Belgian Grand Prix: Weekend Recap
The last race before Formula 1's traditional summer break took place at one of the most iconic venues in motorsport history - Spa Francorchamps. Following last week's eventful Hungarian Grand Prix, McLaren were the clear favorites to challenge Red Bull for the championship, further aided by Max Verstappen's 10-place grid drop in Belgium for exceeding his power unit allocations. The papaya team won by nearly 15 seconds at Budapest, their MCL38 seemingly conquering every type of track thrown at it. Having missed out on several occasions prior, McLaren dearly wanted to head into the summer break with one more victory in their hands. However, their rivals would not make it easy for them.
Friday Practice Sessions
Friday practice commenced with Max Verstappen showcasing his potency despite the grid penalty, finishing with a half-second lead over McLaren's Oscar Piastri in FP1. The session saw dry conditions, allowing teams to prepare for Sunday. Piastri, fresh from his victory in Hungary, was followed closely by Alex Albon in third place, who delivered a phenomenal performance for Williams. FP2 continued without the expected rain, allowing for both long-run and qualifying simulations on soft tires. Verstappen initially set the pace on medium tires, but then came the papayas. Piastri set a new benchmark, only to be surpassed by Norris, who finished with a time of 1m42.260s. Verstappen's best attempt left him just two-thousandths of a second behind Piastri. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc trailed by three-and-a-half tenths, indicating a gap between the top two teams and Ferrari and Mercedes.
McLaren's performance suggested they were well-positioned for pole, provided the weather remained dry on Saturday. Norris had an edge in the second and third sectors, while Piastri excelled in the first. Verstappen, despite his initial sector strengths, fell slightly behind Norris in overall lap time. The competitiveness of McLaren and Ferrari, along with the reduced effectiveness of DRS along the Kemmel Straight, were set to hinder Verstappen's progress. Verstappen's long-run pace on medium tires was closely matched with Piastri, suggesting a tight race. Sergio Perez's longer stint on mediums provided an average time of 1m50.248s, while Norris focused on soft tire runs. Ferrari's race pace looked decent but slightly behind that of McLaren and Red Bull.
Mercedes struggled in Friday's sessions, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton losing time on straights and dealing with mechanical issues. The W15 appeared slow on long runs, presenting setup challenges for the team at Spa. In the midfield, Alex Albon showed promise yet again in the Williams, while Alpine's Esteban Ocon was close behind despite missing FP1. Aston Martin's race pace was less impressive, but Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll remained competitive in the upper midfield.
Final Practice
Max Verstappen led a rain-soaked FP3 session, marked by a crash from Lance Stroll that brought the running to a halt. Verstappen set the pace with a time of 2m03.232s, significantly slower than the best times from the dry FP2 session. Oscar Piastri and Alpine's Pierre Gasly followed in second and third, with Lando Norris in fourth before the session was disrupted by Stroll's accident.
Verstappen was quick to take to the track, setting the initial benchmark and improving it on intermediate tires. By the five-minute mark, he led Piastri, Gasly, and Norris. Norris had an off at Turn 9, leading McLaren to change the floor on his car. As the rain intensified, drivers returned to their pits. Stroll then crashed at Raidillon, spinning and hitting the barriers, which led to a red flag. After a 10-minute delay, the session resumed but the track remained empty due to worsening conditions. Race control stopped the session again after another 15 minutes without any cars on track.
The medical car assessed the conditions, and the session briefly resumed with two minutes left. Several drivers, including Carlos Sainz, who slipped into the gravel on his out-lap, and Kevin Magnussen, went out on extreme wet tires but didn't have enough time to start a flying lap. The top four order remained unchanged, with Esteban Ocon leading Charles Leclerc, followed by Stroll, Valtteri Bottas, Lewis Hamilton, and Sergio Perez completing the top ten.
Qualifying
The unknowns going into the wet qualifying session were plentiful, with no teams getting any meaningful track time in wet conditions earlier in FP3. Max Verstappen dominated the day and qualified on pole for the Belgian Grand Prix but started 11th due to a grid penalty. This change elevated Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to the front of the grid, followed closely by Red Bull's Sergio Perez and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.
Q1
The first qualifying session saw teams rush their drivers onto the track to capitalize on a drying surface before more rain arrived. Last week's winner Oscar Piastri initially set the benchmark with a lap time of 1m57.411s on intermediate tires, a solid effort given the treacherous conditions. However, Verstappen quickly responded with a faster time of 1m56.003s, boding well for his comeback race on Sunday. As the track continued to dry, Piastri managed to improve his time to 1m55.549s, retaking the lead with six minutes remaining. Verstappen, yet again, reclaimed the top spot with a 1m54.938s lap. Piastri wasn’t to be denied, setting a final lap of 1m54.835s, just 0.076s ahead of an impressive Pierre Gasly for Alpine and a tenth clear of Verstappen. The session ended with the Haas duo of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, Yuki Tsunoda, Logan Sargeant, and Zhou Guanyu being eliminated.
Q2
The second session continued under wet conditions, with a steady drizzle making the track slick. Verstappen set the early pace with a 1m53.837s lap, despite a touch of oversteer at Stavelot. Lewis Hamilton came close, finishing just two-tenths of a second behind Verstappen on his late flying lap, securing P2 for the session. George Russell, Carlos Sainz, and Oscar Piastri followed closely, all within half a second of Verstappen's time. The session was highly competitive, with conditions changing and small margins separating the drivers. Ultimately, Alexander Albon, Pierre Gasly, Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas, and Lance Stroll were knocked out with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon breaching into the top ten.
Q3
The final qualifying session saw the drivers switch to fresh intermediate tires for their first runs. Verstappen initially dominated, setting a blistering lap of 1m53.159s, six-tenths clear of his nearest rival, Sergio Perez, and eight-tenths ahead of Lewis Hamilton. The session was momentarily paused as teams recalibrated their strategies to adapt to the ever-changing conditions on track. In a strategic move, Leclerc saved his final set of fresh intermediate tires for the closing moments. This gamble paid off as he jumped from eighth to second place with a stunning lap, finishing just 0.595s behind Verstappen. Perez, whose career at Red Bull could be coming to a close, secured a spot on the front row on a set of used inters, while Hamilton locked in third place. The Mexican driver hoped to build up from his advantageous starting position to prove his worth to his team. The session concluded with Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and George Russell rounding out the top six, the McLarens delivering underwhelming performances in the wet having set up their cars for the dry conditions on Sunday. Yet, no one, not even his teammate, could pose a threat to Max Verstappen, the margins in qualifying boding well for his race on Sunday.
Race
The Sunday brought anticipation about various aspects across the 20-car grid. Max Verstappen, starting from P11, hoped to surge back to the front just as he had done on this track in the previous two years. Charles Leclerc, in his best qualifying result since Monaco, hoped to maximize his advantageous pole position. Checo Perez, desperate to prove his relevance in the championship, started on the front row in his best qualifying effort since China. The McLarens expected to bounce back in the dry weather, and the Mercedes had no clue how their upgrades would translate to performance in the dry as they had made changes after Friday's practice sessions.
As the lights went out at the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc led from pole position while Hamilton, with a great start, moved from third to second, crucially overtaking Sergio Perez at the first corner. This allowed Hamilton to stay close to Leclerc for the following laps. Norris experienced a race-defining setback early on, losing three places in the first lap after dipping into the gravel, allowing Verstappen to close in after quickly passing midfield competitors. Leclerc's lead was short-lived, as Hamilton inevitably overtook him on the third lap. At this stage, it was evident that the W15 had immense race pace. Hamilton gradually extended his lead over Leclerc, who struggled to keep up during the first stint, while varying tire strategies among the frontrunners brought other drivers further back into contention.
Carlos Sainz, the only driver starting on hard tires at the top of the grid, managed to hold his position against Norris. As the race progressed, Russell, starting behind Norris, made significant gains, taking part in a fierce battle with Piastri. This contest saw Russell initially undercut Piastri by pitting on lap 10, only to be repassed shortly after, as Piastri moved ahead to challenge Perez for a net third place.
In the second stint, Norris pitted and rejoined behind Verstappen but quickly closed the gap, undercutting Sainz in the process. The long lap times and the rate of degradation made the undercut particularly effective at Spa. Hamilton, meanwhile, extended his lead over Leclerc before pitting again. Perez's pace on medium tires dropped, allowing Russell to pressure and overtake him at Les Combes. This shift prompted Red Bull to pit Perez early to clear the way for Verstappen and Norris. Ferrari reacted by pitting Leclerc to cover Perez, with Hamilton following suit. Piastri briefly led the race, but lost 2 seconds in the pits due to a pit stop error, sliding long in his pit box and colliding with his front jackman.
By this stage, Russell had asked Mercedes to consider a one-stop strategy. His pace remained competitive on his 30-lap old tires even as Hamilton, on fresh hard tires, surged to the front. Despite Hamilton closing the gap rapidly, Russell found the grip out of the corners and maintained his lead, which he defended successfully in the closing stages to secure the victory on track. The advantage of track position and clean air proved vital for Russell’s performance on Sunday. The final lap saw Piastri closing in on Hamilton, having caught and passed Leclerc earlier, but he ultimately finished third, merely 1.1 seconds behind Hamilton.
Verstappen and Norris both overtook a slow Sergio Perez after their second stops. Verstappen, running on medium tires, managed to fend off Norris on the hards, who was chasing with the assistance of DRS until the end. Norris had to settle for 6th over the line as he lost too much time in the second Sainz, employing an out-of-kilter strategy, caught and passed Perez for seventh with five laps remaining. Perez pitted for a third time on softs to chase the fastest lap bonus point, ultimately receiving the point and finishing eighth. Fernando Alonso secured ninth for Aston Martin, while Esteban Ocon took tenth, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo.
In a dramatic turn, George Russell was disqualified after his Mercedes was found to be underweight by 1.5 kg following scrutineering a few hours after the chequered flag. This disqualification handed victory to Lewis Hamilton, marking his 105th grand prix win. Oscar Piastri was promoted to second place, and polesitter Leclerc to the podium, having held off Verstappen and Norris in the final stages. The disqualification mildly altered the championship standings, dropping Russell to eighth and increasing Hamilton's points tally.
“We have to take our disqualification on the chin. We have clearly made a mistake and need to ensure we learn from it. We will go away, evaluate what happened and understand what went wrong. To lose a 1-2 is frustrating and we can only apologise to George who drove such a strong race.”
