Belgian Grand Prix tips and suggested bets: Oscar Piastri set for podium finish
- Mark Scott
- 26 July 2023
Red Bull will have their eyes firmly set on more F1 records at Spa after yet another dominant display from Max Verstappen at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The reigning World Champions are now officially in a league of their own as victory in Budapest extended their incredible run to 12 wins in a row, breaking a record held by McLaren for over 30 years.
They can set a new record on Sunday for the most consecutive wins in a single season and reach the summer break with even more confidence of doing the unthinkable: going the entire 2023 campaign unbeaten.
But, the legendary Spa circuit is a track laced with danger and unpredictability...
Oscar Piastri podium finish
McLaren's season has been transformed over the course of recent races thanks to their incredible upgrade package. The updates have pushed the team from midfield plodders to arguably Red Bull's biggest threat.
All of a sudden Lando Norris has secured back-to-back podium finishes for the first time in his F1 career, but don't discount Oscar Piastri from this weekend's race equation.
The Aussie is pushing Norris all the way and is driving with such a high level of poise and maturity that it has become easy to forget that he is a rookie driver.
Piastri has still yet to bag a podium finish, but his first is surely not too far away.
Fastest qualifier - Ferrari
Believe or not, there is actually a tiny, tiny chink in Red Bull's armour: qualifying pace. Watching Max Verstappen zoom off into the distance on race day is a very familiar sight, but the battle for pole position is a slightly different story.
The fact that Lewis Hamilton in his temperamental W14 was able to steal P1 on the starting grid away from Verstappen in Hungary exposed this weakness and it will give other teams confidence in being able to do the same.
Admittedly, Ferrari are having a miserable season, but they are available at a big price to capitalise should Red Bull leave the door open again in qualifying on Friday afternoon (remember it is a sprint weekend this week).
A power-hungry track like Spa should suit the Scuderia and could provide some hope to their long-suffering fans...albeit only briefly.
Alex Albon points finish
And it's those very long straights at Spa that makes it the perfect time to jump on the Alex Albon hype train again, where hopefully the next stop is Pointsville for the fourth time this season.
This track will be much more to Williams' liking after battling the tight and twisty Hungaroring last weekend and Albon is the clear pick ahead of rookie team-mate Logan Sargeant to try hoover up a point or two on Sunday.
