As the F1 2023 season heads to the Belgian Grand Prix, former World Champion Nico Rosberg warns that Red Bull should not expect an easy victory, as McLaren and Ferrari are looking strong and ready to challenge them.

In the previous race at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen secured a dominant win, finishing nearly 34 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. Red Bull’s triumph also marked their 12th consecutive victory, breaking McLaren’s longstanding record of consecutive wins.

Danger for Red Bull

Looking ahead to the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, Rosberg believes that while Red Bull remains a strong contender, both McLaren and Ferrari could spring surprises. McLaren, with their upgraded MCL60, have emerged as the new “best of the rest” and are expected to be a team to watch at the iconic circuit.

Additionally, Rosberg suggests that Ferrari might be the dark horse in qualifying, considering their recent form and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton’s pole position in Hungary, narrowly beating Verstappen.

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Rosberg names biggest threats to Red Bull

When asked if it’s hard to imagine anyone challenging Red Bull’s dominance at Spa, Rosberg responded, “Yeah, probably. But at the same time, there can be surprises in Belgium, we’ve always seen that there can be real surprises.”

He further elaborated, “And probably the team that has a chance to surprise will be McLaren, maybe someone like Ferrari in qualifying.”

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Rosberg: Mercedes not a threat currently

However, Rosberg does not foresee Mercedes as serious contenders for the race win due to their lack of straight-line speed at the moment. He also believes Aston Martin may face challenges, leaving McLaren as the team to potentially make a significant impact at the upcoming race.

“Mercedes I don’t see at all because they have no straight-line speed, or very little for now.

“And then Aston, I think are a little bit on the backfoot. But I would put it to McLaren to do a big surprise.”

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With the Belgian Grand Prix renowned for producing dramatic and unpredictable races, F1 fans can look forward to an exciting battle at one of the sport’s most iconic circuits. As the teams and drivers prepare for the challenge, all eyes will be on Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari to see who will come out on top in this highly anticipated event.

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"But here comes Sebastian Vettel!!!" 🍿#BelgianGP #Seb5 pic.twitter.com/YzIBLMWmVr

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 25, 2023