As the Belgian GP looms, the RB F1 team faces a pivotal moment in determining who will succeed Sergio Pérez.
The stakes are huge for the two RB F1 drivers at Spa. Indeed, as Sergio Pérez might be racing his last race for Red Bull, there’s clearly a spot to be won in the parent team.
Helmut Marko has stated: this Belgian Grand Prix will be decisive for the future of Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda.
The Australian might be best positioned to succeed Sergio Pérez… but that requires a strong performance in the Ardennes. Despite a poor strategy in Budapest, he still managed a good weekend. If he performs well again, this could very well be his last weekend in an RB F1!
How does Daniel Ricciardo feel on the eve of this crucial Grand Prix?
“After a tough Sunday in Budapest, I’m even more eager to get to Spa. We showed good speed last week, and I’m confident we can keep that momentum in Belgium and fight for points on Sunday.”
Spa is often an exciting circuit… but is it as much of a challenge as it used to be? Especially since Eau Rouge is now taken flat out…
“I mean, it’s always an exciting circuit. I think it’s one of those we have all driven many times by now. So naturally, you’re not as thrilled as the first time you drove it and made a region, as you said, in dry conditions.
“Eau Rouge is quite easy now. But at Spa, it probably rains 50% of the time and in the wet, Eau Rouge is a scary turn and it’s a real turn. So it all depends on the weather.
The turn is always fun. It’s not nothing. I think in a race, in someone’s wake, staying flat out in dirty air with less aerodynamic downforce, it’s always a bit scary in a way, but in a fun way.”
So, is it still a great circuit? Yes, but the challenge may not be what it was 20 years ago. Back then, there might have been three or four challenges on the track. Today, there are only two.
Eau Rouge remains a dangerous turn, where terrible tragedies have occurred in the past… However, Daniel Ricciardo notes that there have been safety improvements in recent years.
“I don’t know if it was last year, but recently they’ve definitely made changes by pushing the barriers back. I think at Eau Rouge, that might have been the case last year. Lando had a big crash during qualifying in 2021. I know they’ve made changes and it’s (good) because there have been terrible accidents there. At some point, of course, we say: yes, we want to take safety measures and yes, this turn is iconic, but do we want it to become extremely dangerous?”
Tsunoda in search of a starting role…
Yuki Tsunoda also deserves a promotion in place of Sergio Pérez, after the summer break. He indeed scored points at the last Grand Prix.
With a strong performance, he could turn the heads of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko and secure a starting spot at Red Bull…
“We really turned the weekend around in Hungary. The entire team worked very hard to give us an improved car and we are particularly pleased with how we managed the tires in the race, which means we were the only car to make a one-stop strategy work, which was really the key to scoring points. It was brilliant strategy and teamwork!”
“This last race has given us confidence and I’m eager to see what we can do at Spa, which is obviously a very different type of circuit. Driving at Spa is always special and I particularly enjoy the elevation changes, the way the track rises and falls, which we don’t get at many circuits throughout the year. Most of the turns are high-speed, very challenging, a bit old-school. We often have mixed weather conditions, it could be a bit like the weekend at Silverstone, where we did a lot of laps in the wet, so that gives me confidence if we have rain this time.”
Finally, Laurent Mekies, the team director, does not forget that RB F1 managed to outperform the rest of the mid-grid in Hungary. The goal is to do as well, if not better, this weekend.
“The team turned things around in Hungary and became competitive again after some difficult races. So it’s a good thing that we have another opportunity this weekend in Belgium, before the summer break, to confirm a return to the form we showed earlier in the season. Last weekend was not perfect, but I think we should focus on the positives: a good pace from Friday, both cars in Q3, we dominated the mid-grid once again, which has always been our stated goal for this season. The only teams that finished ahead of Yuki last Sunday were the top four.”
“As usual, Spa will pose tough questions, with its unique nature of high speed, lap length, and variable weather. We need to continue to progress and get a good result, in order to keep a positive mindset during the holidays and the second half of the championship.”
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Pérez’s Future in Balance at Crucial Belgian GP Pérez’s Future in Balance at Crucial Belgian GP
