Belgian Grand Prix: A Victory Lost and a Championship Shaken

As the F1 Co-Op Season rolled into the sweeping forests of Spa-Francorchamps for Round 7, anticipation filled the air. This wasn’t just any race weekend—it was the next chapter in the escalating war between Ferrari’s dynamic duo, Kruimel and The Captain, and a stumbling but still-dangerous Aston Martin squad.

Coming off a dominant full-race win in Austria, The Captain arrived at Spa riding a wave of confidence, despite a costly spin in the sprint race that limited his points gain. Meanwhile, Ferrari had opened up a daunting 72-point lead over Aston Martin in the Constructors’ standings, and intra-team tensions were bubbling at Aston. Leclerc, hampered by back-to-back mechanical failures, had slipped behind teammate Alonso, reigniting a power struggle just as they needed unity.

Qualifying: Strategy Misfires and Missed Chances

In a tightly contested qualifying session, it was Kruimel who lit up the timing screens. His 1:40.478 lap was enough to secure pole, narrowly ahead of Russell and Verstappen. But all eyes were on The Captain, who showed great pace early on. Then disaster struck—not on track, but on the pit wall.

A baffling Ferrari strategy call sent The Captain out at the worst possible time: too early for a single push, too late for two. His first attempt was ruined by traffic, and despite a purple first sector on his final effort, he was boxed in behind an Alpine in sector two. He could only salvage P4.

With both Aston Martins behind, it seemed Ferrari had the upper hand—until the lights went out.

Race: Chaos at La Source and a Story of Redemption Lost

The start at Spa is always fraught, and this one proved no different. Kruimel hesitated as the lights held red, allowing both Russell and Verstappen to pounce. What followed in Turn 1 was three-wide mayhem. Verstappen tagged Kruimel, who ricocheted into Russell, sending both into the gravel. Verstappen emerged unscathed in the lead, but Kruimel’s floor and sidepod damage would doom his race.

From P4, The Captain tiptoed through the wreckage and gave chase.

By Lap 2, he was within DRS range of Verstappen. Behind, Perez, Leclerc, and Alonso jostled for P3, allowing the leaders to escape. On Lap 5, The Captain made his move at Turn 5 with DRS, taking the lead.

But the top four were compressing, and the cat-and-mouse game began. A lap later, Leclerc, Verstappen, and Perez all slipstreamed past The Captain, pushing him back to P4. Kruimel, meanwhile, had switched early to hards, gambling on strategy to claw back positions despite his wounded car.

Then came the pit stops. On Lap 7, the leaders dove in, and Ferrari nailed The Captain’s stop. Emerging ahead of Verstappen and Leclerc, he tucked in behind Perez, but rejoined just behind a yet-to-stop Russell. The delay cost him crucial time.

Verstappen passed The Captain soon after, and the two began reeling in Perez. Leclerc, now in clear air, was fending off Norris. In Lap 10, The Captain unleashed his fastest lap of the race, DRS in tow, catapulting past Verstappen and narrowing the gap to Perez to just 1.5 seconds.

By Lap 12, he was back in the lead. But he couldn’t shake Perez, and in Lap 13, the McLaren driver re-passed him. The Captain knew his move had to come on the final lap.

Final Lap: A Dream in Shambles

Heading into Lap 15, The Captain was within striking distance. He launched out of Turn 1, deploying ERS aggressively through Eau Rouge and Raidillon. But he misjudged his line over the kerbs, triggering a three-second time penalty from Race Control.

The news shattered him.

Distracted and off-balance, he botched his move on Perez, rear-ending the McLaren and damaging his front wing. Though he passed Perez soon after, the damage was done—literally and figuratively.

He limped across the line first, but with his penalty and pace loss, he plummeted to P5. Perez inherited the win. Verstappen was second, and a resurgent Leclerc salvaged third.

Post-Race Fallout: Regret and Reflection

Kruimel summed it up best: “This isn’t how you want to lose. I wasn’t sharp at the start, but I had nowhere to go. After that, it was damage limitation. At least The Captain didn’t take full advantage, though I don’t get how he let that one slip.”

The Captain was crestfallen: “I feel broken. I had the pace. I should have won. That last lap… when I got the penalty, I just lost it. I wasn’t thinking clearly. It’s my fault.”

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur didn’t mince words: “We had the pace for a double podium. Both drivers failed to deliver. Kruimel lost it in Turn 1. The Captain threw away a win. That’s not Ferrari standard. We’ll be reviewing everything.”

Championship Picture: Narrow Gains in a Wide-Open Battle

Despite the heartbreak, The Captain did claw back 11 points on Kruimel, who left Spa empty-handed. Leclerc’s podium vaults him back ahead of Alonso in the standings after the Spaniard retired yet again with engine issues.

But for Ferrari’s Dutch duo, it was a race of missed opportunities. With their home Grand Prix at Zandvoort looming, both will need to bounce back—fast.

The title fight is alive. But Spa will be remembered not for what was gained, but for what was lost.