Verstappen will have the Verstappen Grandstand back for his team's home race
2021 F1 Belgian GP weather report: We analyse the weather as F1 returns to Spa for the 2021 Belgian GP
The Belgian GP has always been a special one with Spa hosting huge moments in F1 history. After the summer break, all drivers will be gearing up to go all in as the season begins the second half.
With the title race becoming tighter every race, the two teams- Mercedes and Red Bull will go head to head once again. This time around, the advantage has smoothly shifted back to the defending champions after their impressive showings in the last two races.
The pair have been fighting for top spot in the world championship all season, and it’s certainly been an intense battle.
While Hamilton was in the lead at the start of the year, Verstappen then took over in Monaco. Just before the summer break, however, the British driver then regained the top spot, which means Verstappen will be looking to bounce back in Belgium.
The temperature at the weekend will range from 10 to 13 degree Celsius with a minimum possibility of rain. The winds will go up from 7 to 14 km/hr which may make it harder for the drivers to race.
| Day | AM | PM |
|---|---|---|
| Friday | Mostly cloudy, 19°C | A little rain, 21°C |
| Saturday | Cloudy, 19°C | Cloudy, 22°C |
| Sunday | A morning shower, 20°C | Some sun, 22°C |
After securing significant championship leads courtesy to a run of five consecutive race triumphs from Monaco to Austria, Red Bull entered August’s summer break with just two points from the last two rounds, where arguably season-defining mayhem erupted.
The Belgian Grand Prix, which will be held at Spa-Francorchamps, will be a crucial test of Red Bull and Verstappen’s title credentials as they attempt to reclaim the lead.
“It’s a lot of freak moments at the moment that cost us a lot of points. They are of course very quick, but we never give up.”
Team boss Christian Horner spoke in Budapest (h/t Sky): “We’ve had six victories, and the races we’ve lost are with a tyre explosion [in Azerbaijan], being taken out at Silverstone, and then Hungary.”
“I think we’ve got a lot to be positive about and the whole team is fully motivated.”
Mercedes, meanwhile, have been enjoying the success in recent weeks after several major upgrades to the W12. The team’s upgrade package introduced at Silverstone appears to have worked wonders with Lewis Hamilton securing pole position in both qualifying sessions since then, as well as having by far the fastest car at the most recent race in Hungary, where Red Bull usually thrives.
“It’s definitely been a hard slog for us. Those guys with their update, they had I think a combination of things but they took a really good step once we got to the midpoint.”
“Monaco onwards was intense but the upgrade really has worked and then we’ve just been working on our procedure through the weekend and trying to extract more from the car and I think now we’re a lot closer.”
Ferrari and McLaren will also be looking to solidify third place in the Constructors’ standings. The battle continues at the bottom with Williams, Alfa Romeo and Haas.
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