Rain affects Belgian Grand Prix qualifiers at Spa, shaping a challenging Saturday for F1 teams.
It’s a typical scenario at Spa-Francorchamps: rain threatens the day’s proceedings at the Belgian Grand Prix. Following the postponement of the F2 race, it is now the F1 qualifying session scheduled for 16:00 on the legendary Belgian Ardennes circuit.
However, heavy showers have developed since this morning, and the third practice session was interrupted by two red flags; one for Lance Stroll’s off-track excursion, and another for excessive water on the track.
Max Verstappen was the fastest in the first practice session, while the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri dominated the second. The third session was not representative, but Verstappen again led, this time ahead of Piastri.
Verstappen will incur a 10-place grid penalty for an engine change, while Yuki Tsunoda, who has accumulated 60 grid places worth of penalties, will start from the back. These are the only two drivers penalized at this stage.
15:45: The rain has eased since the F2 cancellation, but another shower could hit Spa in the coming minutes.
15:48: Aston Martin’s crew, along with Fernando Alonso’s mechanics, are still working on Lance Stroll’s car. Only the front left suspension appeared damaged, but the team is also changing the engine, gearbox, and floor on the Canadian’s AMR24.
15:54: There is an 80% chance of rain for this session, but it seems it will not arrive before the start of Q1, which will therefore proceed under fair conditions.
15:59: The qualifying session is set to go ahead, and drivers will start on intermediate tyres!
Q1 – 18 minutes
Drivers will have just one fast lap as a shower is expected five minutes after this Q1 starts. The rain arrived even faster than anticipated, as it was expected after about ten minutes. Any mistake will therefore be costly.
Norris clocked a 1’58″894, immediately beaten by Nico Hülkenberg with a 1’58″787. Oscar Piastri did even better with a 1’57″411, while Alonso slotted into second place. Alex Albon took provisional fifth ahead of Kevin Magnussen and Stroll, who was able to take to the track after successful repairs by his team.
Pierre Gasly recorded the second-fastest time, and Esteban Ocon the fourth. Sergio Pérez improved to second, while Verstappen outperformed everyone with a 1’56″003. Charles Leclerc was third and Carlos Sainz ninth.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, using the older Mercedes floor, were third and fifth respectively. Logan Sargeant did no better than 15th, and Gasly moved up to second. Norris was provisionally eliminated but made a rapid comeback to fourth place.
Ocon climbed to fifth while Hamilton secured the fourth fastest time between the McLarens. Russell advanced just behind his teammate, and the rain, despite team predictions, held off. Valtteri Bottas took sixth place.
Yuki Tsunoda rose to fifth, and Pérez clocked the second fastest time. Daniel Ricciardo also moved up to second as the track conditions improved. Leclerc ascended to second as well. McLaren informed Norris that it was his last chance to change tyres, and the Brit returned to the pits.
Piastri grabbed the top spot with a 1’55″549, while Guanyu Zhou moved up to 14th. Gasly improved to sixth, and Sainz climbed to fourth. The rain still hadn’t returned to Spa, and Alonso made another push for time as he was in 15th. Verstappen improved and reclaimed the lead with a 1’54″938. Hamilton moved up to third.
Gasly and Ocon placed third and fifth respectively, and Alonso sixth. Magnussen improved to 12th position, provisionally eliminating Norris who was on track with new tyres. Albon moved up to ninth, and Norris finished with the fifth fastest time.
Russell also saved himself with the third fastest time, behind Leclerc. Zhou was placed under investigation for impeding Verstappen in Blanchimont. Piastri retook the lead with a 1’54″835. Gasly moved up to second, and Ocon to sixth.
Hülkenberg took 11th, Alonso seventh, and Bottas eighth. This provisionally eliminated Pérez, who fortunately saved his spot in Q2 with the fourth fastest time. Ricciardo moved up to eighth, Albon also improved, as did Norris to 11th. Sainz secured the fifth fastest time, and Tsunoda did no better than 18th.
The eliminated drivers were Hülkenberg, Magnussen, Tsunoda, Sargeant, and Zhou.
Q2 – 15 minutes
As in Q1, McLaren predicted an imminent shower during Q2. Drivers had to set a fast lap early, which Norris notably struggled with in the first session. Moreover, at Spa, showers can often arrive faster than expected.
Verstappen confirmed the onset of rain at the start of the session. His engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, specified the type of precipitation affecting the Belgian circuit: “It’s a very fine drizzle at the moment, Max.”
Albon posted the fastest time at 1’54″724, edging out Ocon by 0.061 seconds and Russell by two-tenths. Gasly placed four-tenths behind, while Alonso secured the third fastest time. Norris topped the timesheets with 1’54″459. Hamilton claimed the fifth fastest, with Ricciardo achieving the fourth.
Russell complained about his rear tyres while Pérez set the fourth fastest time. Piastri moved up to third, and Verstappen once again outpaced everyone with a time of 1’53″857, narrowly avoiding an off-track excursion in his lap.
Leclerc returned to the pits, along with Hamilton, with the Monégasque driver in the elimination zone. Gasly had not improved from his 12th position and Pérez confirmed that the rain was intensifying. Alonso had improved in the first sector but made no progress in the subsequent two.
Verstappen bettered his time with a 1’53″837, and Russell moved up to fourth. Hamilton climbed to fifth and Leclerc to third. Sainz completed his run with the fourth fastest time. All drivers were on track, and Piastri made a mistake towards the end of the second sector. Despite this, the Australian moved up to second.
Ricciardo climbed to sixth position, while Stroll failed to improve. Pérez posted the fourth fastest time, while Ocon moved up to fourth and Gasly to seventh. The Mercedes drivers were provisionally eliminated but remained on the track.
Russell advanced to second place, followed closely by Hamilton also reaching second. Alonso moved up to fifth, and Albon to ninth, effectively eliminating Gasly who had completed his run. Leclerc improved to fifth, Sainz to fourth, while Bottas made gains but remained in 14th position. Pérez finished tenth, narrowly qualifying for Q3.
The eliminated drivers were Albon, Gasly, Ricciardo, Bottas, and Stroll.
Q3 – 12 minutes
Hamilton set the initial benchmark with a 1’54″011, with Russell trailing by two-tenths behind his teammate. Piastri narrowly missed out by 0.016 seconds to Hamilton, despite leading in the first two sectors. Ocon positioned himself fourth.
Norris could only manage the fourth fastest time. Alonso completed his run in fifth place, narrowly beaten by Sainz. Leclerc secured a provisional sixth, while Pérez topped the timesheets with a 1’53″765. Verstappen outdid them all, posting a 1’53″159.
Hamilton followed up with another lap but fell short by 0.070 seconds to Pérez. Norris edged out Piastri for fourth place. Verstappen returned to the pits to re-emerge with a new set of tyres, as did Pérez.
Sainz lagged in the first sector after a mistake in the initial part and committed another error in the second sector. Despite improving, the Spaniard remained seventh. Leclerc advanced to the second fastest time!
Verstappen did not improve but obviously maintained a provisional lead. Hamilton and Pérez both returned to the pits. Rain must have hit part of the circuit as no one improved and all abandoned their attempts.
Verstappen was the fastest, but it’s Leclerc who will take pole position! He will lead Pérez on the front row, followed by Hamilton and Norris, then Piastri and Russell. Sainz and Alonso will line up ahead of Ocon and Albon, with Verstappen starting 11th due to his penalty.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:54.938 | 1:53.837 | 1:53.159 |
| 02 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:55.349 | 1:54.193 | 1:53.754 |
| 03 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull | 1:55.139 | 1:54.470 | 1:53.765 |
| 04 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes W15 | 1:55.692 | 1:54.037 | 1:53.835 |
| 05 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:55.582 | 1:54.358 | 1:53.981 |
| 06 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:54.835 | 1:54.136 | 1:54.027 |
| 07 | George Russell | Mercedes W15 | 1:55.353 | 1:54.095 | 1:54.184 |
| 08 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:55.169 | 1:54.112 | 1:54.477 |
| 09 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:55.489 | 1:54.258 | 1:54.765 |
| 10 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:55.417 | 1:54.460 | 1:54.810 |
| — | —————- | ————— | ———- | ———- | ———- |
| 11 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:55.722 | 1:54.473 | |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:54.911 | 1:54.635 | |
| 13 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:55.451 | 1:54.682 | |
| 14 | Valtteri Bottas | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:55.531 | 1:54.764 | |
| 15 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:56.072 | 1:55.716 | |
| — | —————- | ————— | ———- | ———- | ———- |
| 16 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:56.308 | ||
| 17 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:56.500 | ||
| 18 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:56.593 | ||
| 19 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:57.230 | ||
| 20 | Guanyu Zhou | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:57.775 |
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