“Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you” – Max Verstappen might have taken these words from Arnold Schwarzenegger very seriously. The Dutch lion now holds three World Championships while looking well on his way toward winning a fourth title too. However, Verstappen’s title run this year has taken a huge hit in recent times because of McLaren racer Lando Norris. The Woking outfit has made changes to its MCL38 that have given superior pace to both Norris and his teammate Oscar Piastri. In fact, at last weekend’s Hungarian GP, the McLaren duo made Max bite the dust fair and square!

Well, the odds are looking to be against Max Verstappen at the upcoming Belgian GP too. This is because Red Bull has decided to copy McLaren’s move and add some updates to the Dutchman’s car. Hence, the upcoming race at Spa-Francorchamps will see F1’s reigning World Champion bring a new power unit for his RB-20. As per the FIA’s rules, whenever a racer’s car takes on a new power unit, they levy a penalty on him. So, Max will start the 2024 edition of the Belgian Grand Prix 10 places below whatever position he gets at the Qualifying on Saturday.

If this piece of news worries you, it doesn’t worry Max Verstappen. Penalty or no penalty, the Dutch beast knows he will still stay in contention for winning the Belgian GP against all odds. We can say this with such certainty because he has pulled off a similar stunt before at the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix. Before the race, Max had incurred a grid penalty for the new parts in his RB-18, but he couldn’t worry less about the punishment from the FIA!

Starting outside the points in P14, Max Verstappen’s luck shone as the beginning of the Grand Prix saw a clash between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. When the race restarted, Max had climbed up to the eighth position already. By lap 18, Verstappen had clinched the topmost spot in the grid while building a gap to his teammate Sergio Perez who ran second. In the end, Red Bull got a 1-2 finish with Carlos Sainz, the polesitter, coming third. So, you see, winning from the rear end is not a task unfamiliar to Max Verstappen. His recent cheerful interaction with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase also proved how he is unfazed by the penalty. So, what is it that he did?

Max Verstappen’s flying form at Free Practice mends relationship with GP

The Hungarian GP saw some incendiary mood from Max Verstappen as the Dutchman trailed behind the two McLarens. As he failed to get full control of his RB-20, Max shouted over the team radio at anyone who listened on the other side. Unfortunately for his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, it was mostly him who got an earful from Max Verstappen. At one point in time, GP had had enough of Max’s tirade and thus he called out the Dutch lion by saying he was being “childish“. But that heated exchange seems a thing of the past now after their bromance at the Belgian GP Free Practice.

As FIA announced Max Verstappen’s penalty, it should have rattled him since he needed to win in the Spa. But the lightning speed of his Red Bull race car lightened his mood at the first Free Practice. He was half a second faster than Hungarian GP winner Piastri. And his car seemed to have less drag force slowing it down than the McLaren MCL38 too. With such hopeful stats changing his mood, he even giggled on the team radio with his race engineer.

The events of the Belgian GP are important for many reasons. This will be Max Verstappen‘s time for redemption after not having won any of the last three Grands Prix. And it will be a chance for him to widen the gap with Lando Norris before going into the summer holidays. So, dear racers, now you can comment below to place your bets on whether Max will get his much-needed Belgian GP win this Sunday or not.