After annihilating the entire field at the Belgian Grand Prix, reigning World Champion Max Verstappen isn’t expecting to enjoy the same success going forward, after Spa-Francorchamps suited the RB18 “perfectly”.
Verstappen was in a league of his own last weekend, lapping over half a second faster than the entire grid virtually every lap.
It’s a type of domination that hasn’t been seen for a very long time, as Verstappen claimed pole by over six-tenths of a second.
To put his sheer dominance into perspective, Sir Lewis Hamilton qualified seventh but was a staggering 1.8 seconds behind his fierce 2021 rival.
READ: Driver accuses Alpine of ‘playing ‘ with Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri
Verstappen actually started the race from P14, after taking a grid penalty for having a new power unit fitted.
This didn’t faze the Dutchman at all, as by Lap 18 he’d already gotten himself into the actual lead of the Grand Prix.
He went on to win the race by almost 18 seconds, from team-mate Sergio Pérez.
Many couldn’t believe the pace Verstappen produced, with Red Bull boss Christian Horner having also been left surprised by what the 24-year-old was capable of.
Verstappen now boasts a 93-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship, meaning that it is all but certain he will retain his 2021 title.
The Dutch driver isn’t expecting it to be as easy as it was in Spa every weekend, though, with Verstappen simply believing Spa was suited to the RB18.
“I think our car is very efficient. This track [Spa] I think suits it perfectly, maybe,” he said.
“So I know that some tracks which are coming up might be a little bit more difficult; then I expect again a good battle with Ferrari. It was just that this track seemed to be perfect for the car.”
That “good battle” with Ferrari that Verstappen talked about could come this weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix, Verstappen’s home race.
The circuit is tight and twisty, very similar to the Hungaroring, where Charles Leclerc would’ve won, had it not been for another strategic blunder.
The Dutchman will be hoping for a repeat of Spa, with victory at his home race all but certain to send Dutch fans into pandemonium.
Zandvoort will be an especially big challenge for Kevin Magnussen, Guanyu Zhou and Alex Albon.
READ: Ex-Daniel Ricciardo team-mate speaks out as he’s linked to Haas and Williams
All three haven’t raced on the updated version of the historic track yet, with Magnussen having not even been to the circuit since 2011.
“It’s a great track,” Magnussen recalled.
“It was a great track in F3. I know they’ve changed it a little bit, but I think they only made it better, at least looking from the outside last time out. Looking forward to it.”