2023 F1 Belgian GP: Winners and Losers

The 2023 Belgian GP once saw the same guy at the top of the podium as Max Verstappen reigned supreme yet again. Whatever happening behind him was very interesting, though, as there were quite a few intriguing battles.

While Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Charles Leclerc and others had a good day will enjoy the champagne as they head to the summer break, there will be a few who would have a sour taste in their mouth. Who are they? Let's have a look.

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2023 F1 Belgian GP

Winner

Max Verstappen

A flawless weekend for Max Verstappen. He was perfect in qualifying, he was perfect in the race, and for a change, he wanted to have some fun and pushed the car more than what Red Bull thought was comfortable.

The driver is just driving in a different league right now, and there's no one who seems to be able to compete with him. The 2023 Belgian GP might just be the harbinger of what's coming for the rest of the season, and we might not see Red Bull lose this year.

Loser

McLaren

It needs to be analyzed further to find out what led to a sudden drop in pace for McLaren. Was it entirely a result of a wrong setup choice, or it was something else?

After having a commanding position at the front of the grid in the last two races, this was a poor week for McLaren, who will hope to bounce back after the summer break.

Winner

Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc will be hoping to put together more weekends like this, as it was very impressive to see him extract everything that was possible from his Ferrari. He started from pole and looked at the pace of Red Bull all weekend when it seemed improbable to even expect a challenge from Ferrari.

Once the Red Bull duo was out of the way, Charles Leclerc kept his nose clean, had strong stints on all tyres and got another podium. He has leapfrogged his teammate in the standings now and will hope to build on his form in the coming races.

Loser

Aston Martin

The 2023 Belgian GP was a bit dull and depressing if you followed Fernando Alonso's press briefs.

The car was just not in the same league as the top teams, and there's no idea why something that happened. During the race, Alonso was being dropped by close to half a second per lap by the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.

Compare that with the versatility of Aston Martin early in the season, this has been a significant fall. The 2023 Belgian GP is a reality check for Aston Martin as they try to find their early-season form again.

Winner

Alpine

The weekend was not a turnaround of any sort for Alpine but an indication that there's strong potential for the team.

Many have criticised about what has gone on at the team in the last few races. There have been critics within the team and outside who have commented on how the season has been a massive disappointment.

To add to that, the news of Otmar Szafneur and Alain Permaine being fired from their role was not ideal either, but the team bounced back. They got a top-3 result at the 2023 Belgian GP sprint from Pierre Gasly.

In the race, Esteban Ocon made his way through the field to finish P8. Overall, it was a reason to smile for Szafneur as he leaves the French squad, who showed that there's life in the team.

Loser

Willaims

The 2023 Belgian GP was supposed to be the race where Williams would get their share of points and cement P7 in the championship.

The start of the race almost gave an indication that the rocketship of a car might end up with a strong haul of points. That was not meant to be, though, as the rising track temperature ate into the car's tyre life.

After a disappointing sprint, the team had a disappointing race as well as they go home with no points.