Max Verstappen, Red Bull, Hungary, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Mercedes star pinpoints major hurdle facing Verstappen at Belgian GP

Verstappen will start Sunday's race way down the order after an FIA penalty

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson

Sunday 28 July 2024 10:57 Updated: 12:32

Mercedes star George Russell has pinpointed a major hurdle facing Max Verstappen as he looks to secure a fourth-consecutive Belgian Grand Prix victory on Sunday.

The three-time world champion led the way in qualifying on Saturday, setting a dominant lap time in wet conditions at Spa - almost six-tenths clear of his closest challenger.

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen Spa hopes dashed as Horner addresses Red Bull 'problem'

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The Red Bull star will not start the race at the front of the grid, however, having received a 10-place grid penalty from the FIA for taking fresh engine components earlier in the weekend.

As a result, Verstappen will start Sunday's race P11, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc set to start on pole after he qualified second.

All drivers above Verstappen will start one slot higher than they qualified, including Russell, who set the seventh-fastest lap time at Spa and will therefore start sixth - five places ahead of the Dutchman.

Max Verstappen dominated in tricky Spa conditions

Charles Leclerc will start the Belgian Grand Prix on pole

George Russell pinpoints Max Verstappen hurdle

Despite the above, Russell expects Verstappen to pass him fairly quickly on Sunday, although did pinpoint a major hurdle that the three-time world champion will have to overcome as he looks to charge through the field.

"I’m pretty confident he's going to come through very quickly," Russell said on Verstappen to GPFans and selected media.

"But saying that, yesterday was the most amount of [tyre] degradation we've seen all season on a Friday and you know, with some people, it looks like it may need to be a three-stop.

"But you couldn’t ask for those tyres, you know, one and a half seconds, two seconds off the pace and maybe you can do a one-stop, who knows, but if you do that you might be very slow as well.

George Russell predicts tyre degradation to hit hard at the Belgian GP

"So for sure, we're not looking in the strongest position ahead of tomorrow but I do think there's a lot of opportunity with how much deg there is.”

Explaining why all drivers, including Verstappen, will face such high degradation, Russell pointed to the track surface as the culprit.

“You've got three-quarters of a track which is probably the smoothest of the season and the other quarter is the most abrasive of the season," the Mercedes star explained.

"So you're in two totally different windows and I think that combination of the two is what’s caused a lot of damage to the tyres, so it's the same for everyone.

"I don't think anyone expected this sort of degradation, but I’m sure it’ll be a different story tomorrow when everyone is managing.”

Max Verstappen Mercedes FIA Charles Leclerc George Russell Belgian Grand Prix