Max Verstappen deals devastating blow to title race with emphatic Belgian Grand Prix win
Verstappen takes dominant win after working his way through the field from 14th
Sergio Perez second for Red Bull, Carlos Sainz third, George Russell fourth
Hamilton out after damage causes his retirement after Alonso collision
Inside the toxic Australian soap opera casting a cloud over McLaren
The good news is that Spa will be back for the 2023 season. The bad news is this campaign's as good as over, at least as far as the title battle is concerned. Max Verstappen took one of the most emphatic wins of the modern era in Belgium, roaring through the field from 14th on the grid to win by almost 20 seconds.
It was a devastating performance from a driver Red Bull team principal Christian Horner maintains “has taken another step” since winning his maiden world title last year. And it dealt a devastating blow to this year’s championship race.
Verstappen now leads by 93 points from his nearest challenger, who happens to be his own teammate Sergio Perez. The only debate is when he is going to do it. If he can open up a 138pt gap by the end of the first of the flyaways in Singapore, he will be crowned on Oct 2. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff reckons it could be even sooner. “Yeah, I mean we are in a situation that the championship will be concluded in Europe probably,” Wolff said, meaning Monza in two races’ time.
Certainly, if Verstappen’s rivals were to stand any chance of stopping him, they needed to win on Sunday, especially with the championship leader starting down in 14th following an engine change. They all fluffed their lines. Ferrari were their usual muddled selves. Carlos Sainz managed to battle to third behind the two Red Bulls, but Charles Leclerc - who began the day as Verstappen’s closest challenger - had a far tougher time fighting his way through the field from 15th on the grid.
It may not have helped that Ferrari’s pitwall kept bombarding him with radio messages about race strategies, which only appeared to confuse him. And the Scuderia made a complete hash of a late attempt to go for the fastest lap bonus point, releasing Leclerc, who was fifth at the time, right into the path of Alpine’s Fernando Alonso who promptly overtook him. Leclerc managed to win the place back only to then lose it again post-race when he was docked five seconds for speeding in the pitlane. That penalty cost him two points. And he didn’t get the fastest lap bonus point anyway.
As for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton crashed out on the opening lap following a collision with Alpine’s Fernando Alonso for which he took responsibility. And George Russell tried hard but ended up fourth in a car which was miles off the pace of the Red Bull.
Verstappen was simply on another level. Admittedly, his task was made easier when both AlphaTauris - perhaps unsurprisingly given the team’s relationship with Red Bull - elected to start from the pitlane. That effectively meant he started 13th. And after a pep talk from Red Bull guest Kevin de Bruyne, fresh from helping Manchester City to a comeback victory over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday, he set about his own comeback.
The opening laps were manic, Perez getting away sluggishly from second, which allowed Alonso and Hamilton, in third and fourth respectively, to jump a place. After they collided at Les Combes, a safety car then came out on the second lap after AlphaTauri’s Valtteri Bottas was sent spinning out of the race on his birthday.
Verstappen just kept picking up places. He was already up to eighth by the time the safety car was deployed. And when it went in again on lap four, he picked up where he had left off. By lap six he was up to sixth. By lap nine he was third, just 1.2 sec behind teammate Perez and 1.5sec behind race leader Sainz. The writing was on the wall.
Verstappen, on soft tyres, could have passed Perez, on mediums, one lap earlier than he did. But when Sainz pitted at the end of lap 11, there was no reason to wait any longer. He blasted past Perez on the Kemmel Straight on lap 12, and then, after pitting himself, passed Sainz on lap 18 for the outright race lead. And that was that.
Not since Bruce McLaren in his Cooper-Climax won the final race of the 1959 season and the opening race of the 1960 season has a driver won consecutive races from 10th or lower.
“Max was quite simply in a league of his own today,” Horner argued. “He did a lap on mediums that took the fastest lap. He qualified on pole [on Saturday] and didn’t even do the last run. Since Max won that world championship he has taken another step and in many ways released him and he is driving at an incredible level.”
As for Wolff’s prediction that it could be all over by the time we leave Europe in two races’ time, Horner demurred. “The championship looks healthy but things can change very quickly,” he said. “We were 46 points behind in Australia and turned it around in a couple of races.” He was not kidding anyone. Zandvoort is up next. The orange army will be cheering on the champion-elect.
Belgian Grand Prix, as it happened
03:53 PM
Christian Horner speaks to Sky Sports F1
Max again has been exemplary this weekend and Checo doing everything asked of him. I think absolutely right up there with the very best we achieved in 2010. Amazing performance by Max. He wasn't greedy at the start, he was patient and he just picked his way through it. He just threaded his way safely through the field.
I know others have been talking up the technical directive but for us it had no impact on how we operate our cars. Zandvoort is a different challenge - it's much more like Hungary. The whole team, the race team, trackside, back in the factory... is doing their bit and that's what enables us to have the car and performance we have today.
03:49 PM
That is another excellent drive from Alexander Albon
His fourth point - and third points finish - of the season. The Williams was there beneath him today and all weekend, but he made it work.
03:45 PM
Updated constructor standings
That's a handy afternoon for Alpine. McLaren pointless and now 18 points behind their rivals.
03:42 PM
Updated driver standings: Top 10
Verstappen leads Leclerc now by 98 points... but it's now Sergio Perez who has taken second place in the standings, 93 points behind his team-mate. Russell slips back behind Sainz but only by a point.
03:41 PM
Max Verstappen reacts to a ninth win of the season
It was quite a hectic first lap to try and stay out of trouble. Once we settled in after the safety car, the car was really on rails. Picked the right places to pass people and we could look after our tyres. It's been a weekend I couldn't imagine before but I think we want more of them so we keep on working hard.
03:41 PM
Sergio Perez on a second-place finish
I really hoped for more today. It was a good opportunity but Max was flying, he was on another planet. It's a very strong result for the team. We managed to gain a lot of points today which is important. It was a bit of chaos on lap one, I had a really poor start and lost a few positions but managed to get them all back into turn five.
03:40 PM
Sainz reacts to a difficult podium
Started on pole but was never really in contention once Verstappen charged through the field.
Unfortunately it was harder than expected. We got a good restart after the Safety Car but the pace was not there. We had a lot overheating on the tyres. For some reason our package was not there this weekend.
We finished on the podium, we will take it. We will have to learn why at this track we were not so competitive. Zandvoort should be a better track for us. We will try and win it in Zandvoort.
03:39 PM
Oh dear, worse for Charles Leclerc
He gets a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane...
So here's an updated classification for the top 10:
VER
PER
SAI
RUS
ALO
LEC
OCO
VET
GAS
ALB
03:33 PM
BELGIAN GP - CLASSIFICATION
VER
PER
SAI
RUS
LEC
ALO
OCO
VET
GAS
ALB
STR
NOR
TSU
ZHO
RIC
MAG
MSC
LAT
OUT: BOT, HAM
03:31 PM
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE 2022 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX!
So easy in the end. He is going to extend his lead over Charles Leclerc to 94 points or so, depending on who gets the fastest lap point.
"The car was a rocket ship all weekend," he says. He's not wrong.
03:30 PM
FINAL LAP
Verstappen cruising here. He will finish a long way ahead of most of the field. Started 13th but this has been a dominant victory. Never in doubt. His lead is going to be enormous.
Can Leclerc get Alonso for fifth? Yes, he can... but will he get the fastest lap? Possibly now, yes.
03:29 PM
Lap 43 of 44 - In comes Leclerc for fresh tyres
He's going to hope to set the fastest lap on fresh tyres but it's going to be very close with Alonso...
Alonso comes out just behind but then overtakes on the Kemmel Straight with DRS... that's an odd move from Ferrari. If it was even marginal why try it? He may well get past Alonso but it's no guarantee and compromises any effort he may need to make to get that fastest lap... odd.
03:27 PM
Lap 42 of 44 - Top 10 and gaps
VER
PER +17.6
SAI +27.5
RUS +26.9
LEC +51.5
ALO +70.7
OCO +74.3
VET +77.1
GAS +87.8
ALB +96.5
Albon hoping to drive the widest Williams in history here to get a deserved point.
03:25 PM
Lap 41 of 44 - Russell takes another few tenths out of Sainz
But I think that, without an error from Sainz, the gap is too big. No surprise that Verstappen holds the fastest lap bonus point. Not sure anyone in the top 10 has a big enough gap to pit to tray and claim that on fresh tyres. Russell has 22 seconds to Leclerc but that is marginal.
03:24 PM
Lap 40 of 44 - Not much happening out front
So here's what the FIA had to say on their decision to not penalise Hamilton for the Alonso incident.
“The Stewards reviewed the video evidence and determined that Alonso was on the inside at turn 5.
“Hamilton’s front wheels were ahead of Alonso’s at the entry to the corner. Alonso moved his car off line to the inside with both right side tyres fully on the kerb and even somewhat inside the kerb.
“At no point did Alonso appear to lose control or understeer. Hamilton turned into towards the apex of the corner with Alonso still alongside and the collision occurred.
“The Stewards considered that this was a first lap incident with a lot of movement relative to other cars in the first few corners, and thus take no further action.”
03:22 PM
Lap 39 of 44 - Verstappen leads Perez by 16.6s... an easy afternoon drive
Russell has lost a bit of time to Sainz the last lap, which swings the podium-ometer in Sainz's favour. Five laps remaining after the end of this one.
03:20 PM
Lap 38 of 44 - Not the most thrilling race at the front...
...such has Verstappen's pace been at the front. It has not really been a contest. Sainz has been told to avoid bumps in turn five and 17. He has only a two-second gap to Russell behind.
Norris says he is struggling with his tyres. McLaren struggling to make the points this weekend. Alpine likely to get a decent haul with Alonso in sixth and Ocon in seventh.
03:17 PM
Lap 37 of 44 - Top 15 and gaps
VER
PER +14.7
SAI +24.4
RUS +26.5
LEC +45.5
ALO +62.6
OCO +70.9
VET +72.8
GAS +76.4
ALB +84.4
STR 84.9
NOR +85.4
ZHO +86.4
TSU +87.2
RIC +88.7
That is going to be a titanic battle for 10th.
03:15 PM
Lap 36 of 44 - Ocon with a neat double overtake of Vettel and Gasly into Les Combes
Hakkinen/Zonta/Schumacher 2000-style. Nice. Russell takes another 0.7s out of Sainz and is looking perhaps the more likely for the third spot.
Albon has a job to hang onto the final points spot.
03:13 PM
Lap 35 of 44 - Sainz radio: "What happens if we three stop"
"Finish behind Russell for P4," he is told. Gasly going well this afternoon in a difficult season. He's seventh but is under pressure from Vettel and then Ocon. Albon is a further nine seconds further back so a decent chance of points for Gasly.
That's a better lap from Sainz, just a tenth difference to Russell this time.
03:11 PM
Lap 34 of 44 - Russell vs Sainz
The gap is now 4.3s. Russell's chances of a podium is now a lot greater than outside. He took 1.1s out of the Ferrari the last time around. Could be another miserable afternoon for Ferrari but at least they will not lose any ground to Mercedes.
03:10 PM
Lap 33 of 44 - Verstappen leads Perez by 11.5s
Sainz is a further 8.7s behind.
Meanwhile, Hamilton has made it back to the media pen and has given his thoughts on the incident:
"Looking back at the footage, he was in my blind spot and I didn't leave him enough space. It was my fault today. Just, so sorry to the team."
When asked on what Fernando said on the radio:
"It doesn't really matter what he said.. I don't really care. It was my fault. I couldn't see him, he was right in my blind spot."
On making progress for the Dutch GP next week:
"Just recuperate, get back on the treadmill. "
03:07 PM
Lap 32 of 44 - Norris has just done the quickest first sector
He needs to make up about 13 seconds in the next 13 laps to get a place in the points. Doable, I reckon.
03:06 PM
Lap 31 of 44 - Top six and gaps
VER
PER +8.0
SAI +15.8
RUS +22.8
LEC +36.1
VET +36.9
03:04 PM
Lap 30 of 44 - Russell comes out in fourth
And about eight seconds behind Sainz. Maybe an outside chance of a top three. Meanwhile, Verstappen leads Perez by 27s. Norris goes onto a fresh set of medium tyres and will try and make a charge for the points.
Verstappen told to pit at the end of this lap.
03:03 PM
Lap 29 of 44 - Top 15
VER
RUS
PER
SAI
VET
LEC
OCO
ALO
RIC
NOR
TSU
GAS
ALB
STR
MSC
Russell does come into the pits at the end of the lap.
03:02 PM
Lap 28 of 44 - Alonso tussling with Zhou
This was on the last lap but he has a look through turns five, six and seven before calmly putting it up the inside of the Alfa Romeo at turn eight. He's now into eighth. Make that seventh as he nabs Norris into Les Combes on the very next lap. Russell in second. Not sure he has an outside chance of a podium here. He was called into the pits but chose to stay out. He will need to stop again. Still, an excellent drive again.
02:59 PM
Lap 27 of 44 - Verstappen still lapping a second quicker than Perez
Russell doing a fine job in a pretty average Mercedes. Perez pits from second.
02:58 PM
Lap 26 of 44 - Verstappen leads Perez by 11.8s
Stroll and Albon come in from their respective places in the points.
02:56 PM
Lap 25 of 44 - Verstappen is taking the mickey here
Nobody can live with him. Sainz into the pits... and Leclerc is coming in too. How can Ferrari mess this one up? Sainz goes onto the hard tyres and should not stop again. Leclerc onto the medium tyres with an okay stop. In comes Fernando Alonso and goes onto the hard tyres. Works out well for Leclerc, who comes out a few seconds ahead of a train led by Alexander Albon.
02:53 PM
Lap 24 of 44 - Top 10 and gaps
VER
PER +9.2
SAI +13.6
RUS +18.5
LEC +32.2
ALO +40.0
VET +41.3
OCO +44.8
ALB +50.8
RIC +51.6
02:51 PM
Lap 23 of 44 - Russell is taking chunks of time out of Sainz
1.2s the last time around, though he loses a tenth to him in sector one this time, but then gains seven-tenths in sector two...
Verstappen stretches his lead to 8.6s with a lap time that was 1.1s quicker than his team-mate, Perez.
02:49 PM
Lap 22 of 44 - Approaching half distance
And Verstappen leads Perez by nearly seven seconds. Carlos Sainz three seconds behind hi, and Russell six seconds behind Sainz.
02:47 PM
Lap 21 of 44 - I wonder if Hamilton has made it back to the pits yet?
Meanwhile, Perez gets Sainz to make it a Red Bull 1-2. Difficult afternoon for McLaren so far. Ricciardo has slipped back to 10th whilst Norris isn't making great progress in 13th, but he is on the hard tyre and will likely be going to the end of the race.
02:45 PM
Lap 20 of 44 - Perez onto the back of Sainz now
More discussion between Leclerc and his engineer. Verstappen is 1.4s quicker than Sainz at the moment. Prodigious pace from Verstappen. Scary, even.
02:44 PM
Lap 19 of 44 - Verstappen leads Sainz by 3.7s
Leclerc told he is looking at P5 at the end of the race. A bit of a discussion with his engineer. Quite a long one, to be honest. A bit too long. Not sure he should be being asked quite so many questions. Just tell him what you think - with all your data - what the best strategy is. And then do it.
02:41 PM
Lap 18 of 44 - I missed it earlier, but this was Alonso's message about Hamilton
"What an idiot... this guy only knows how to drive when starting from first."
Verstappen sets the fastest lap of the race... another one. He's closing up on Sainz for the lead and it should be an easy move. Yep, it is into the Les Combes chicane. I guess the battle for Red Bull is turning this into a 1-2. Verstappen should be an easy winner now.
02:39 PM
Lap 17 of 44 - Top 10 and gaps
SAI
VER +1.9
PER +4.1
RUS +9.9
LEC +12.9
ALO +20.1
TSU +22.2
VET +25.5
ALB +26.5
OCO +27.6
02:38 PM
Lap 16 of 44 - Perez squeezes Leclerc into turn five
Leclerc would have had warmer tyres with Perez just out of the pit lane. He was alongside him heading into the first part of the chicane so Leclerc couldn't think about a move. Firm but fair and no contact.
In comes Verstappen from the lead... he will lose the lead to Sainz but comes out ahead of Perez. Meanwhile Russell has a great run on Leclerc on the Kemmel straight... he gets DRS and puts his Mercedes up the inside to take fourth! Leclerc on tyres which are eight laps older and that must be the difference in pace here.
Leclerc complains about Perez's move on an earlier and said they did touch.
02:34 PM
Lap 15 of 44 - I hope Hamilton's back is okay
It would have been a fairly hefty landing...
He has suffered with back pain before due to the bouncing this season. Perez pits from second and comes out ahead of Russell and Leclerc, but only just...
02:33 PM
Lap 14 of 44 - Verstappen leads Perez by 3.1s
He was 1.5s quicker the last time around. Russell comes into the pits from third. He goes onto brand spanking new mediums. He will, however, come out in a bit of traffic. A flurry of pit stops now, though. Let's see where this all shakes out. Will we see the Red Bulls in soon?
02:31 PM
Lap 13 of 44 - Running order
VER
PER
RUS
VET
SAI
STR
LEC
NOR
ZHO
TSU
ALO
LAT
MSC
ALB
RIC
OCO
GAS
MAG
OUT: HAM, BOT
02:30 PM
Lap 12 of 44 - Verstappen takes the lead!
Not sure it was orchestrated but it certainly was simple. Sainz comes out in traffic behind Daniel Ricciardo, which makes Red Bull the likely beneficiaries here. Verstappen will probably come in at the end of this lap. Sainz takes Ricciardo through the high-speed left-hander at Pouhon. Nice move, but will it help him all that much in the battle for the lead?
Verstappen does not pit this lap. In fairness, the Red Bulls are on different tyres to Sainz and so a different strategy.
02:28 PM
Lap 11 of 44 - Verstappen gets DRS on the Kemmel straight
Surely he will just jump down the inside here and be let through? Nope. He wasn't that close as they entered the braking zone and Perez closed the door on him. Wonder if the aim here is to help Perez get Sainz, because Verstappen will have both of them very soon.
"We're losing a silly amount of time now," Verstappen says. He's not wrong. Sainz comes into the pits...undercut possibility.
02:26 PM
Lap 10 of 44 - Sainz leads Perez by one second
Verstappen is about to get DRS on Perez. Leclerc takes 12th off Kevin Magnussen. I am starting to wonder how many people Verstappen might end up lapping today. In fairness, it is a very long lap so it's not easy to lap people. Decent afternoon from Vettel so far, in fifth and well ahead of Albon.
02:24 PM
Lap 9 of 44 - Sainz leads Perez by 1.2s
Verstappen is within two seconds of Perez and the Mexican will not want to get in the way of his team-mate. Not that he will really get much of a chance. Leclerc takes Tsunoda for 14th. He's comfortably on a one-stopper now from here. Degradation quite high, Sainz is told. He's on eight-lap old soft tyres and lost half a second to Perez the last time around.
02:23 PM
Lap 8 of 44 - Verstappen gets Russell for third
He is now only four seconds behind leader Sainz. Well, it was an interesting first bit of the race, but I presume it's going to be a pretty dull final 30 odd-laps with Verstappen running away with it. His pace is incredible this weekend.
02:21 PM
Lap 7 of 44 - Top 10 and gaps
Sainz going to plan B, whatever that is.
SAI
PER +1.9
RUS +4.1
VER +5.6
ALO +7.1
VET +7.9
ALB +9.7
RIC +10.4
STR +11.2
OCO +12.4
No further action on the Alonso/Hamilton incident. Presumably because Hamilton is out of the race and it was more his fault than Alonso's.
02:19 PM
Lap 6 of 44 - Some images that show the extent of Hamilton's shunt
Verstappen now into fifth, closing up on Alonso... and Albon up into seventh. I can't, at this point, see anyone but Verstappen winning this.
02:17 PM
Lap 5 of 44 - Race restarts!
It was almost an appalling start from Sainz who locks up into the final chicane... Perez cannot take advantage, though, presumably having to back out as Sainz slows down... Sainz then keeps the lead but that makes Perez vulnerable to Russell and Alonso behind!
It's Russell who is the driver most under pressure coming into turn five, though, as Alonso thinks about a move but backs out. Sainz got away with that one, as did Perez...
Verstappen takes sixth into the bus-stop chicane, getting Ricciardo!
02:13 PM
Lap 4 of 44 - Leclerc pits for the medium tyres
He says there is some smoke coming from his front right. There was a tear off in the front-right brake cooling, which has been removed. Not ideal.
SC in at the end of this lap.
02:11 PM
Lap 3 of 44 - Looking at a replay of the Alonso/Hamilton incident
Hamilton went around the outside into turn five and Alonso was right on the inside line, on the kerb. Hamilton squeezed Alonso and the Alpine's front left went into Hamilton's rear right and launched the Mercedes' rear into the air. It seems from then on the damage was terminal.
Bottas was unlucky there, took evasive action to try and avoid hitting the spinning Latifi and ended up spinning himself.
Here's the top 10:
SAI
PER
RUS
ALO
VET
RIC
ALB
VER
LEC
STR
02:09 PM
Lap 2 of 44 - SAFETY CAR OUT
Hamilton has stopped by the side of the track in the second sector, but Bottas and Latifi come together (or nearly do!) at turn six! Bottas spins into the gravel and is beached but Latifi keeps going. And that brings out the SC. That or Hamilton stopping anyway.
02:07 PM
THE 2022 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX IS GO!
Sainz gets a solid start from the off, in fact a good one. Perez tries to move across to take second place but loses the spot to Alonso!
It's going to be tight going into the Kemmel Straight. Hamilton tries to make a move on Alonso but the two collide! There's a fairly big coming together but they somehow manage to keep going. I'm not sure how...
Sainz leads Perez, Russell, Alonso and Vettel! Hamilton has sustained some significant damage to the bottom of his car and it's dragging on the floor quite badly towards the end of the lap and he is told to pull over and stop the car! No surprise.
02:04 PM
The cars get to the starting line
Just 18 on the grid now, with both AlphaTauris starting from the pit lane. It was "a late issue" according to AlphaTauri.
Right, Alonso to lead at the end of lap one? That'd be great.
02:01 PM
The formation lap is go!
Sainz on the soft tyres... then everyone else down to Bottas is on the mediums. Bottas, Verstappen and Leclerc on softs and then Tsunoda on the hards. Ocon, Norris, Zhou and Mick Schumacher on mediums.
Pierre Gasly starting from the pit lane, it seems. Means Verstappen is in a net 13th, but from the 14th grid spot as it's too late to move everyone else up.
01:59 PM
What can Lewis Hamilton do from fifth?
George Russell was more concerned with holding those off behind him than advancing... I think Mercedes will be delighted if they can finish where they start today.
That said, their reliability has seen them to a fair few podiums this year where other teams have DNFd. Could that be the case again today?
01:56 PM
Just over five minutes to go until the formation lap begins
Predictions? Perez didn't have his best day today but, as he said, P2 is sometimes a good place to start in Belgium. Plus, the Red Bull is a rocket-ship in a straight line and that is where the overtaking is done. Speed in the twistier middle sector gives you something, but you need to be able to overtake.
As I said earlier, I'd be surprised if Verstappen didn't make the podium. The warmer temperatures should favour Mercedes a bit more. A two-stop strategy is quickest today, Pirelli reckon, though a one-stop could also work.
01:50 PM
Toto Wolff speaks to Sky Sports F1
We are lacking the answers... you cannot have a car that's on pole in Budapest albeit on a very different rack and then suddenly be two seconds off. We need to look into the data and dig deep and find out. It's clear the reaction from Lewis, the car was undriveable yesterday, too draggy, unpredictable on the rear, no confidence. It's clear that the driver says I don't want to do anything with this car any more.
I think we better not change too much technical directives because you can see what the Red Bull did here. It's a slight difference in the floor it's not a huge deal.
01:48 PM
Perez speaks to Sky Sports F1
"It's always a good opportunity on this track when you are P2. I really want this to happen today, it's a good opportunity. We need to make the most out of it. "
01:45 PM
The weather forecast is a bit better today than it was last time year
Remember that washout? Probably best to forget it, really.
01:36 PM
Alex Albon speaks to Sky's Martin Brundle on the grid
I've been watching a few videos... P6 doesn't always look a nice place to be. It's about minimising the wheelspin and let's see what happens into turn five. We need gravel, it puts us in a place where we know we can't run wide. Keep our nose clean and then see what we can do.
Exceptional qualifying from him yesterday.
01:32 PM
Half an hour until the lights go out
So here is the final starting grid, assuming no late changes or issues. How different will this look at the end of the first lap...
1. SAI 2. PER
3. ALO 4. HAM
5. RUS 6. ALB
7. RIC 8. GAS
9. STR 10. VET
11. LAT 12. MAG
13. BOT 14. VER
15. LEC 16. OCO
17. NOR 18. ZHO
19. MSC
PIT LANE: TSU
01:26 PM
It's great to see that Spa has a stay of execution at least
Earlier in the week my colleague Tom Cary wrote that losing Spa would be an awful move from F1. Read his full column here.
Hard to disagree with him. It's one of the finest tracks on the calendar and in a location like few others. It would be a shame to lose the Belgian Grand Prix here.
01:22 PM
A couple of celebrations today
Pierre Gasly's 100th grand prix start and Valtteri Bottas's 33rd birthday. Congratulations to both. As I mentioned earlier, either of them finishing in the top 10 would be a major result.
01:16 PM
Qualifying head-to-heads so far this season
Mercedes Lewis Hamilton 7 George Russell 7
Red Bull Max Verstappen 11 Sergio Perez 3
Ferrari Charles Leclerc 9 Carlos Sainz 3
McLaren Lando Norris 11 Daniel Ricciardo 3
Alpine Fernando Alonso 7 Esteban Ocon 6
Aston Martin Sebastian Vettel 7 Lance Stroll 4
Williams Alexander Albon 12 Nicholas Latifi 1
Alfa Romeo Valtteri Bottas 11 Zhou Guanyu 4
Haas Kevin Magnussen 11 Mick Schumacher 2
01:11 PM
Yuki Tsunoda will start from the pit lane today
Which makes it an eighth driver this weekend to take a significant grid penalty. That means Verstappen starts 14th and everyone else behind him moves up a slot as well.
It has been a difficult season for AlphaTauri, though Gasly will start from eighth. Has quite a few quicker cars starting behind him, though, so any points will be a good result.
01:06 PM
BREAKING: Belgian Grand Prix at Spa confirmed for 2023
Formula 1 can confirm that the Belgian Grand Prix will be on the 2023 calendar following an agreement to extend our partnership together. Further details on the 2023 calendar will be announced in due course.
I wonder if this means that the proposed (well, potential) South African Grand Prix at Kyalami will not happen, then.
01:04 PM
Inside the toxic Australian soap opera casting a cloud over McLaren
Messy saga over whether Oscar Piastri replaces Daniel Ricciardo at the Woking-based team or stays at Alpine could end up in the High Court.
Read the full piece from Oliver Brown here.
12:59 PM
Toto Wolff not terribly happy with yesterday's qualifying session
"For me, it's the worst qualifying session I've had in 10 years, irrespective of what positions we're going to start tomorrow. Being on pole the previous race and then three weeks later being nowhere is not acceptable for ourselves.
If we would understand then we could tune it but the car is draggy on a straight line. Lewis said it's like dragging a parachute behind him. It is unstable in the rear, it understeers through eight and nine, it bounces through the high speed and gives no confidence. There is not a positive I heard about how the car performs this weekend."
12:49 PM
Current constructor standings
12:43 PM
Current driver standings - Top 12
12:36 PM
Qualifying times
Again, a reminder that the final starting grid looks quite different to this:
Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1min 43.665secs
Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Ferrari 1:44.297
Sergio Perez (Mex) Red Bull 1:44.462
Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:44.553
Esteban Ocon (Fra) Alpine 1:45.180
Fernando Alonso (Spa) Alpine 1:45.368
Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:45.503
George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:45.776
Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:45.837
Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:46.178
Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) McLaren 1:45.767
Pierre Gasly (Fra) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:45.827
Guanyu Zhou (Chn) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:46.085
Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:46.611
Mick Schumacher (Ger) Haas F1 1:47.718
Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Aston Martin 1:46.344
Nicholas Latifi (Can) Williams 1:46.401
Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 1:46.557
Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:46.692
Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:47.866
12:17 PM
Good afternoon F1 fans
Hello and welcome to our coverage for the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix, the first race since F1's traditional summer break of three weeks. Has much changed in the pecking order since the last race in Hungary nearly a month ago? Going by qualifying yesterday the answer is a little bit but ultimately not really.
It was Max Verstappen who set the fastest qualifying time, by an enormous 0.685sec over Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and nearly eight-tenths over team-mate Sergio Perez. However, there were a raft of grid penalties for a total of seven drivers in the field, who all take significant drops from their qualifying position due to varying power unit and gearbox changes.
All that means that Verstappen starts 14th, Charles Leclerc - who trails Verstappen in the standings by 80 points with nine rounds left - 15th, with Esteban Ocon, Lando Norris, Valtteri Bottas, Guanyu Zhou and Mick Schumacher all starting in the bottom six. That means that the top six will line up as follows: Sainz, Perez, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Albon. You cannot deny that it is an interesting top six.
The opening lap run down from the grid to the La Source hairpin, up through Eau Rouge and Raidillon and down the Kemmel Straight to the first chicane likely to be packed with action. Especially as the run-off area at La Source has been redesigned with a gravel trap on the outside. That may make drivers a bit more cautious, however.
Mercedes will start fourth and fifth despite one of their worst qualifying performances of the year. In raw numbers it was not quite as bad as their run at Imola, but given the context that they have made some genuine improvements (if a bit up and down) and took pole position last time in Hungary, this was a shocker. Hamilton finished a baffling 1.8sec off the pace, with Russell a bit further behind. And there were thoughts that they could be closer to the leaders here given the new technical directive on porpoising and bouncing.
Who is favourite for the win, then? It's just about Sainz, but despite starting 14th, Verstappen is second favourite with the bookmakers and it is hard to take too much umbrage with that. His pace in the Red Bull over one lap was phenomenal. This is also a track where it is possible to overtake. He might need a few things to go his way to take the win, but it would be a surprise were to fail to finish on the podium all things being equal.