P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Upgrades and a high-speed advantage but that’s still a massive gap to Oscar Piastri for Max Verstappen.
Max Verstappen downplayed the advantage of his upgraded Red Bull at Spa-Francorchamps despite managing to split McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in sprint qualifying. Verstappen, starting second on the grid, finished 0.477s behind Piastri, who set a lap record. Norris will start third, 0.141s behind Verstappen. Red Bull sacrificed downforce for straight-line speed, evident by Verstappen being fastest through the speed trap. Verstappen acknowledged the gap to McLaren but plans to focus on improving their own performance. He remains optimistic about their chances and is determined to keep pushing for more speed.
