After a one-month hiatus, Formula 1 is back and next up is the Belgian Grand Prix to kick off the second half of the 2022 season.
There’s nine races left before someone takes home the crown. But so far it’s Max Verstappen who’s at pole position with an 80-point lead in the drivers’ championship, while his team Red Bull have a 97-point edge in the constructors’.
Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo recently announced that he and McLaren have “mutually agreed” to end their relationship at the end of this season, which leaves us to wonder what’s next for his career.
With another exciting race on the horizon, continue to read on below as SBOTOP brings to you the latest Belgian Grand Prix 2022 updates.
Mercedes and Ferrari sound optimistic, but Red Bull remain the favourites
The tug of war between Red Bull and Ferrari continues at Spa with the former seemingly pulling away. However, Mercedes’ upturn of form means that they could have a bigger say both in the drivers’ and constructors’ championships.
Lewis Hamilton, in particular, is on a roll. The seven-time world champion headed into the summer break with five consecutive podiums – including a P2 in Hungaroring – and he believes that they’re bound to win at least once in the final nine races.
“I do, definitely. Of course we’ve been improving, we’ve had this consistency of the recent races and great progress that the team is making, everyone pulling together and continuing to push,” said Hamilton.
As for Ferrari, who are trailing behind Red Bull, it’s just a matter of putting it all together since they have arguably the most powerful car in the paddock. The summer break is probably the reset that they need after a string of lacklustre results –majority of them self-inflicted.
“I still believe in the championship of course. It’s going to be a very difficult challenge, but I will believe in it until the very end,” said Leclerc.
Daniel Ricciardo to explore options after McLaren exit
It’s sad that it has come to this for Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren. When he joined them in 2021, the Australian was expected to lead them back to the championship race, but the partnership has never quite clicked.
Ricciardo had a three-year contract with the Woking-based outfit that will expire at the end of the 2023 season. But because of the shakeup in the drivers’ market prompted by Sebastian Vettel’s retirement, there were murmurs that he was going to be replaced sooner than later.
Oscar Piastri was tipped to take his seat, although there’s nothing imminent just yet. Furthermore, Ricciardo emphasized that he still has a lot in his tank.
“I still love the sport,” said Ricciardo in a press conference. “I still want to do it competitively, but I want to do it in the right place. If I’m here, I want to be here for a purpose.”
Now that he’s a free agent, he is probably going to take his time to weigh his options, although he revealed that he would be open to return to Alpine if they can give him a “competitive” car.
For now, Ricciardo has to finish nine more races for McLaren this term. He’s currently 12th in the drivers’ standings on 19 points, which is 57 adrift of his teammate Lando Norris.
History
Inclement weather is a norm in Spa and that was the case last season where we witnessed the shortest race in Formula 1 history.
The said race was delayed multiple times due to the torrential rainfall. But after a few more tries, they decided to stop the event altogether for safety reasons. Since Max Verstappen was on pole for the three laps, he was given the win while George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished P2 and P3.
George Russell earned his first-ever podium finish in 2021, which was also Williams’ first since Lance Stroll at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton is the active racer who has the most victories with four and he last won it in 2020. All in all, the iconic Michael Schumacher leads the pack in the all-time wins list with six.
What are the odds?
Max Verstappen is the obvious favourite in Spa, as per the Belgian Grand Prix 2022 odds. The Dutchman is priced at 1.40, but behind him are Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. – who are priced at 1.55 and 1.77 respectively. Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez is at 1.80, while Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are also in contention since they’re at 1.91 and 2.05.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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