The last act belongs to Max Verstappen.
He's hanging in the curb with his Red Bull.
The red flags are given, the training ends a few minutes before the planned end.
When the team called, the Dutchman was irritated over the radio: “I don't know, I've lost the rear end.
I had a little too much oversteer to correct and unfortunately I hit the wall. ”Touched, well.
Anno Hecker
Responsible editor for sports.
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Anyone who comes off the piste at turn seven on the Spa-Francorchamps racetrack is on the move quickly, has just finished the long Kemmel straight and is at the exit of the S combination called Les Combes.
The tempo?
Around 150 kilometers per hour at the moment of departure.
And so, a sign of the force of the "touch", the right rear wheel only hangs on the safety rope.
Verstappen also says he did a little tinkering.
The mood is good, crash or not at the end of the second training session for the Belgian Grand Prix this Sunday (3:00 p.m. CEST in the FAZ live ticker on Formula 1 and on Sky): “Overall, I'm very happy.
That was definitely a very good start. "
That’s what matters after a three-week summer break.
Better to start than to have stopped.
Ninth only at the Grand Prix in Hungary, the end of the "first half", before the holiday after eleven of the planned 23 Grand Prix until Friday.
Before the gates of Budapest, Verstappen lost the lead in the drivers 'standings to Lewis Hamilton again because of Valtteri Bottas' crash tour at the start.
Before the Grand Prix in Silverstone in mid-July, he had left the seven-time world champion in a Mercedes behind by 33 points.
Two races later, at eight, Verstappen was again behind the Silver Arrows driver, while Hamilton in Budapest waved off the podium as the happy second: Have a nice holiday!
"Not quite there yet"
Whatever Verstappen did on his days off;
Apart from his excursion into the lane, he ended up in his comfort zone: first on the timesheet.
The best time in the second practice session on Friday, when the accelerator is accelerated more or less cautiously for the first time with a view to qualifying on Saturday.
So Mercedes beaten.
That gives courage or at least strengthens the impression for the moment that not much has changed over the summer break.
“We closed the gap a little at top speed, but we're not quite there yet,” said Verstappen.
On the circuit in the Ardennes with its high proportion of full throttle, 23 seconds from the hairpin curve to the end of the Kemmel straight, that is a good result for Red Bull. Because the Honda drive does not have the same level of performance as the Mercedes.
In the second sector of the track, when it gets twisty, Verstappen drove away from everyone.
All in all, it was enough for a wafer-thin lead on the first day: 0.041 seconds ahead of Valtteri Bottas, 0.072 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
“It's going to be very close here,” said the Finn Bottas, “going very closely with Red Bull and us.” It will continue as before.
Probably not for everyone.
The Englishman George Russell took part in the press conference on Thursday.
Bottas joined him by order of the International Automobile Association.
An interesting constellation.
Russell Bottas should inherit from Mercedes.
The two did not bring more than a meaningless phrase on the subject to their lips.
As if it had been agreed.
"That's great"
But the mine game when asked about the future said something about their mood. Russell looked in a good mood, Bottas looked reserved. Anyone who wants to can deduce from this that the Briton already knows about his promotion to the side of Hamilton in 2022. The paddock would be delighted. Because Russell should have what it takes to get to grips with the chief pilot, who in turn supported Bottas internally and publicly for a long time. Did Hamilton want to have some peace in times when Verstappen already challenges him?
He rejoiced a second time on Friday, this time more or less on command. Red Bull had announced the extension of the contract with Sergio Perez: “That is great”, Verstappen was quoted as saying: “We have a good relationship and therefore I am happy, with him many points for the team for the rest of this season and the next Year to win. ”What Verstappen wins, Hamilton could lose: A good, motivated co-driver to help out on the way to the title.
But few in the Ardennes dare to look so far ahead. Mercedes' chief engineer Andrew Shoviln even advised not to look beyond 30 minutes. The weather! Just a dry runway, then another shower. Formula 1 meteorologists only assure that the inconsistency will remain. What the top teams don't like because they have to make a decision: "In the event that it should rain, you obviously want more downforce, but if it doesn't rain after all, you are (with more wing area for more downforce / d . Red.) Vulnerable on the straights. So we have to be very careful about the changes we make, ”Shovlin explained.
This applies to all teams. But who, like Sebastian Vettel (8th on Friday) in the Aston Martin, has nothing to lose, likes the luck factor after so much bad luck. Or was it inability after all? In Hungary he finished second as a clever beneficiary of the Bottas crash. And was disqualified because too little gasoline remained in the tank (0.3 liters instead of one). All the trouble a terrific misunderstanding?
As the trade magazine Auto Motor und Sport wrote, Vettel's car is said to have had significantly more than gasoline on board than desired. Vettel got the order from the team to burn a lot of fuel. A miscalculation was only noticed in the last lap. Vettel then looks further than Shovlin: "I hope we can benefit from the capricious weather." Mick Schumacher holds on to this chance. On Friday he finished 22nd behind his teammate Nikita Masepin. Under normal circumstances, the Haas is ranked 21st.