Ferrari Look to Build on Silverstone Success

After the spectacle in Silverstone, it is time for the F1 circus and players of the Big Points Fantasy game to shift their focus on to the action in the Ardennes Forest in Belgium. Ahead of the final double header before the summer break, the iconic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, intricately carved into the rolling hills of the Belgian Ardennes, promises high-octane racing with only Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Monza, Italy clocking higher average speeds.

Last time out in Silverstone, Charles Leclerc stole the spotlight to lead home the British trio of George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, and Lando Norris, to secure a first win since Austin 2024. With Ferrari proving that they can be competitive on high-speed circuits with their power unit package, the Scuderia will be looking to build on the surprise success at Silverstone to further narrow the gap to Mercedes at the top.

For the Brackley-based team, and Kimi Antonelli in particular, there was more misfortune as a broken wheel shield completely crippled the aerodynamic performance of the championship leader’s W17, resulting in a penalty for track limits and a 15th place finish behind the safety car.

It was drama right until the end with slippery fingers in the race control room briefly raising pulses for a final lap showdown after Max Verstappen had brought out the safety car following a high-speed crash at Stowe corner with four laps remaining.

But after the brief prospect of a chaotic final lap of racing with drivers up and down the field on different tyres was extinguished, with the rule book firmly thrown in the faces of F1 fans worldwide, Leclerc led home the pack to register his ninth career win.

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2026_Chinese_GP_-_Ferrari_-_Charles_Leclerc_-_Qualifying.jpg

OG League Roundup

Who saw that one coming? Clearly no one in the Big Points OG League. No Predictor foresaw Leclerc taking the most unlikely of wins in a topsy turvy race which could have had a wild ending had race control applied common sense.

But what race winner Nassim did foresee was a series of circumstances that would secure three correct calls. Most importantly, Nassim bagged Big Points for Pierre Gasly sneaking into 10th position following the chaos that unravelled ahead of the Frenchman.

Along with Antonelli’s fastest lap, which was popular with 15 of the 20 constructors, Nassim collected full points for Russell and Hamilton finishing 2nd and 3rd to boost him five places up the standings to 11th.

Nassim was not alone in grabbing Big Points for Gasly. Richard and Geraldine also had Verstappen to thank for maximum 10th place hauls. But while Richard secured a third podium of the season, only losing out to Nassim on countback, it was Gus who secured his third podium in five races to take the final step. The Australian was the only constructor to keep faith with Hadjar holding onto his 5th place qualifying position.

Other noteworthy predictions across the virtual paddock came from Goold who was another lone caller in picking Norris to cross the line in 4th. But after the dust settled on a breathless Silverstone Grand Prix, it is Andy who still leads the championship with Mark chiselling three points out of the gap to the top to now trail by 12 points. One Big Points haul away from knocking the Scotsman off the top.

More Surprises in Belgium?

The timesheets from Friday’s running tell a mixed picture. Verstappen raised Red Bull hopes in FP1 by topping the running with neither Mercedes driver featuring in the top five. However, that was corrected in FP2 with Antonelli continuing to show his strong overall pace this season to top the timesheet from Lando Norris, who will take a ten-place penalty for exceeding power unit elements.

With Isack Hadjar also taking a ten-place hit, strategists in the OG League will be keeping a keen eye on where the pair qualify to see what distance they can make up into the top ten tomorrow. Eyes will also be firmly locked on the progress of the Racing Bulls as Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad look to continue their great form for the Red Bull sister team.

Both have been right in the mix for Big Points in recent races with Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto, and Gasly also taking advantage of misfortune and malfunctions towards the sharp end of the grid in Silverstone. With plenty of potential for overtaking and incident in Belgium, could a Williams, an Oliver Bearman, or a Nico Hülkenberg sneak into the highly coveted 9th and 10th positions?

And F1 fans are set for another fascinating duel at the front with Oscar Piastri, despite experiencing hydraulic issues yesterday, and Verstappen looking to mix it with the Ferraris and Mercedes. Predictors also might not want to rule out Norris and Hadjar completely if we see Bernd Mayländer again.

We are back to the track on the quest for Big Points for what we hope will be a breathless Belgium Grand Prix.

NEW: Head-to-Head Battle

Debuting this weekend is the new H2H league which pitches Predictors directly against other competitors in their mini leagues. With a new Mover feature built in, points can be scored for positions gained, or lost, by drivers.

Furthermore, Proximity Picks and expanded race calls featuring first, second, and third retirement choices mean more Big Points are up for grabs alongside the original points scoring elements. For more information and the chance to join the waiting list ahead of the post-summer break reveal, come and join the action right here.

And for more chat, check out the Big Points Podcast Belgium preview with Tom and Sam >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-8dZ15fIjA&t=11s