The world champion was in a league of his own in Belgium as he led qualifying and then went from 14th on the grid (after an engine penalty) to dominating the race and winning.
The magnitude of Red Bull’s lead at Spa surprised its rivals, as the team had been fairly even with Ferrari in terms of pure pace for much of 2022.
Although theories that the Austrians benefited from the introduction of a lighter chassis were dismissed, the Milton Keynes outfit did point to one element that seemed to have worked particularly well for them and Max Verstappen.
And it is that the fact that the teams have to run with a higher height range in their cars at Spa, as the cars cannot run too low to the ground because the compression in Eau Rouge carries the risk of the ground hitting the track, highlighted some of the strengths of the RB18 much more.
Specifically it seems that, while Ferrari and Mercedes especially seem to produce more downforce when running as low to the ground as they can, Red Bull can reach maximum levels when rolling higher.
That element, coupled with his car’s great straight-line speed, meant that Red Bull lost less with more height in his car, and was in a different league at the Belgian GP.
Team principal Christian Horner said: “I think this circuit has worked in our favour. We have a very efficient car, we have found a very good set-up. Max [Verstappen] has been in phenomenal form, from the first back on Friday.”
Responding to pre-weekend rumors that Red Bull might debut a lighter car, Horner said: “No, we haven’t brought it. And no, we don’t have one…so no, that wasn’t a factor in performance.
“I think a lot was done and a lot of expectation was put into that Technical Directive [against porpoising ], and arguably it has perhaps hurt others more than us.”
“But we haven’t really changed the way we operate the car. Obviously the risk of running aground here is always an issue because of the characteristics of Eau Rouge. But that’s not unique to us, it’s the same for all the teams.
“However, I think we have already seen that this year we have raced with a higher ride height. Our philosophy is probably a bit different to others. Maybe they will make a Technical Directive for the next race that says we have to race a lot. lower,” he said wryly.
The lightest weight Red Bull chassis… in the next races?
Although Horner dismissed the rumor that Red Bull has introduced a lighter chassis for Spa-Francorchamps, he was less clear about the possibility of the team working on such a plan.
Red Bull has struggled all year against the minimum weight limit, but has been able to progress to within a few kilos of where it would like to be.
Asked about the possibility of Red Bull running a lighter chassis in the next two or three races – Singapore has been singled out as a possible launch point – Horner was careful with his words.
“There are no… these chassis that we have now will be used in the next races,” he said.
