to tinker right after the factory starts to give Lewis the upper hand; this will be just like the start of the season in Bahrain 🇧🇭