Despite his excellent second starting position, Max Verstappen does not necessarily expect to compete for the win in the Belgian GP on Sunday. Red Bull lacks the necessary race pace for that, the Dutchman thinks. “The most important thing is to run my own race and then we’ll see.”
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With Kimi Antonelli just one spot ahead of him on the grid, the chance of a fight for victory might seem possible on paper. In practice, the Italian in the Mercedes car will likely prove too fast for Verstappen’s RB22. “I don’t think I can really fight with Kimi,” says the four-time world champion.
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He is quite positive about the car itself. “The balance is generally good. Maybe we are still just a bit too slow on the straight. But in qualifying, we got a little faster every lap. At some point, though, it stops; there’s no more time to gain: full throttle is full throttle.”
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Also important on Sunday is the start. Red Bull’s starts have not always gone smoothly this season. That Lando Norris drops out from P3 due to a grid penalty means one less competitor in the first meters. But behind Verstappen on Sunday are Russell, Leclerc, and Hamilton in succession.
So the Dutchman knows what awaits him at the start: “I will have to watch the mirrors. And the most important thing is to run my own race and then we’ll see what that yields.”
Read more Belgium GP 2026 Qualifying Results
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