Verstappen's 76-Point Lead Under Fire as McLaren Heads to Spa on Hungary High

Championship picture

Max Verstappen enters round 14 of the 2024 Formula 1 season leading the drivers' championship on 265 points, backed by seven victories from 13 races. Lando Norris sits second on 189 points — 76 adrift — with a single win to his name, while Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz occupy third and fourth on 162 and 154 points respectively, keeping Ferrari mathematically relevant at both ends of the constructors' table.

Oscar Piastri is fifth on 149 points, meaning McLaren's two drivers collectively represent 338 points — the most credible combined threat to Verstappen's title defence. Sergio Pérez, meanwhile, sits seventh on 124 points, one behind Lewis Hamilton's 125, a gap that underlines how heavily Red Bull are depending on their lead driver to accumulate points in the constructors' fight.

Form from Hungary

If the standings told one story heading into Spa, the previous round at the Hungaroring told quite another. Piastri converted a second-place grid slot into a dominant victory, covering 70 laps in 1:38:01.989. Norris, starting from pole, crossed the line 2.141 seconds behind his team-mate — a McLaren one-two that handed the Woking outfit maximum points from the weekend.

Hamilton recovered from fifth on the grid to claim third, 14.880 seconds behind Piastri, handing Mercedes a timely podium. Verstappen, starting third, could manage only fifth, finishing 21.349 seconds adrift of the winner — a damaging afternoon for the championship leader. Pérez compounded Red Bull's misery by starting 16th and ultimately finishing seventh, 39.792 seconds behind Piastri, despite posting one of the quicker race laps later in the stint.

George Russell, also starting deep in the field from 17th, set the fastest lap of the race — a 1:20.305 on lap 55 — on his way to eighth place, demonstrating Mercedes' underlying pace even when track position was forfeited early.

What is at stake at Spa

With Verstappen's advantage standing at 76 points, Norris cannot afford another weekend in which the championship leader banks clean points while McLaren fall short. A strong result at Spa is essential if the gap is to be meaningfully reduced before the season's latter stages.

For Verstappen, the imperative is equally clear: a fifth-place finish at the Hungaroring yielded only 10 points, and a repeat at Spa while McLaren again locks out the podium would accelerate the erosion of a lead built across 13 rounds.

Leclerc and Sainz, separated by just eight points in third and fourth, will be fighting to consolidate Ferrari's position. A strong result for either driver could tighten the constructors' standings, where Pérez sits just one point behind Hamilton in seventh.

Session schedule

The weekend begins with first practice on Friday 26 July at 11:30 UTC, followed by second practice at 15:00 UTC the same afternoon. Third practice takes place on Saturday 27 July at 10:30 UTC, with qualifying commencing at 14:00 UTC. The Belgian Grand Prix itself gets under way at 13:00 UTC on Sunday 28 July.

What to watch

The central question at Spa is whether Red Bull can recover the pace deficit exposed at the Hungaroring, particularly over a single qualifying lap. The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps presents its own distinct challenges, and how the leading teams adapt their setups across the weekend will shape the competitive order.

Norris's ability to convert strong pace into maximum or near-maximum points while Verstappen loses further ground will define whether the 76-point gap begins to look surmountable. Hamilton on 125 points and Russell on 116 points also make Mercedes a genuine podium factor, adding another layer of complexity to strategy calls across the afternoon. Meanwhile, Leclerc on 162 and Sainz on 154 will be alert to any opportunity to capitalise on Red Bull's difficulties and push the Ferrari challenge higher up both standings.