Who would you back to win a Grand Prix, a driver starting on pole position, or the driver starting at the back of the grid? Max Verstappen, who is habitual to starting on the front row, has changed the relevance of the pecking order with his exhilarating pace in F1.

Although Verstappen races under a Dutch license, the 24-year-old is born in Hasselt, Belgium, and thus is a hometown favorite this weekend. Returning from the summer break, he has created havoc in the paddock by raising the bar once again in a season where he is looking to defend his F1 crown.

Remarkably, the Red Bull protégé only went out for a sole Q3 run, and despite that, he beat the entire field with a gap of six-tenths to the driver in P2. However, it was Mercedes who suffered a major blow when they compared their own performance to that of car number 1.

The pole sitter of last race weekend, George Russell, found himself 1.8 seconds off the pace set by the 2021 F1 world champion. The mammoth gap on the time sheet left the Briton scratching his head to understand where it all went wrong for the German team.

Following the Qualifying session, George Russell commented on his disbelief and opined Max Verstappen is the clear favorite to stand on the top step of the podium in Belgium.

The Mercedes driver said, “I think Max will flow like butter and probably win the race very comfortably. He and Red Bull are way ahead of everyone else. To be honest, I really don’t know what Charles can do.” (translated using Twitter)

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44 laps are yet to unfold and a fairly mixed grid promises a thrilling race ahead of us.

Key to success for Max Verstappen at Belgian GP

At Spa-Francorchamps, the straight line speed of the car is absolutely essential for victory around the 4.35-mile-long circuit. Favorably for Red Bull, which has a rocket ship on the straights, the RB18 came to life and helped Max Verstappen to take one step forward toward another victory in his career.

The reigning world champion is in the form of his life, and it looks like nothing is impossible for him. Last time out in Hungary, he started P10, spun in the middle of the race, and still crossed the checkered flag in P1.

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Even though he grabbed pole position in Spa; he starts P15 on the grid because he had a fresh power unit installed in his Red Bull. Notably, he would have Charles Leclerc in his rear-view mirrors on the opening lap of the race; as the Ferrari ace also opted for a new engine in round 14 of the championship.

So far, in 11 races that he has finished, Max Verstappen has 8-race wins to his name. Given his form, no one would count him out from claiming a ninth in Belgium.

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Where do you think Max Verstappen will finish in the Belgian GP? Will he see his 80-point lead remain intact? Let us know.