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Helmut Marko was all praise for Max Verstappen following FP1 in Belgium. The Red Bull taskmaster lauded Verstappen's session timings, comparing them to his teammate Sergio Perez's and said that it's not the car but Verstappen's ability that makes all the difference.
The Dutchman had a decent outing in FP1, where he held on to P1, ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Williams' Alex Albon. He clocked 1:43.372 and was five-tenths and seventh-tenths faster than Piastri and Albon respectively.
Verstappen's noticeable advancement was in the middle sector, where he gained tremendously over his rivals. However, Marko reckons it has nothing to do with the Red Bull driver's new engine.
"It was just the Verstappen factor," Marko said to Tobias Gruenerof Auto Motor und Sport during live ticker, praising the Dutch driver's valiant efforts. "You just have to see how much he takes away from the others in the middle sector."
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To establish his statement, the Red Bull taskmaster further compared the 26-year-old's timing with Checo's.
"I don't think so," Marko said snubbing a high downforce factor that could have helped Verstappen in the RB20. "Checo drives the same car and he takes away from it as much as from the others."
While Verstappen had a smooth outing in the first practice, it wasn't the same for Perez, who struggled to carry speeds on entries, finishing FP1 in P7 and was almost a second slower than his teammate.
"I'm really struggling to know what the car is doing on entries," Perez said during the FP1. "All speeds, low speed and medium. I don't have the feeling of what's going on."
Max Verstappen secured P3 in FP2 as the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri powered up their MCL38. Norris managed 1:42.260 on the board, while Piastri and Verstappen were two-tenths slower.
Max Verstappen to take a massive grid penalty in Belgium
According to reports, Max Verstappen is set to take a 10-place grid penalty in the Belgian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver opted for a new internal combustion engine at Spa-Francorchamps, which will see him take a monumental grid penalty.
The Red Bull star has used up all the permitted ICEs, which include four ICEs, MGU-Ks, MGU-Hs, turbochargers and two energy stores and electronics. Bringing in a new one in Belgium will see Verstappen start 10 places behind his qualifying spot on Saturday.
Following his P5 finish in Hungary, Max Verstappen saw his championship lead decrease as Lando Norris moved up to P2. Now, starting with a 10-place grid penalty at Spa-Francorchamps, his lead could decrease even further unless the three-time world champion pulls out a masterclass.
