McLaren’s renewed form and speed has energised the constructors championship standings race.
F1 goes to Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, for the 12th round of the season
Photo Credit: Netflix
Formula 1 returns for the Belgian Grand Prix, the 12th round of the 2023 F1 Championship, after a gap of just one week from the Hungarian Grand Prix. The race weekend for F1 starts on Friday, July 28, and goes on till Sunday, July 30. This is a sprint race weekend for F1, so there are fewer practice sessions, and qualifying for the main race will take place on Friday, July 28. The sprint shootout and sprint race will take place on Saturday, followed by the main race on Sunday evening.
Max Verstappen remains at the top of the championship standings, while Red Bull Racing's second driver and Max's teammate Sergio Perez is holding on to second place, following a podium finish in Hungary. McLaren managed to retain its renewed form and speed in Hungary following a surprisingly good result in Great Britain two weeks ago. Lando Norris picked up his second podium finish of the season, while Oscar Piastri also finished strongly in fifth place. This has put McLaren well ahead of rival Alpine in the standings.
There are support series races for F2, F3, and Porsche Supercup taking place during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend as well, making this a busy weekend for racing. Indian F2 drivers Jehan Daruvala and Kush Maini both scored points in the F2 sprint race in Hungary, but failed to score points in the more important feature race, with Daruvala now one point ahead of Maini in the standings.
F1 fans in India will need to have the F1 TV app, along with the F1 TV Pro subscription, to watch all sessions of the Belgian Grand Prix 2023 in India, along with support series races for F2, F3, and Porsche Supercup.
All race sessions across the weekend can be watched on the app across all supported devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and smart TVs. You can also use multiple devices simultaneously to enable different viewing angles and statistics, which can be viewed along with the F1 TV feed and commentary, as well as the global broadcast feed from Sky Sports.
Practice 1: Friday July 28, 5:00pm (IST)
Qualifying: Friday July 28, 8:30pm (IST)
Sprint shootout: Saturday July 29, 3:30pm (IST)
Sprint race: Saturday July 29, 8:00pm (IST)
Main Race: Sunday July 30, 6:30pm (IST)
Practice: Friday July 28, 2:35pm (IST)
Qualifying: Friday July 28, 7:25pm (IST)
Sprint race: Saturday July 29, 5:15pm (IST)
Feature race: Sunday July 30, 1:30pm (IST)
Practice: Friday July 28, 1:25pm (IST)
Qualifying: Friday July 28, 6:30pm (IST)
Sprint race: Saturday July 29, 1:30pm (IST)
Feature race: Sunday July 30, 12:00pm (IST)
Practice: Friday July 28, 10:00pm (IST)
Qualifying: Saturday July 29, 6:30pm (IST)
Race: Sunday July 30, 3:15pm (IST)
The Belgian Grand Prix takes place at the scenic and fast Spa-Francorchamps circuit, located in Stavelot, Belgium. Notably, wet weather has been forecast for the entire weekend, which could either put a damper on the race due to safety concerns as was the case in 2021, or make the race more exciting and unpredictable, if the race does go ahead. The track is known to be unsafe in wet conditions, and was the scene of a horrific F2 accident in 2019 that saw the death of driver Anthoine Hubert, and serious injuries to Juan Manuel Correa.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen remains in front in the championship standings, following his seventh successive win in Hungary. A newly rejuvenated and competitive McLaren is challenging for podium positions and could even lead to a shakeup in the constructors' standings, but for now it appears as if Red Bull Racing's dominance can't be matched. Lando Norris picked up a second consecutive podium with his second-placed finish in Hungary.
Ferrari and Aston Martin continue to struggle and have been unable to build on early competitiveness. Mercedes, while unable to match up to Red Bull Racing, has managed to stay in second place due to consistent performances, although McLaren has proven a tough challenge in the last two races, with seven-time world champion Hamilton only able to come in third in both Great Britain and Hungary.
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