There is always some back-and-forth going on between Red Bull and Mercedes in the media. After all, they are the top 2 teams in the Constructors’ championship. Rivals, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have had the most neck-to-neck battles compared to any other pair on the grid. And at the Hungarian GP, Hamilton even took a shot at Red Bull for a depreciating DRS advantage. That comment from him has now met with a strong reply from Helmut Marko.

The 7-time champion took Pole in Hungary, beating Verstappen by 3 thousandths of a second. After that session, Hamilton even said that RB seem to have lost the massive DRS advantage that they had. That performance of his and the comment created a lot of ripples in the media. But none of that has translated into repeat success in Belgium this weekend.

Once again, at Spa, the only name on the top of the time charts is Max Verstappen. And based on how he’s driven in all sessions this weekend, the DRS looks better, if not the same. So, retorting to Hamilton’s jibe, Red Bull taskmaster Marko said, after the sprint race, “In terms of tire wear and overall performance our car is in a class of its own especially when we have DRS.“

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Marko’s claims are quite confident. Still, the Dutchman has chosen to take a rather toned-down stance for the expected results of today’s race.

Compared to Helmut Marko’s Confident Stance, Max Verstappen Takes Humbler Approach as He Lists Prerequisites For Victory at the Belgian GP

Despite losing the lead of the Sprint race to Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen very easily took it back and finished the 11 Lap race with a 6.3-second lead. However, he starts the race today in P6 owing to a 5-place grid penalty for exceeding the maximum number of gearboxes for a year. So, compared to Helmut Marko, he has taken a humbler approach when speaking with the media.

Verstappen said, as quoted by Sky Sports, “The car was quick. We knew already over one lap that we were not bad, but also it seemed like in the race we were quite good on keeping the tires alive. So hopefully we can do the same tomorrow if it’s dry. But tomorrow of course I’m starting a bit further back. I need to be careful to not have any damage on the car. As soon as I just have a clean lap one, I think from there onwards we can move forward.”

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The following question might have an obvious answer considering the might of the RB19. But can Max Verstappen win the Belgian GP for the 3rd consecutive year?