Max Verstappen | Photo: EPA/ANDRE PICHETTE
Dutchman Max Verstappen and Monaco driver Charles Leclair will start from the last places in the Belgian Grand Prix after receiving a penalty for an engine change.
Red Bull’s Verstappen, who has won eight out of 13 races this season, is in first place in the overall standings and ahead of Ferrari’s Leclair by 80 points. Verstappen won a race that lasted just two laps downwind of the safety car last year due to flooding in Belgium that made the race unsafe. The Belgian-born Dutchman, less than two hours’ drive from the track, had all engine components replaced.
Meanwhile, LeClair has received its fifth engine of the season, as well as a new gearbox. At the rear, the title contenders will be joined by McLaren’s Lando Norris, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, Haas’ Mick Schumacher and Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas. Norris, Ocon and Bottas will drive with new engines, while Schumacher will receive a new control electronics system.
Verstappen is the leader in the World Championship standings with 258 points, Leclair is second with 178 points, and Perez is in third place with 163 points. In the Constructors’ Cup, Red Bull has 431 points, Ferrari follows with 334 points, and Mercedes is third with 304 points. Last year, Verstappen clinched his first career F1 world title in the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, ahead of seven-time champion Hamilton, with whom he was tied on points before the final stage. This season, the F-1 calendar has 22 stages.
