Verstappen and Red Bull are the big surprise at Spa: RB22 more competitive than expected

Red Bull Racing brought a single update and new power unit components to Spa-Francorchamps for Verstappen, and the four-time world champion finished Friday with a good feeling.

He was immediately competitive in both FP1 and FP2, but still, technical director Pierre Waché remained cautious despite the encouraging early signs.

After two consecutive weekends where rear wing issues led to crashes in Austria and Silverstone, Red Bull decided to revert to the previous specification for Spa. At the same time, Verstappen received a new internal combustion engine, turbo, and exhaust. These, however, changes will not result in a grid penalty.

That combination seemed to have an immediate effect. Verstappen was, surprisingly, the fastest in first practice, while Red Bull was consistently in the mix at the front in the second session as well. In the end, the Dutchman finished FP2 in third, over five tenths behind the fastest man, Kimi Antonelli.

Whereas Verstappen had said before the weekend that he expected little from the weekend in Belgium, he sounded much more positive after Friday’s second session. "I mean, it's been alright for me, I didn't really have big problems. The car has been in a good window,," the Dutchman commented.

According to Verstappen, the second practice session gave a more realistic view of the competitive order, but the deficit to Mercedes and McLaren was no cause for concern. He did point to a familiar focus area at Spa-Francorchamps: managing the battery and top speed on the long straights.

During FP2, Verstappen reported over the radio that he wasn’t entirely satisfied with downshifts. Afterwards, he explained that Red Bull had implemented a software adjustment, which meant the transmission had to ‘learn.’ By the end of the session, that already felt better.

The most notable change to the RB22, however, was the return to the conventional rear wing. Red Bull has temporarily shelved the so-called ‘Macarena’ rear wing after a test at Silverstone brought an issue to light. Waché confirmed on Friday that Red Bull now knows the source of the problem.

"It's a mechanical problem that we spotted after the accident in Silverstone. We'll fix it. We are trying to prove that we are bulletproof before to it put on the car," he explained.

He expects that the revised version could be ready as early as the Hungarian Grand Prix next weekend. Still, the Austrian team does not want to take any risks after Verstappen’s two incidents.

While Verstappen sounded clearly satisfied with the balance of his RB22 after Friday, Waché was more reserved in his assessment.

The Red Bull Racing technical director called the first day a good starting point, but emphasized that in his view there is still plenty of work to do.

After a difficult spell, Red Bull appears to have taken a step in the right direction at Spa. With a safe rear wing, a new power unit, and an F1 car that Verstappen says is back in the right operating window, Friday looked considerably more positive than the past two Grand Prix weekends. Whether that translates into improved performance will become clear over the rest of the weekend.