Red Bull aim for another record before August break

Max Verstappen can secure more Formula One records for Red Bull in Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix, held as a sprint weekend for the first time, to set up a milestone Dutch homecoming party after the August break.

Red Bull have won a record 12 races in a row but they can make history at Spa-Francorchamps as the first team to take the first 12 of a season as well as 12 consecutively in the same year.

Another victory for double world champion Verstappen would be his eighth in a row, one shy of the record for successive wins in a season set by former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel in 2013.

That would further crank up excitement for what will already be a festival of orange when the 25-year-old turns up at Zandvoort chasing victory for the third year in a row at the seaside circuit.

"Spa is of course my favourite track on the calendar so I’m looking forward to racing there and seeing the fans, it should be a fun weekend," said Verstappen, who was born in Belgium but races with a Dutch licence.

"I have good memories from Spa and coming off the back of a great team result in Hungary, I hope we can deliver this weekend, it’s the final push before summer break."

Verstappen has won in Belgium for the past two years, from 14th on the grid in 2022, and will be favourite for a hat-trick unless the rain gods intervene.

The current weather forecast is for rain on Friday, when qualifying is held, and Saturday which features the sprint qualifying and standalone race.

Verstappen is 110 points clear of closest rival and team mate Sergio Perez after 11 of 22 rounds and could extend that advantage to the equivalent of five races.

Perez finished second in Spa last year, the only time he has appeared on the podium there.

"The weather will be tricky, as