As Verstappen overtook the other five drivers who have been relegated to the back of the grid for exceeding the permitted molecule allowance, the damage from Verstappen’s engine change is limited to 15th on the grid, ahead of the second-placed Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. Historically, drivers starting from this position tend to lose around 10 seconds in the first two laps until DRS becomes available, although with a clean start Verstappen can reduce his deficit to Sainz and teammate Sergio Perez at the front part of the field. With rivals stunned by Red Bull’s dominant form in the first race weekend after the summer break, Mercedes’ Russell reckons Verstappen will be able to “pick apart” the field and even win the race. “I think Max will go through and win the race probably quite comfortably,” Russell said after qualifying a depressing 2.1 seconds behind the Dutchman. “I think he and Red Bull are just miles ahead of everyone else. I don’t really know about Charles, to be honest.” Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18 Photo: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images When asked if victory in front of the tens of thousands of Dutch fans flocking to Spa was a possibility, Verstappen replied: “Well, a podium has to be the minimum with a car this good. It would be a shame not to be on the podium.” . For Russell, however, the possibilities of moving up the order on Sunday will be much more limited at Mercedes. He explained that the Brackley team failed to get their tires in the right window just one race after the Brit claimed pole as he qualified eighth behind team-mate Lewis Hamilton. Due to penalties for Alpine’s Verstappen, Leclerc and Esteban Ocon, Russell will now start fifth and fears he and Hamilton will end up in “no man’s land”. “I guess we should be able to be ahead of Fernando [Alonso, who starts third] and we’ll probably end up in no man’s land behind the top four and ahead of everyone else,” Russell said. “We know we don’t have a car that’s two seconds off the pace, so clearly we didn’t get it right today. That’s a bit unlikely, but it’s still a bit hard to swallow when you put it on pole in the last race.” Read also:
