Will Hamilton have to take a penalty?

Mercedes’ hav꧑e been inspecting the power unit used by Lewis Hamilton at the Belgian Grand Prix following his collision with Fernando Alonso.&nbꦰsp;

After being sent airborne in the opening-lap tangle with Alonso at Les Combes, Hami𒈔lton’s car was subjected to an impact registering “over 40G” when it hit the ground.

The severity of the impact left 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Mercedes concern🍌ed abo𒀰ut potential damage toﷺ the power unit and gearbox, which were returned to the UK this week for assessments.

Hamilton was told to sꦺtop on track by his team after initially being able to conti🌟nue in the direct aftermath of the accident. 

Mercedes had fitted Hamilton’s car with a third PU of the season in Belgium as part of their engine st꧂rategy to get thro⛎ugh the rest of the year without incurring grid penalties. 

If it is determined that the PU cannot be used again, Hamilton will likely face a grid drop at this weekend🐓’s Dutch Grand Prix at Za🧜ndvoort. 

Hamilton has two other V6s left in his pool for the season, however, both units have amassed high mileage, so introducing a new🔯 engine seems the most plausible solution. 

The seven-time world champion is also on his final MGU-K, turbo, MGU-K, control electronics and energy store components, wit♋h any further changes triggering grid penalties. 

Can Verstappen set a new winning streak?

Verstappen was unstoppable in Belgium as he 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:easily won despite starting 14th on the grid after taking a penalty for using too many engine parts.&nb🍸sp;

The Dutchman delivered a peerless performance at Spa to continue his imperious form on his 1🐎68澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:charge to a second world championship. 

Verstappen has won three races on the trot and will be determined to win again in front of his 💮devoted fans on home soil in Zandvoort this weekend.&nbs♏p;

A maximum 26-points haul and second consecutive Dutch Grand Prix victory would see Verstappꦿen extend his championship advantage to 100 points with seven races to go. 

Verstappen has won nine of the 14 races so far this season and remains on course to break ✃the record for most wins in a single season (13, set by Sebastian Vettel in 2013 and Michael Schumacher in 2004). 

The Red Bull driver could also eclipse Vettel’s rec꧅ord of nine consecutive wins. 

Verstappen is on a hat-trick of successive victories for the🧜 second time this year. Further success in Zandvoort would take him to four in a row, which would mark the longest winning streak we have seen so far in 2022. 

Do Ferrari have a response?

Ferrari had no answer to Red Bull’s blistering competitiveness🙈 in Belgium as Verstappen comfortably led home a Red Bull 1-2 on Sunday despite startingꦕ from 14th on the grid. 

Carlos Sainz꧋ started from pole position but slipped to third at the che🔥quered flag, while Charles Leclerc recovered to fifth, but was penalised for speeding in the pit lane and subsequently dropped to sixth. 

Ferrari are hopeful the two teams will be more closely matchedꦆ at Zandvoort so they can challenge for their first victory since Austria. 

“Overall, I think that simply the Red Bull is a faster car c🔜ompared to what we’ve got in terms of efficiency,” conceded Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto. 

“At Spa you need efficiency from the aerodynamics and the power unit, but also we had tyre degradation that we need to look into, because they were stronger in terms of t�🌌�yre degradation. So I don’t think it has been an outlier - they are faster than us.

“What I am hoping is that certainly the gap we have seen today we will not see at the next races, because Spa has alꦍways been amplifying the gaps because it is a long track and whenever you have an advantage in terms of efficiency,🥃 it is amplified and very obvious in such a circuit.

“So, yes, we hope to be back in the next races, to be closer, while we still believe they have a slightly faster car. But tyre degradation has been the [biggest] element affecting the performance today, w🅷hich we need to und🐼erstand and address because it is very important for the next races.”

Alpine on a roll against McLaren 

It was another great weekend for Alpine in their constructors’ ba𝓡ttle against McLaren at Spa. 

Having survived first-lap contact with Hamilton, Alonso to☂ok a strong fifth, while Esteban Ocon charged from 16th on the grid to finish seventh, securing the French outfit’s fourth consecu♒tive double points finish. 

Alpine’s competitive showing led Ocon to hail the performance 🦂as “our best weekend of the year so far, and probably since I joined the team”. 

In contrast, there was more disappointment for McLaren, who suffered a point-less weeke❀nd in Belgium. 

Starting from the back of the grid due to a penalty for engine comꦆponent changﷺes, Lando Norris rose to 12th but was frustrated in a DRS train led by Alex Albon’s point-scoring  Williams.

Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo’s misery continu꧙ed as he slipped down the 🔯order and out of the points from seventh on the grid, eventually finishing 15th and once again behind Norris. 

The result has seen Alpine strength🍒en their grip on fourth place in the constructors’ standings, pulling 20 points cle💯ar of McLaren.

A fight off the track…

Alpine and McLaren are also locked in an off-track battle regarding who will win the services o𒉰f Oscar Piastri next season. 

An FღIA hearing to settle the contract dispute♑ between the two teams started on Monday, with the FIA Contract Recognition Board set to rule which team Piastri belongs to. 

Alpine are confident of winning Pias꧑tri’s services, while the reigning F2 ch✅ampion and his manager Mark Webber believe they ha🥃ve a valid contract with McLaren next season. 

McLaren terminated Ricciardo’s contract a y💛earܫ early with the intention of placing Piastri in a race seat alongside Norris for 2023. 

💟A decision is expected to come later this week ahea𒅌d of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix. 

Expect plenty more reaction from both parties in Zandvoort if a verdict is reached bꦛefore the wee🌄kend…