Formula One makes its return to action once again, getting straight back into the racing action with the Belgian Grand Prix.
Plenty of changes have occurred over the past few weeks, most notably Christian Horner’s dismissal as Red Bull team principal.
While that has happened away from the track, attention turns firmly towards the action that will happen on it.
Spa isn’t the easiest of Formula One tracks, with plenty of intrigue surrounding who can kick on in the second half of the season for the Driver’s Championship and the Constructor’s Championship.
Plenty of predictions have already come flying in, with former Renault driver Jolyon Palmer making a surprise claim for the sprint race and the podium.
Jolyon Palmer backs Max Verstappen to win the Belgian Grand Prix after Red Bull chaos
The Belgian Grand Prix is likely to set the tone for the rest of the F1 season, with many wondering whether the McLarens can be caught in both championship races.
Plenty of upgrade packages could be on the cards, most notably for Ferrari, who will be looking to gain some pace to drag them up the order.
The weekend format includes a sprint race before the full race, with Jolyon Palmer backing different winners for each.
Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, the former Renault driver said: “Sprint winner is going to be Oscar [Piastri].
“Then I’m going to go one, two, three… I just see it as Verstappen wins and it’s Red Bull redemption, that’s the headline coming out of the weekend…
“It would be huge, and it isn’t out of the question. So I’m going to go Verstappen wins, let’s go Ferrari with their upgrades gets second place, and we’ll go Norris third as I said McLarens are favourites going into it.”
After his struggles in recent weeks, and the chaos behind the scenes, a win for Max Verstappen could calm things down at Red Bull as they look to end strongly.
Max Verstappen could cool rumours over his future with Red Bull performance
There has been an ever-increasing focus on actions at Red Bull Racing over the past few months, given the team’s recent dominance in F1.
While the team had consistently won the Driver’s Championship and Constructor’s Championship in recent seasons, their spell of domination has come into question once again.
The loss of Adrian Newey to Aston Martin is a severe blow, especially ahead of some big regulation changes in the future.
Christian Horner’s exit marked an end to his 20-year stay with the team, while question marks remain over Max Verstappen’s future as links continue to surround a potential move away.
At a time where Red Bull need solidarity and continuity the most, a win for Verstappen at Spa could quell the noise.
After a disappointing Great British Grand Prix, the Dutch star will be out on the track looking for a return to form.