Max Verstappen said he’s focusing on damage limitation against Lando Norris after qualifying fastest in the 2024 Belgian GP, although he will start from 11th thanks to a 10-place grid penalty for a new engine at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
It’s de ja vu for the defending world champion as he was fastest once again in qualifying only to drop down the order, but he doesn’t expect to win the race at a canter as he did in 2022 and 2023.
So, with Norris and McLaren posing a threat to Verstappen and Red Bull’s championship aims, the 26-year-old admitted his aims are to simply damage limitation what he views as an inevitable dent into his championship lead.
“Survive lap one and just go from there,” Verstappen told members of the media, including Total-Motorsport.com, of his Grand Prix targets. “We also have a bit of a different tyre strategy to the other cars, so we have to wait and see how that will evolve in the race.
“But we’ll see what we can do. I’m not as confident as I was the last two years around here about coming back to the front.
“I still see more as like a damage limitation race, that’s how it is, but at least today was the best possible we could do in terms of the starting position for tomorrow.”
More from the Singapore GP
Catch up with Total Motorsport's latest Singapore GP coverage, including Max Verstappen's victory at Marina Bay, Ferrari's costly strategy gamble, the full race classification, and the updated 2026 Formula 1 Drivers' and Constructors' Championship standings.
Who are Red Bull fighting according to Verstappen?
The 2024 F1 season has thrown up plenty of twists so far with seven different Grand Prix winners and four teams climbing to the top step of the podium to collect the victor’s trophy as McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari have all stepped closer to Red Bull.
Yet with a 0.595 margin to Charles Leclerc prior to the grid drop penalty being applied, the Dutchman’s team appear to be pretty dominant in Spa despite his downbeat spirits so who does Verstappen actually think he’s racing in his damage limitation quest?
“Starting 10 places back it is going to be a little bit more tricky,” Verstappen told members of the media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “I don’t expect it to be like the last three years looking at the cars around us being quite quick.
“We’ll just try to move forward, try to fight Ferraris, Mercedes, and with a bit of luck, maybe the McLarens. But it all depends on our pace ourselves.”
