Verstappen's dominance, Piastri on the prowl: Talking points ahead of Belgian GP

Heading into the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, several talking points have come up that need addressing.

Among these is the pertinent matter of Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen's dominance in 2023.

We discuss this and the performances of Oscar Piastri and Alex Albon as potential highlights for this weekend's racing.

Oscar wants it

For the second race in a row, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri failed to make it onto the podium of a Formula 1 race. The Australian finished fourth in Great Britain and fifth in Hungary.

While this may not sound like something, we must remember that in GB, he raced in third place for much of the race, and in Hungary, he leapfrogged from fourth to second after Turn 1.

READ | History, strategy, and rain: The conundrum F1 teams face ahead of the Belgian GP

It is worth noting because Piastri is racing a McLaren F1 car that was not the quickest when the season started.

But now that the team has turned a new page and he and Lando Norris are raking in the results (and points), the only box left to check is Piastri converting his top-3 running orders into a podium.

The heavily updated McLaren can finish on the podium, and the Spa-Francorchamps circuit may be where Piastri can secure his first top-3 result in F1.

Red Bull's continued dominance

The Red Bull F1 team is on an incredible run of form. Since executing the (new) 2022 technical regulations meticulously well, the team has gone on to rewrite many of the sport's records. And in the process, they have set new ones.

Yet, the question remains: can they be stopped?

At the start of this season, Mercedes' George Russell predicted that the Austrian team would win every race this year.

READ | The Formula 1 records Max Verstappen and Red Bull broke in Hungary

And