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The 2023 F1 Belgian GP qualifying ended with Max Verstappen ending the session 8 tenths of a second clear of everyone. Now not many would have expected the Red Bull driver to do something like that if they had followed the entire session. Red Bull had not looked even remotely close to being the kind of dominant force we've become used to.
Even before the final lap in qualifying from all drivers, it was Charles Leclerc that was on top of the standings while Max Verstappen was second. Yet, when push came to shove, it was the familiar site of the Red Bull taking the reigns at the top.
With the mixed qualifying session done and the grid for the race on Sunday set, what are some of the key takeaways? Let's take a look.
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2023 F1 Belgian GP: Top 5 key takeaways
#1 Red Bull's dominance in the dry is as advertised
Red Bull might be struggling a little in the wet weather and that could normalize the gaps a little but in the dry it's untouchable. The car has traditionally struggled in qualifying only to pull off a massive lead in the long runs. This time around, the car was almost a second quicker in qualifying and one can only imagine what it could do in the race.
The mixed weather forecast could make things very interesting in the 2023 F1 Belgian GP. Still, one has to put the money on Max Verstappen this weekend and he once looks in a different league to everybody else.
#2 Ferrari's strength on the straights pulled it through but the race pace is a question mark
Just as we'd predicted in our preview, Ferrari made the most of the long straights in Spa and qualified impressively. Now the track in Spa is not the one where tire wear proves to be a major issue most of the time. This should also mean that Ferrari should be competitive this weekend in the race as well.
Having said that, the trend that we've in general this season. Ferrari tends to struggle in races and that is something that has stayed with the team for the entirety of the season. A podium is still something that the Italian team can fight over which is certainly a positive with Monza looming large.
#3 Lewis Hamilton is showing his class
The 2023 F1 Belgian GP is once again an example of Lewis Hamilton showing his class. The Mercedes driver has been brilliant lately and has started to take over within the team. After almost 18 months with the team, it does appear that Lewis has his teammate figured out.
A race head-to-head of 8-3 and a qualifying head-to-head to 7-5 is just the tip of the iceberg because it is more than that. It is the overall change in perception of who leads Mercedes right now and it's certainly not George Russell. This was just another race Lewis stamped his authority over the team and showed how important he is as an asset.
#4 Alpine, especially Esteban Ocon, will be disappointed
Esteban Ocon was clearly the quicker Alpine driver in the early exchanges in the 2023 F1 Belgian GP qualifying and this is why he should be very disappointed at damaging his front wing. The French driver is more often than not a safe pair of hands and that incident is not going to go down well with him.
To add to this, Pierre Gasly missed out on a slot in Q3 but was able to qualify in P12. Maybe Esteban Ocon could have done a better job and got Alpine the much-needed top 10 result in the 2023 F1 Belgian GP qualifying. On a weekend of shockers for Alpine, just add another one to the list.
#5 Williams might just be the biggest loser of the session
Williams have a very peculiar car and that car tends to work perfectly on very few tracks where we have long straights. This was precisely why the 2023 F1 Belgian GP was a perfect opportunity for the team to extend its lead at the top. Unfortunately, it does appear that rain took away some of the advantages enjoyed by the car in dry conditions, and hence both the drivers could not escape Q1.
The team will be hoping for better luck for the rest of the weekend especially with the 2023 F1 Belgian GP race weekend going to feature a sprint on Friday as well.
