Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda was outqualified by Verstappen for the 12th time in as many qualifying sessions since he joined Red Bull, failing to reach Q3/SQ3 for the seventh time in a row; his deficit on the Dutchman was six tenths, and he ended up 12th. It is worth noting that he was not given the upgrades that Verstappen is running this weekend.

Verstappen began his F1 career with the Toro Rosso F1 team (now Racing Bulls) in 2015 at the age of 17. After being promoted to Red Bull the following year, the Dutch driver went on to secure four championships from 2021 to 2024,

With Christian Horner's dismissal, four-time world champion Max Verstappen is driving with a new team boss at Red Bull Racing for the first time. The Dutchman, among others, responded to GPblog in Belgium when asked whether the departure of the team boss has consequences for his future.