#1071 2022 Belgian Grand Prix

The 2022 Belgian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix 2022) is a Formula One motor race held on 28 August 2022 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot, Belgium. The race runs over a distance of 44 laps and is the 78th overall running of the Belgian Grand Prix, the 67th time the event has been held as part of the Formula One World Championship, and the 55th World Championship race held at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. The event takes place across the weekend of 26–28 August. It is the fourteenth round of the 2022 Formula One World Championship. The race marks the beginning of the second half of the 2022 championship following the summer break. Max Verstappen leads the Drivers' Championship by 80 points from Charles Leclerc, with Sergio Pérez third, a further 5 points behind. Red Bull Racing leads the Constructors' Championship, leading Ferrari by 97 points and Mercedes by 127 points. Speaking of the forthcoming Belgian Grand Prix, some drivers, including McLaren's Lando Norris of Britain, AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly of France and Red Bull Racing's Mexican Sergio Pérez are voicing their disapproval that the Belgian circuit could be omitted from future calendars. in the hope that this is not the last edition. The Austrian team's World Champion, Dutchman Max Verstappen, describes the track as his favourite, saying it would be a shame if the circuit were removed in subsequent seasons.

"It would be a big shame to lose Spa. It's my favourite track in the world and also with the recent changes they did to the run off and stuff. I think it's just an amazing track in a Formula 1 car, any car to be honest, with all the high speed corners and the flow it has in general".

And Carlos Sainz Jr. adds:

"I think there's a compromise to be found, because in the end, I think we all love going to France, to Spa but at the same time the sport is growing so much. I guess there's a lot of new places that are paying quite a lot of money to be part of Formula 1. And it's difficult, as a business point of view, to say no to that.I think the best compromise would be to do rotation and I understand France or Spa maybe cannot afford to be in the calendar every year but I hope that at least every two or three years we can visit Spa in a Formula 1 car.I just wish that even if Vegas, South Africa, whatever is coming, that we can still go to back to France or back to Spa every now and then to keep enjoying those kinds of circuits".

The 2009 World Champion with Brawn GP, ​​the Briton Jenson Button, is also appealing to save the historic Belgian circuit.

"If Spa isn't part of the calendar, I'll be very angry. The Monaco issue is very complicated, because there are many things behind it. But if they cancel Spa, it's for other reasons, not because it's not a good circuit. It's one of the best circuits world, the races are amazing and the drivers and teams love to go there. We have to be careful. We know that Formula 1 is entertainment and that a certain TV show [Drive to Survive] made it very famous in America, which is great for this sport. But we need to make sure we keep the racing exciting and we go to circuits that give us a great chance of seeing the drivers happy. I like to have a mix of street circuits and old school circuits but we can't always just go to the You have to keep in mind both the layout of the track and the country you're racing in, because that's how you build a fan base. It's also important that the race is fun to watch on TV, with lots of battles".

At the same time, the organizers are imposing ten rules on spectators attending the race to avoid a similar situation that occurred in the Austrian Grand Prix held in early July where Dutch fans were accused of homophobic discrimination and racial insults towards some drivers. On the day of the race, Sunday 28 August 2022, the contract for the dispute of the Grand Prix in the world championship calendar is also renewed for the following season. Stefano Domenicali declares:

"We've always said that the race is part of our tradition and has a very important place in our calendar, and this is an announcement we wanted to share right now".

Starting from this Grand Prix, the technical directive against the porpoising of cars in the full straight put forward by the FIA ​​in previous Grands Prix comes into force. On the eve of the Canadian Grand Prix, the world motoring body launches an investigation to study how dangerous the porpoising of cars in the full straight is for drivers, not only for safety on the track, but also for the repercussions on the body. The jolts were particularly pronounced on the long straight of the Baku circuit during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, arousing more than one concern for the drivers, in particular for the British driver of Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, protagonist of severe back pain caused by porpoising, whose presence was initially questioned for the Canadian race, but later denied by the driver himself. From the beginning, the FIA ​​wanted to have a complete picture, consulting specialist doctors and collecting data from other series, for example from the rally, and a technical directive was subsequently issued which explains that in the interest of safety it is necessary to intervene to request the teams to make the necessary changes to reduce or eliminate this porpoising phenomenon. In detail, the world motoring body decides to intervene on some points, such as a more careful control of the vehicle bottom and the definition of a metric, based on the vertical acceleration of the car, which provides a quantitative limit for the acceptable level of vertical swings, and a meeting with the teams is also announced. In the Canadian Grand Prix, the FIA ​​had limited itself to collecting the data in the third free practice session on Saturday, without applying penalties given the limited time left at the teams' disposal. 

After the data collected, on the eve of the British Grand Prix, the FIA ​​has informed the teams that the directive is active starting from the French Grand Prix. The FIA ​​also established some new parameters regarding the wear of the bottom and the stiffness of the central pad that the teams must respect. Nonetheless, prior to the Austrian Grand Prix, it was established that the operation of the technical directive was moved from the French Grand Prix to this race, at the end of August after the three-week summer break. Some teams, however, have threatened legal action against the FIA ​​regarding the issue of interventions on the porpoising of the cars and on the flat bottom, with the technical directives introduced for safety reasons. The vote, not required by the regulation given that the actions are motivated by a security urgency, would normally have required a majority of eight teams to pass. Nevertheless, the World Motoring Council has redefined the flex parameters of the flat bottom of the cars starting from this race. In detail, the changes concern point 3.15.8 of the technical regulation, where an addition specifies the request for a homogeneous stiffness around the measurement holes, equal to at least 90% of the highest value measured in this area. In this regard, the top management of the FIA ​​declare that it would have been irresponsible not to protect Formula 1 drivers from the consequences of porpoising by not changing the rules for next year. Nikolas Tombazis, technical manager of the FIA, declares in this regard:

“We see that in general with the increase in performance there is also a tendency for porpoising to increase. At the same time, teams are learning more about this phenomenon and are able to better control it. responsibly. We have examples of other sports that have ignored the long-term effects of certain conditions to which athletes are subjected and we felt we needed to take a long-term view. These regulations will continue until 2025 inclusive, before moving to the new regulations for effective from 2026, and we felt it was better to act in advance than to find ourselves here discussing the same thing again in a year's time. So it was the combination of all these factors. We also reached a compromise. The President is been heavily involved in all these discussions and I think we finally found the right solution, but there is no doubt that some teams will say that it is the intervened too much and others who will say that too little has been done. It's normal".

Speaking about his team's attitude towards this change, Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner said:

"Well, my wife often tells me that size doesn't matter, so I won't get too fussed about 10 mm. We have to live with it and it is what it is. It's awkward to introduce new stuff at this time of year, it's incredibly late, but that's the same." for everyone".

Furthermore, starting from 2023, it is established that the cars will be raised by 15 millimeters to defeat the phenomenon of car porpoising in full straight. The height of the diffuser throat is also increased. Monday 1st August 2022 Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team is delighted to confirm that Fernando Alonso will join the team in 2023 on a multi-year contract. The whole company is very excited to bring Fernando's incredible experience and brilliant pace and racecraft to the team. The recruitment of a special talent such as Fernando is a clear statement of intent from an organization that has committed to developing a winning Formula One team. Fernando Alonso says:

"This Aston Martin team is clearly applying the energy and commitment to win, and it is therefore one of the most exciting teams in Formula One today. I have known Lawrence and Lance for many years and it is very obvious that they have the ambition and passion to succeed in Formula One. I have watched as the team has systematically attracted great people with winning pedigrees, and I have become aware of the huge commitment to new facilities and resources at Silverstone. No one in Formula One today is demonstrating a greater vision and absolute commitment to winning, and that makes it a really exciting opportunity for me.I still have the hunger and ambition to fight to be at the front, and I want to be part of an organization that is committed to learn, develop and succeed We all appreciate that there is much to be done to get to the front, and that we must apply all our energies in working together to find performance.The passion and desire to perform that I have witnessed convinc and me to maintain my enjoyment and commitment to the sport. I intend to win again in this sport and therefore I have to take the opportunities that feel right to me".

Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman, adds:

"I have known and admired Fernando for many years and it has always been clear that he is a committed winner like me. I have set out to bring together the best people and develop the right resources and organization to succeed in this highly competitive sport, and those plans are now taking shape at Silverstone.It seemed natural therefore to invite Fernando to be part of the development of a winning team, and we very quickly established in our recent conversations that we have the same ambitions and values, and it was logical and easy to confirm our desire to work together".

And Mike Krack, Aston Martin Team Principal, concludes:

"I have witnessed the excitement in the engineering team and throughout the whole organization at the opportunity to work with Fernando. We know that nearly everyone can learn from someone of Fernando's caliber and experience. We are confident that he will inspire everyone to lift their game, and that will only enhance the already infectious energy that exists within the team.We are on a journey to create a winning organisation, and it is clear that Fernando will accelerate our progress and bring us to a performance in which we can take pride. We are delighted to have Fernando and Lance as our driver line-up next year - the combination of experience and youth will be incredibly strong and both drivers look forward to competing and working together. The team has a new leadership focused on the development of AMR23, and we are all thrilled that they and our future projects will benefit from the knowledge and experience that Fernando will bring".

Replacing Alonso, initially on Tuesday 2 August 2022 BWT Alpine F1 Team confirms 21-year-old reserve driver Oscar Piastri as Esteban Ocon's teammate starting from 2023. In line with the commitments made by the Team to the young Australian, Oscar will be promoted to race driver and step in Fernando Alonso's seat from next year onwards. Oscar has been a valued member of the Alpine family for the past four years. The Melbournenian joined the Alpine Academy following his title win in the Formula Renault Eurocup Championship in 2019.

With support and guidance from the Academy, Oscar went on to win the 2020 FIA Formula 3 Championship before making it an unprecedented three drivers' titles in a row by winning the FIA ​​Formula 2 Championship in 2021. In doing so he became only the third driver to secure back-to-back Drivers' Championships across Formula 2 and Formula 3; following only Charles Leclerc and George Russell. As part of his formative F1 journey, Oscar was first promoted to BWT Alpine F1 Team Reserve Driver at the start of the 2022 season and has since been undergoing, under the Team's guidance and its full financial support, an intensive and comprehensive training program of private tests in the race-winning A521, the 2021 Alpine F1 car, race support and simulator sessions to prepare him for the next big step into F1. Alpine now looks forward to seeing the next stage in his F1 career alongside Esteban Ocon.Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal, BWT Alpine F1 Team says:

"Oscar is a bright and rare talent. We are proud to have nurtured and supported him through the difficult pathways of the junior formulae. Through our collaboration over the past four years, we have seen him develop and mature into a driver who is more than capable of taking the step up to Formula 1. As our reserve driver he has been exposed to the team at the track, factory and testing where he has shown the maturity, promise and speed to ensure his promotion to our second seat alongside Esteban, we believe the duo will give us the continuity we need to achieve our long-term goal of challenging for wins and championships".

But later, the driver denies having signed an agreement with the French team and claims not to race for the team in the following season through a Tweet:

"I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year".

Szafnauer, however, claims to have correctly exercised a clause in the Australian driver's contract.

"We have contractual obligations with him, and he has them with us. For our part, they have been respected, and we have an option to exercise for 2023 and 2024. This year, for example, he had to be our reserve driver, do test on last year's car - and it has already covered 3.500 km out of the 5.000 km planned - and prepare it for next year. Also it has done the simulator and will participate in the two PL1s. We believe that our press release was legally correct, we have nothing else to be added".

The commission for the recognition of the contracts of the Federation meets the interested parties the day after the Belgian race to announce in the following days what will be the valid agreement between the driver and one of the two teams between Alpine and McLaren, the other manufacturer joined to the future of the Australian driver. Meanwhile, on Wednesday 3 August 2022, the Thai Williams driver, Alexander Albon, was also confirmed for the following season, signing a multi-year contract.

"It's really exciting to stay with Williams for 2023 and I can't wait to see what we can do as a team in the rest of this season and next year. The team is pushing hard to progress and I'm really motivated to continue this journey and to further develop our knowledge together".

Jost Capito, Williams Racing team principal, adds:

"Alex is an amazing driver and a valued member of Williams, so we are thrilled to be able to confirm that we will be working with him on a long-term basis. Alex brings with him a great mix of skills and in-depth knowledge that will help the team achieve greater success in the future. He is a fierce driver, he will provide us with a stable basis to continue improving in this new era of Formula 1".

On Wednesday 24 August 2022, the British team McLaren announces the separation from the driver Daniel Ricciardo for the next season. The Australian, who has been with the Woking team since 2021, had a contract to drive for the British team also in 2023, but it was terminated early by mutual agreement of the parties. Daniel Ricciardo, says:

"It's been a privilege to be a part of the McLaren Racing family for the last two seasons but following several months of discussions with Zak & Andreas we have decided to terminate my contract with the team early and agree to mutually part ways at the end of this season. I'll be announcing my own future plans in due course but regardless of what this next chapter brings, I have no regrets and am proud of the effort and work I gave McLaren, especially the win in Monza, last season. I 've enjoyed working with everyone at McLaren both trackside and back in Woking and will be giving my all on and off track as we enjoy the remainder of the season together.I've never been more motivated to compete and be a part of a sport that I love so much and look forward to what comes next".

Andreas Seidl, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team, adds:

"I would like to thank Daniel for his dedication and contribution over the last two seasons so far. Despite the shared challenges, he has always turned up with a fighting spirit and positivity and helped the entire team to always keep pushing forward. We will never forget that memorable race win in Monza which was a great boost for the whole team. We still have an important battle in the Constructors' Championship ahead of us for the remainder of the season and we look forward to battle this out with Daniel and Lando".

On Tuesday 2 August 2022, the Austrian team Red Bull Racing extends its partnership with Honda until the 2025 season. The Milton Keynes team continues to collaborate with the Japanese company for the next three seasons, which is formally no longer the power unit supplier, given that the powertrains are branded Red Bull Powertrains, abbreviation RBPT. Koji Watanabe, head of Honda's corporate communications supervisory unit and president of Honda Racing Corporation, explains this new agreement better:

"We have agreed to continue supporting Red Bull Powertrains in Formula 1 through HRC, following a request from Red Bull to extend our current arrangement, which HRC can fulfill within its current resources. Once again, we aim to utilize our involvement in the highest level of motorsport for the development of technologies and our workforce".

Adds Helmut Marko:

"We thank Honda for its positive response to the proposal to continue the partnership, we are excited to continue our partnership in F1 until the end of 2025 with PU supplied by Honda. We have had a successful relationship so far, winning the Drivers' Championship in 2021 and we are currently leading the Drivers' and Constructors' championships, with the aim of securing both titles in 2022".

Furthermore, from 2023 the HRC logo on the bonnet will be replaced by Honda, both on the Austrian cars and on those of the Italian AlphaTauri team, also powered by RBPT engines. Meanwhile, on Tuesday 2 August 2022, the British Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton, becomes co-owner of the Denver Broncos, an American football team of the National Football League based in Denver, Colorado, by purchasing the shares of the group owned by the team, while on Thursday 4 August 2022 the German team publishes its second report Annual Report on Environmental Sustainability. According to the data provided, the manufacturer has managed to exceed the objective of reducing its CO2 emissions by 50% by 2022, starting from a base set in 2018, and has positioned as a new target to reach zero emissions by 2030. objective already implemented by the same category.

One modification will round off the top part of the roll bar, decreasing the chance it will become lodged in the asphalt during an accident. Another modification will focus on the minimum height for the point of application of the homologation test. A new homologation test will be created, in which the applied load will push the roll bar forward. Additionally, new tests will be defined using calculations. Finally, in preparation for 2024, the goal is to implement a significant revision of roll bar tests to ensure that future cars can withstand significantly higher loads. In the upcoming season, the minimum weight of the cars drops from 798 kg to 796 kg, returning to the value initially planned for the current championship, which was later increased at the request of the teams. The minimum weight of the power unit increases from 150 kg to 151 kg to accommodate the greater resistance required for the engine mounting bolts. The fuel temperature remains required to be no lower than 10 °C below ambient temperature, down to a minimum of 10 °C, in contrast to the current threshold of 20 °C. The updated regulations introduce a vent valve for internal fuel tank vapors, with a maximum internal pressure set at 1 bar. The floor of the cars must be stiffer, with tighter flexibility tests. Up to 950 mm forward from the rear wheels, under the application of a 250 N downward vertical load, the floor cannot flex more than 5 mm, compared to the 8 mm currently allowed. During the application of 250 N of upward vertical load, the maximum flexion is 5 mm, in contrast to the 12 mm currently accepted. As for the plank, the resin axis running longitudinally beneath the car, the measurement holes for thickness and wear at the end of the race are reduced from six to four. Other adjustments concern the roll bar: the regulation imposes a minimum curvature radius of 20 mm and, at heights above 950 mm from the reference plane on the floor, a structural section of 6000 mm² in vertical projection. 

Previously, the regulation required a section of 10,000 mm² at a height of only 910 mm. A second load test is introduced, including the application of a horizontal forward load of 49 kN, equivalent to almost 5 tons. Starting from 2026, the new power unit cycle will also feature a limited number of elements to reduce costs. In 2026, the power units will consist of the internal combustion engine, the turbocharger, and the MGU-K, with no MGU-H. Each driver will be allowed to use up to four internal combustion engines, four turbochargers, and three MGU-Ks, along with an equal number of batteries throughout the season. Any extra elements will result in grid penalties. Moreover, the exhaust systems will be halved, from eight to four, with no possibility to swap them between engines. From 2027, however, the internal combustion engines and turbochargers available will be three, with two MGU-Ks and two batteries. In addition to the technical regulations, the new cost cap has also been officially confirmed, which will set a limit on the investments that different manufacturers can make in engine research and production. According to the official document published by the Federation, from 2023 to 2025, engine manufacturers will be able to spend up to 95 million dollars per year on engines. From 2026 onward, the spending cap will rise to 130 million dollars, five million less than the 135 million available for designing and developing the cars. The 135 million for the cars will apply from 2023 after a gradual reduction set from 2021, with 145 million in 2021, 140 million in 2022, and 135 million from 2023 onward. Returning instead to talk about the Belgian Grand Prix, at Mercedes, the Team Principal, Toto Wolff gives an overview of the situation on what was the first part of the season and hopes that in the second part of the season there will be improvements that can bring the team closer to Red Bull and Ferrari:

"We headed into the break off the back of a strong run of races and our biggest race weekend points score so far this year, in Hungary. While we're still not quite in the fight for victories, we're getting closer, so we need to keep the momentum going and the pressure on. The Shutdown is an important time for the team to take some time off, recharge and spend time with their families, whose support throughout the year is invaluable. There are few opportunities to do so during the season and the development race is relentless, so the break has been well deserved for everyone in the team. We're set for an intense second half of the season, with nine more opportunities to find improvements, make progress and hopefully challenge Red Bull and Ferrari for wins. Spa-Francorchamps needs no introduction. A classic track with an old-school feel, the scene of many iconic moments in F1 history and an incredible challenge for both the car and drivers. We're excited to be back there, hopefully we can put on an awesome show this year for all the fans in Belgium, and we'll also be celebrating 55 years of Mercedes-AMG too, with some fun activities".

At Scuderia Ferrari, Luigi Fraboni, Head of Power Unit operation and electronics, explains the role he plays in the team with all the responsibilities that follow:

"I’m the Head of Power Unit Operations and Electronics. The group I run looks after assembly of the internal combustion engine, the turbo, batteries, electric motors and electronic components. I also oversee the test areas where the various components of the power unit are checked for their performance and reliability over long runs. This is where the various units that will be used on track are run in. Then there’s the track group, working with the customer teams, that prepare and run the power units for the race. My love of racing and of Ferrari stems from when I was a little kid and I was lucky enough to visit the old Scuderia Ferrari headquarters during the 1979 season. It was an incredible experience and I remember it as though it was yesterday. When I was reading engineering at university, I was able to do my thesis within the engine department of the Gestione Sportiva at Ferrari and, after working briefly for another company, I got a call from Maranello and I didn’t have to think about it for a moment. I accepted enthusiastically".

On the Spa circuit, he declares:

"It’s a classic for Formula 1 and definitely one of the most popular with the drivers and the fans. It is unique in having very long straights combined with both medium and low speed corners. It’s always very difficult to find the right balance and the best aerodynamic downforce level to run. It will be very important to do all the necessary tests during the Friday sessions so as to find the right compromise between having maximum speed down the straights, which penalises you in the corners or vice versa. Another important consideration is the chance of rain, which is often a factor and hard to predict. It has an influence on the set-up choices made by the teams and can also make for unpredictability in qualifying and the race. The most fascinating corner is definitely Eau Rouge-Raidillon, the high speed uphill esses with a blind exit and it will be interesting to see how this new generation of cars performs through it".

Then, he continues:

"Spa-Francorchamps is very tough on the power unit in terms of reliability. It’s the longest track on the calendar and usually, the distances covered over the course of the weekend are among the highest. There are very long straights that stress all the components and therefore require a specific assessment on the test bench. In terms of performance, along with Monza, this is the track where engine power has the greatest effect on lap time and energy management also has a major impact on the final result, especially in qualifying. The various climbs and drops, particularly Eau Rouge-Raidillon can have a critical effect on the various power unit cooling and lubrication systems and so some specific calibrations are likely to be evaluated during the Friday sessions".

In Ferrari, the Spanish driver, Carlos Sainz Jr., can't wait to get out on the track to better prepare the setup of the car and gives an overview of the first part of the season:

"There are corners here that are part of the legend of motorsport and I can’t wait to get out on this amazing track in the F1-75, which is the best car I’ve ever driven. In the first part of the season, it took me a few races to get fully tuned in to the car, but now I’ve got a good feeling with it and I’m confident that, in the coming nine races I’ll be able to aim to do even more. We have prepared for this race down to the last detail and I expect we will be competitive here as well, as has always been the case this season. In terms of set-up, we will have to find a good compromise between pure speed which you need in the first and third sectors and aerodynamic downforce which helps in the second. We will also have to deal with the weather which is always unpredictable here".

His teammate, Charles Leclerc, continues:

"I’ve got great memories from here, because you never forget the place where you got your first win. But there’s also a very strange feeling, shaken by the tragedy of what happened to Anthoine. We will tackle it one race at a time, because we have a lot of catching up to do, but I know we have the potential to do well in every race. There are nine to go and we have everything in place to do well".

The two Ferraris of Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc dominate the time charts of Friday's first session. The Spaniard is 0.069 seconds ahead of the Monegasque, who, in turn, does better than Max Verstappen. The top three are also the only drivers to finish a lap under 1'47"0. Away by 0.8 seconds from Sainz Jr.'s time is George Russell, fourth. Behind the Briton are Lance Stroll and Alexander Albon, although the Williams has a strong hop. FP1 is red-flagged for the need to recover Kevin Magnussen's Haas, which was stopped by an electrical problem on the descent after the Source, while Valtteri Bottas fails to complete any timed laps, due to a technical problem with the power unit. The work done by Esteban Ocon is also limited, in his case due to transmission trouble. The session, which began with cloudy skies, actually ends early, due to the arrival of rain. Before the start of Friday's second free practice session, the third unit related to the energy recovery system and electronic control unit is installed on Lando Norris' car. On Charles Leclerc's car, the fourth unit related to the electronic control unit is installed. Norris is forced to start from the back of the grid, while Leclerc is penalized five positions on the starting grid because the newly installed components exceed those that can be used in the maximum number set by the technical regulations. For both drivers, the penalty has no practical effect as they are already forced to start from the back of the grid. Verstappen makes up for it in the second session when, with a single lap in qualifying simulation, on soft tires, he seizes the best performance. The Dutchman later concentrates on the race simulation, although, as in the first session, the arrival of rain, in the final part, again limits the work of the drivers, who are also the authors of some driving errors, when the rain makes the track slippery, for the single-seaters with dry tires. Leclerc is confirmed in second position, but Scuderia Ferrari also prefers to focus its attention on finding the set-up for the race. Lando Norris climbs to third, ahead of Stroll, who confirms his competitiveness, so much so that he is ahead of Sainz Jr.. 

Both Sergio Pérez, Verstappen's teammate, who, however, cannot run any laps on soft tires, as well as the Mercedes cars, also with work finalized for the race, turn out to be more detached. Ocon, Bottas and Magnussen, penalized in the first practice session by technical problems, run regularly in the second, although they have not completely overcome reliability concerns. During the first two free practice sessions on Friday, Alexander Albon uses a transmission assembly outside the allocation provided according to the technical regulations. The Thai Williams driver is not penalized on the starting grid as this operation is among those that can be performed within the maximum number allowed by the technical regulations. At the end of Friday's second free practice session, Max Verstappen is summoned by the stewards for failing to comply with the procedures established by the race management during a practice start at the pit lane exit. Verstappen receives a warning. On the night of Friday-Saturday, Haas uses the second of two curfews granted during the season to conduct operations on its cars. The team receives no penalties. Before the start of the third free practice session on Saturday, the third gearbox and transmission is installed on Alexander Albon's car. The Thai Williams driver is not penalized on the grid because the new components are among those that can be used in the maximum number set by the technical regulations. The fifth gearbox and fifth transmission is installed on the car of Zhou Guanyu. The Chinese Alfa Romeo driver is penalized ten positions on the starting grid. The sixth unit related to the exhaust system is installed on the car of Carlos Sainz Jr. The Spanish Ferrari driver is not penalized on the starting grid as the new component is among those that can be used in the maximum number set by the technical regulations. Leclerc is forced to start from the back of the grid as he has accumulated more than 15 penalty positions.

The fifth unit related to the internal combustion engine, turbocharger and MGU-H, and the ninth unit related to the exhaust system are installed on his car. Ferrari's Monegasque driver is forced to start from the back of the grid because the newly installed components exceed those that can be used in the maximum number set by the technical regulations. The penalty has no practical effect as he is already forced to start from the back of the grid. The fourth unit related to the internal combustion engine, turbocharger and MGU-H, the third unit related to the electronic control unit and the fifth unit related to the exhaust system are installed on Zhou's car. Alfa Romeo's Chinese driver is forced to start from the back of the lineup because the first four new components installed exceed those that can be used in the maximum number set by the technical regulations. The fourth unit related to the internal combustion engine, turbocharger, MGU-H and MGU-K, and the sixth unit related to the exhaust system is installed on Mick Schumacher's car. The German Haas driver is forced to start from the back of the grid because the first four new components installed exceed the maximum number of usable components set by the technical regulations. The penalty has no practical effect as he is already forced to start from the back of the grid. The third unit related to the energy recovery system and electronic control unit is installed on Max Verstappen's car. The Dutch Red Bull Racing driver is forced to start from the back of the grid as the newly installed components exceed those that can be used in the maximum number set by the technical regulations. The penalty has no practical effect as he is already forced to start from the back of the grid. On Friday, the attention is on the F2 driver Liam Lawson, ready to step in a F1 car and replace Pierre Gasly for FP1. Choosing the number 40, the American driver is given the chance to drive one of the fastest cars on the planet around one of the best circuits in the World Championship:

"I’ve enjoyed getting to drive the car around such an iconic track, it’s been a crazy experience. The car was great to drive, the limit is so much further than I was ready for, it took a bit of time to get used to that, but I think I built up the pace steadily on the Hards and was ready to push on the Softs at the end, so it’s a bit of a shame I didn’t get the opportunity to really go for it. I want to say a big thank you to Scuderia AlphaTauri and Red Bull for giving me this opportunity. It’s been really cool spending the weekend with the team, it’s a crazy step up from F2. There’s so many more people than I’m used to, but having this opportunity is really great for us young drivers so we can understand what it’s like in an F1 team and learn as much as we can. I’ve loved every second of today and am extremely appreciative for this opportunity".

Remaining loyal to its tradition of unpredictable weather, the circuit of Spa surprises the drivers with two heavy showers at the end of both sessions that prevent everyone from improving their lap times and lead to some mistakes, as many drivers run wide at turn 7 (Les Combes), for example. The fastest time of FP1 is set once again by a Ferrari, which is more unusually the one driven by Carlos Sainz Jr., who completes a lap in 1’46’’538s, just 0.069s ahead of his teammate and a bit more than two tenths ahead of Max Verstappen. However, the Spaniard cannot go further than P5 in FP2, as he encounters some traffic and runs wide at the exit of Fagnes-S, putting all tyres in the gravel at high speed in a risky but equally harmless way:

"Overall it was a good Friday. In FP1 I felt comfortable with the balance of the car. For FP2 we tried some changes which didn’t really work as expected and we lost the feeling a bit. However, I’m confident we know where to find the lap time for tomorrow and the long run pace was also ok, so I believe we are in a good place for the rest of the weekend".

Carlos Sainz Jr. will have to defend Ferrari’s colours on Saturday as his teammate Charles Leclerc sees another difficult weekend take shape ahead of him. In fact, the Monegasque will have to recover after starting from the back of the grid as he will be inevitably penalised for changing some elements of his power unit. Despite showing good speed, he finishes FP2 in second position over eight tenths behind a seemingly unbeatable Verstappen:

"It feels good to be back in the car after the break. We completed a solid number of laps while running in variable conditions, with rain coming and going in different parts of the track. It’s still difficult to determine the pecking order for this weekend, as all teams ran completely different programmes. Our main focus will be on race pace tomorrow, as qualifying will not be as relevant due to our penalty".

And it is in fact the current World Champion who sets the fastest time of the second practice session in 1’45’’507s. However, like Leclerc, the Dutchman will have to serve a grid penalty for technical reasons (new hybrid powertrain) and will share the comeback with his title rival. Also, Verstappen ends up twice under the careful eye of the stewards as he avoids Latifi’s Williams in the pit lane during an apparent unsafe release by the British team and puts two wheels beyond the inner white line during a start practice. Apart from these small troubles, the current world champion shows an impressive pace and many already wonder if he will be able to win from the back on Sunday. His words after FP2:

"From the first laps we did today I could feel that the car was working well, so that’s positive. Not much really changed throughout the sessions, we just looked at how we could set up the car in the best possible way and I think as soon as we went out, the car was looking pretty good. Of course, there are always things that we want to fine tune, like the balance, but we can work on that. When it started to rain, I of course didn’t push as much, hopefully today was the worst of it so we should have some cleaner sessions".

Sergio Perez’s Friday is much more like of a rollercoaster, as the Mexican cannot extract the full potential of his Red Bull RB18. Two 10th places, both times almost two seconds behind the best performance are a bit worrying, considering that Pérez will be Sainz’s main real competitor for pole, but he seems to believe in an improvement:

"We didn’t have the rhythm out there today and part of that was down to the conditions, but we also had a little issue with the rear wing, so we stopped for some time but that was resolved. Our time on track wasn’t ideal today due to the weather, especially on the final lap of FP2 on the soft tyre when things were a bit on the damper side. As soon as you get a damp corner you fully lose the balance on the track and it is very hard to learn anything. We will see what we are able to pick up in the data but I think we are looking good and can be competitive, so we just have to make sure we get everything right for qualifying and the race. Driving on this track is always very enjoyable so I am looking forward to the rest of the weekend".

Mercedes is sporting a slightly modified livery. To celebrate 50 years of AMG, Hamilton and Russell’s cars have new numbers (or should we say old?) with a ‘vintage’ font in big white circles on the sidepods that remind those of the historic German tuner. After showcasing a double livery with lots of red (the colour of the first AMG-tuned Mercedes) on a display car before the racing weekend, Mercedes opted for a more conservative approach to avoid putting too much weight on the car because of the paint. Lewis Hamilton is gaining confidence with his W13, as, despite some mistakes and a dangerous snap of oversteer at the Raidillon, the seven-time world champion has significantly improved from P9 to P6, reducing his gap from the best performance by half a second:

"We just weren't very quick today and I'm not sure why - it could be tyre temps, wing levels, a multitude of things. It doesn't feel disastrous out there, we're just a long way off. We've experienced that a few times this season on a Friday and then things improve on the Saturday, I hope that's the case this weekend. We've just got to work hard tonight, analyse the data to try and figure out how we get this car in a better place. The car doesn't feel the same as Budapest in terms of qualifying pace but it's not far off how it felt on the Friday so that gives me hope".

George Russell brings home an excellent P4 in FP1 while drops to P8 in FP2, but it seems that these conditions are not very indicative, especially for Mercedes. According to the young Brit, the crucial day will be Saturday and it will have to be faced with optimism:

"Tyre temperature is something we've struggled with this season and I struggled quite a lot on every compound today. In these conditions, it's definitely something we need to work on. But we know that once you get temperatures in the right window, you can find a huge amount of performance, so there's a little optimism there. We're pretty used to having bad Fridays so let's see if we can turn it around. I don't think there's any guarantee we can find the performance that we had in the last race but we'll be working flat out tonight to try and get on top of it. Totally different day tomorrow, conditions will be very different, hopefully warmer and drier so let's see what it brings. There's not much to compare here to Budapest - a low downforce track, cold and wet conditions, not many comparable settings you can carry over - but that's the unique thing about F1, every single time you go out you have different conditions and limitations to work around".

Before the start of the third and final free practice session on Saturday, Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) is penalized by 10 grid positions after having a fifth gearbox and transmission unit installed on his car. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz Jr. (Ferrari) installs the sixth unit for the exhaust system, which doesn't result in any grid penalty as the component is within the allowed usage limit. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) faces a more significant issue, as he accumulates more than 15 grid positions of penalties. Leclerc is given a fifth internal combustion engine (ICE), turbocharger, and MGU-H, as well as a ninth exhaust system unit. Because these new components exceed the number of components allowed by the technical regulations, Leclerc is forced to start from the back of the grid. However, the penalty has no practical impact, as he was already slated to start from the back due to the component changes. FP3 sees Sergio Pérez top the timesheets, outpacing his teammate Max Verstappen by 137 thousandths of a second. Pérez's best lap comes on soft tires, while Verstappen is unable to improve on his time. The cold conditions benefit the Red Bull Racing cars, which have less difficulty managing tire temperatures compared to the Ferrari cars. Carlos Sainz Jr. finishes in third, nearly eight-tenths behind Pérez, while Leclerc struggles throughout the session. He exits the track and damages his car by hitting the barriers, causing a brief red flag interruption. The session ends with Pérez fastest, followed by Verstappen, Sainz Jr., Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso, and George Russell. The qualifying session begins with a 25-minute delay due to barriers that need to be repaired following an incident in the support race for the Porsche Supercup. 

Mick Schumacher sets the early benchmark time, but he is quickly overtaken by the Mercedes duo. Sergio Pérez then takes the lead with a time of 1'45"377, before Carlos Sainz Jr. sets a faster lap of 1'45"050. Verstappen, who is on used tires, goes even quicker, breaking the 1'45"0 barrier with a time of 1'44"8. The Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso secure the fifth and sixth positions, with Pierre Gasly and Daniel Ricciardo following behind. The Mercedes duo, Russell and Hamilton, struggle to secure a safe position and are forced to go out again with just three minutes remaining in Q1. Nicholas Latifi makes a strong recovery to 13th, while Lance Stroll places 10th. Schumacher is in 13th, while Zhou Guanyu improves to 7th. Valtteri Bottas fails to set a time due to track limits violations. Sebastian Vettel climbs to 15th, while Norris makes a strong recovery to 5th. Ricciardo sees his lap time invalidated for exceeding track limits in Turn 9. At the end of Q1, Vettel, Latifi, Magnussen, Tsunoda, and Bottas are eliminated. In Q2, with various penalties already decided, the grid is mostly set. Lewis Hamilton sets the early pace with a time of 1:46.622, which is soon improved by Russell to 1'46"284. Verstappen sets a stunning time of 1'44"723 in the first run, with Sainz Jr. seven-tenths behind despite receiving help from Leclerc's slipstream. Pérez follows closely, just a tenth behind Verstappen, but is on a fresh set of tires, while Verstappen is still using a set of used tires. Norris places 4th, ahead of Alonso, and Ocon moves up to 4th, ahead of Russell. Leclerc is frustrated with a car bounce and a small mistake on the track, but still manages to secure a strong time. Ocon sets the 4th fastest time ahead of Norris and Russell.

Leclerc eventually tops the session with a time of 1'44"551, with Hamilton improving to 5th and Russell following in 6th. Albon sets the 10th fastest time, while Ricciardo, Gasly, Zhou, Stroll, and Schumacher are eliminated. In Q3, Albon is the first out of the pits and sets a time of 1'46"369, which is quickly beaten by Pérez (1'44"462). Verstappen follows, improving on Pérez's time with 1'43"665. Sainz Jr. manages to split the two Red Bulls, using the slipstream from Leclerc. Ocon sets the 3rd fastest time, ahead of Norris and Russell. Leclerc, struggling with his car's bounce, also improves his position to 4th, pushing Ocon down. Albon finishes 6th, behind Alonso and Ocon. However, due to multiple component changes, including the power unit and transmission, Max Verstappen is penalized and moved down the grid, promoting Carlos Sainz Jr. to pole position. This marks Sainz's second career pole, after his first in the 2022 British Grand Prix. With qualifying over, as usual, the drivers release their impressions to the press, and beginning is poleman Max Verstappen, who says:
 

"It was an amazing qualifying; the car has been on it all weekend and it’s been very enjoyable to drive. We fine-tuned a few things overnight and it seemed to work out. I’m very happy with my lap and it’s great to be here, it’s a great track with amazing fans around, I hope they had a good day. Starting from the back tomorrow meant that I had to be careful with the tyres I was using throughout the session today. With a car like this it will be a shame not to be on the podium tomorrow, that’s what we are targeting".

His teammate Sergio Perez is not as happy as him:

"It was a good but not fantastic qualifying. My first lap in Q3 wasn’t great and then that session was slightly disturbed due to other issues, like a little damage to my floor, but being P2 for the race tomorrow, is still decent. We improved very well from yesterday considering we lost a lot of track time in FP2 and I think there is still room to improve in the race. We can fight for the win from the front row tomorrow, we expect to go for it, it’s about getting a good start, a clean lap one and going from there. Being on pole doesn’t benefit you too much here, being close to Carlos in Eau Rogue can get me the lead so I will try to do that. It’s important we race our own race tomorrow".

Red Bull’s Team Principal Christian Horner comments:

"It was an unbelievable Qualifying from Max today, the lap time was so good he didn’t need to do the second run. He has been absolutely on fire this weekend. It’s a hard fight from P15 and there are always risks associated with that but we are in for a fantastic race tomorrow with Max and Charles fighting their way through the field. Checo also had a brilliant qualifying, he is perfectly poised to take on Carlos at the front. History has shown us with Sebastian a few years ago, Daniel Riccardio and even Max that at the start, with that run up the hill, the tow is very powerful with the DRS closed. We discussed ahead of time and agreed that tactically P2 may be a better place to start. Yes P1 is traditionally the best place to start but here its all to play for. There is going to be a lot to keep on top of tomorrow".

Carlos Sainz Jr. speaks about Ferrari’s competitors in the race:

"We had a good qualifying and I’m happy to be starting on pole here in Spa. It was today’s goal and we achieved it with perfect team work together with Charles. Now we need to focus on ourselves and make sure to keep our competitors behind us tomorrow. Defending from them won’t be easy, especially at the start, as their performance has been very strong this weekend. I’m ready for a race in which we will fight with everything we have to bring home another win. In terms of race pace, I think we should be competitive".

As well as Sergio Perez, Charles Leclerc is not so satisfied with his performance:

"It wasn’t the most exciting qualifying on my side, given the penalty we will take tomorrow. There was a bit of potential to improve the driving or the car’s set-up - however, our target was not to find that last tenth today. Our competitors have been very fast since the start of the weekend, and looking at the gap we had to them today shows us that it will not be an easy race. I don’t have a clear objective for tomorrow; what I want is to maximize the result. Our race pace was quite good yesterday so hopefully, with a strong first stint and a lot of overtakes, we can come back quickly and fight at the front".

Laurent Mekies, Ferrari’s Racing Director, comments:

"It was a very intense and complex qualifying. We had very strong opponents this afternoon, especially Verstappen. But at the end of the day neither Max nor Charles were able to fight for a place on the front row because they both have a PU penalty so we could do our proper qualifying work only with Carlos. It was very tight and it took quite a bit of teamwork - with Charles and Carlos towing each other - to be able to extract the last thousands of a second to get Carlos on P1 for tomorrow. They did a super job together and the team supported them well with a perfect execution. With Charles the priority was to beat the other cars that also had PU penalties today, and ultimately we decided at the last moment to run him on a new set of soft tyres in Q3 to secure the highest position possible. It still leaves him with a very healthy new tyre allocation for tomorrow to battle strongly through the field. It will be an intense race for Carlos, who will have to use all his skills to defend first position. I’m sure that we will have the chance to bring home lots of points".

Lewis Hamilton is disappointed by the performance during qualifying:

"Everyone's working hard for improvements and we came here very optimistic that we're going to close the gap, so to be 1.8 seconds behind is a real kick in the teeth but it is what it is. This is a car that we continue to struggle with, and I definitely won't miss it at the end of the year. The other two teams ahead of us are in another league and we can't keep relying on them to fall off. We have to regroup and make sure next year's car is where we need it to be, and we'll do the best we can with what we have for the rest of the season. We were a little too draggy and the aero balance through the corners wasn't stable so it's very hard to work around that but we'll try our best for tomorrow. Knowing how hard everyone is working, I'm gutted for the team because we're giving it our all but it's the fundamentals of this car - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's really bad".

His teammate George Russell agrees:

"It's difficult to comprehend how we were on pole in the last race but 1.8 seconds off today, and we aren't just losing time to Max, we were six tenths behind the Alpines. When the temperatures are cold, we struggle and as we also saw in Imola this year, we find it difficult to get the tyres working. I'm confident we'll have a lot more pace tomorrow compared to the Alpines, McLarens and the Williams too, but we will still be 0.5s/1.0s behind Red Bull and Ferrari. We need to look overnight to try and understand our pace but it's good to get qualifying out of the way, it has been a weak point for us, and I'm sure we'll be faster tomorrow. Mercedes qualifying P7 and P8 is not where we want to be, and we know that's not where the car is, so we've got work to do tomorrow to get a good result".

Toto Wolff comments:

"That was a very disappointing qualifying result, no matter that penalties for other cars tomorrow will push us up the grid".

So he adds:

"Four weeks ago in Hungary, we were on pole, albeit with some slightly unusual circumstances that played in our favour; today, we were 1.8 seconds off pole position. Nobody in the team thinks that kind of deficit is acceptable, and even now after 14 races, we don't understand how to consistently get performance out of this car. We seem to have high drag on the straights and haven't given either driver a balance this weekend to give them confidence. Hopefully tomorrow we will have better race pace than we showed today, but we know that no matter our finishing positions, we have a lot of work ahead of us".

The important news of the weekend is that Spa-Francorchamps will remain on the Formula 1 World Championship calendar for 2023. It is a good day on Sunday, August 28, 2022 and this means that conditions are very different to the cool climes of Friday and Saturday. Carlos Sainz is the poleman, while Sergio Perez is immediately behind him, even though Max Verstappen set the fastest time: in fact are eight the drivers hit with engine and gearbox-related grid penalties for this Grand Prix. Those are Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon, Lando Norris, Zhou Guanyu, Mick Schumacher. Yuki Tsunoda will start from the pit lane start due to further power unit changes. Sainz, Bottas, Verstappen and Leclerc start on softs, Tsunoda is the only who has hard tyres, and the rest is on mediums. When the lights go out, Sainz goes first while Fernando Alonso jumps to second ahead of the two Mercedes car and Perez moves down to fifth, passed by the Silver Arrows. Hamilton edges ahead of Alonso going into Les Combes and the British driver is forced to retire after an airborne ride over his rival's Alpine car. This guy only knows how to drive and start in first, says a furious Alonso on the team radio. Verstappen runs a good first lap, moving up to P8 on his soft compounds, while Leclerc is up to 10th by the end of lap 1. The start of lap 2 sees another collision, triggering a Safety Car, as Valtteri Bottas spins out in avoidance of an out-of-control Nicholas Latifi, who seems to be avoiding Ocon. Behind the Safety Car, Sainz is the leader, ahead of Perez, then come Russell, Alonso and Vettel. Leclerc reports smoke from his front-right tyre and soon has to pit, on lap 4, going on medium tyres, and lining up 17th ahead of Latifi. Ferrari’s pit wall soon confirm that a tear-off caused Leclerc’s front-right brake to overheat, and that he will try to put into place a one-stop strategy from there on. The race restarts on Lap 5, just after Sainz locks up into the final chicane, causing Perez to back off and lock up into La Source and Russell to slow down. 

Because of this, Alonso tries to make a move on Russell down the Kemmel Straight; meanwhile, Verstappen is seventh, after passing Alex Albon, and overtakes Daniel Ricciardo too, at the final chicane, to gain the sixth position. Ricciardo then loses P7 to Albon down the Kemmel Straight. Apart from Verstappen, the biggest gainers by the end of lap 5 are Ocon, Norris, and Zhou, who has made up five places since the start. The reigning World Champion is surely the fastest on track: he overtakes Vettel on lap 6 at the final chicane, then Alonso with DRS on the following lap. Sainz, who has a two-second lead over Perez, is told to switch to Plan B. After passing Russell with DRS before Les Combes, Verstappen is now near to the podium places and has just 2.5s between him and the leader. Charles Leclerc is fourteenth by the start of lap 9, having made it past the two AlphaTauris and trying to do the same with the Alfa Romeo of Zhou and the Haas of Kevin Magnussen. Albon and Gasly pit for hards on lap 11, and at the end of the same lap Sainz stops for mediums emerging sixth but making his way past Ricciardo for fifth soon after. At the start of Lap 12, Verstappen says to his team that he is losing a silly amount of time behind teammate Perez, and passes him down the straight to take the lead into Les Combes. Ricciardo and Ocon stop for hard tyres, while Russell takes mediums and Norris hards a little after, on lap 14. Sainz is now third, having easily passed Vettel and Russell. Perez reacts to Russell pitting for mediums on lap 15 and emerges just behind Sainz and perilously close to Leclerc: they make slight contact down the Kemmel. With a 13.8-second lead over Sainz, Verstappen pits and emerges second, just 4.6 seconds behind the new leader. Russell passes Leclerc with DRS, dropping the Ferrari driver down to P5. Verstappen is on Sainz’ tail and manages to take the lead again down the straight, after aborting a move around the outside of La Source on lap 19.

By the end of that lap, his lead is more than 2.5 seconds from the Ferrari. While Verstappen takes the lead off Sainz, Ferrari opens up negotiations with Leclerc, asking him if he would like to stop again to ensure a P5 finish. Perez passes Sainz before Les Combes on lap 21, leaving the Spaniard in the third podium position. The Red Bulls are now on their way to a one-two finish, while both Ferraris stop: Sainz takes the hards and Leclerc the mediums. The former emerges fourth in chase of Russell’s podium place, and the latter seventh. Leclerc soon passes Ocon for P6, prying P5 off Vettel on lap 31. Perez reacts to the Ferraris on lap 28 and stops for hard tyres emerging third, but Russell pits for hards on lap 30, so the Mexican takes P2. That releases Sainz back into the final podium spot. Verstappen, after extending his first soft-tyred stint, comes in for another set of mediums and emerges still in the lead. Sainz asks the team if a three-stop strategy was on the cards, before being told that this would drop him behind Russell. With a margin of victory of 17.841s, Verstappen wins the Belgian Grand Prix, followed by his team mate Perez. It is a great double for the Red Bull, while Sainz ends in P3 and Russell just over two seconds in P4. Charles Leclerc makes a penultimate-lap pit stop trying to do the fastest lap but emerges just ahead of Alonso, who passes him. The Monegasque driver manages to hit back and take P5 but it turns out that he had sped in the pit lane, and this drops him to P6 by the flag, behind Alonso. Alonso finishes fifth, ahead of team mate Ocon in P7. The winner, Max Verstappen, had a really good pace during the race, he scythed his way through the field and fought with the leaders after few laps. He had better tyre wear than his competitors, extended both stints, and drove to a very comfortable victory:

"This whole weekend has been incredible. It’s never easy though, it was quite a hectic first lap staying out of trouble, so many things were happening in front of me and everyone was trying to maintain their spot. After the safety car and when it had all calmed down, we made our way forward by picking the right places to overtake and we could look after our tyres. Now we need to keep on working hard and focus on each race ahead of us. We know that we have to finish every race, we don’t need to win every race but we want to as a Team. Let’s see what we can do in Zandvoort".

Sergio Perez managed to recover from a bad start so the Red Bull finished with their fourth one-two of the season:

"It is a great weekend for the Team and I am very pleased with that because we have been working so hard. Max was on another planet today and so quick, I want to understand my race pace and where I lost out to him, I am aware of the gap and I want to come back stronger. I had a really bad start but luckily I was able to rectify it. I went into a lot of wheel spin as soon as I released the clutch and couldn’t get any traction, especially when I went into second gear, it meant I lost a lot of positions. I think my first stint wasn’t very strong and that really made a difference and determined a lot of my race. I need to be at a better level for Zandvoort and Monza. There is plenty to look at and hopefully I go into next weekend even stronger, I think things will be a lot closer there so I am looking forward to it massively. We are going to push really hard".

Christian Horner, Red Bull’s Team Principal and CEO, describes this as the biggest ever achievement to date:

"We have never won a race from as far back as P14 and to take a 1 - 2 with Checo, along with fastest lap, is an outstanding achievement. It’s a fantastic win for Max and he has been in a class of his own on the track this weekend but it really is a team victory; for everyone here and all the team back in Milton Keynes. There is a lot of hard work that goes in behind the scenes that contributes to a performance like today and would also like to thank HRC for their contribution to this victory".

Carlos Sainz Jr. was the leader during the opening stages of the race, but did not manage to keep either Red Bull behind as he struggled with higher than expected tyre degradation:

"The car felt quite good today and we did our best, but our pace just wasn’t quick enough this weekend to hold on for the win. We ran a solid race from start to finish, with good pit stops and strategy calls, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Red Bulls behind, as they simply had more pace. Time to analyse and prepare the next week's race at Zandvoort".

After the great start, Charles Leclerc saw smoke rising from the tire and was called into the pits early to fix the problem. That left him fighting his way through the field from the very back, and he managed to recover to fifth. Then, a late pit stop for changing tyres in order to try to score the fastest lap bonus point riuned his result, as he did not get the bonus point and a post-race time penalty for speeding in the pit lane dropped him to sixth:

"We started well, then on lap 3 we unfortunately had a tear-off in the brake duct that meant I had to pit when I was in P9. That set us back quite a bit. From that moment on, I knew that it was going to be a difficult race. The feeling in the car was quite ok, but compared to our competitors we were lacking pace. They made a huge step leading up to this weekend and we have to work on closing the gap".

Mattia Binotto, Ferrari’s Team Principal, says the team need to work a lot to improve the performance of the car:

"Today’s race did not live up to our expectations. Red Bull has done a great job and the performance difference between them and us this weekend, in terms of pace and also tyre degradation was clear to see. Carlos drove a good race. Charles was unlucky in the very early stages and from then on he had even more of a job on his hands. As a team, we just have to roll up our sleeves and continue to improve the performance of our car. The next race at Zandvoort features a track with completely different characteristics and we are ready to give it our best shot as always, aiming for the win".

Hamilton made a great start near to Alonso and the two were fighting for second place, but when the Briton tried to do a move into Les Combes, they tangled. Hamilton’s Mercedes went up into the air and he was forced to retire:

"Looking back at the footage, Fernando was in my blind spot and I thought I left more room than I did, so it was my fault and I paid the price. I'm just sorry for the team, we had a chance of P3 and P4 today. The car felt good on the laps to the grid, we'd got it into a good place and I'd made a good start. After three weeks away, I was looking forward to racing today so it's frustrating, but it is what it is. Right now, my job is to focus on the next race, I need to recuperate and get back on the treadmill".

Russell was third after his teammate’s retirement, but then Verstappen passed him. He tried then to take the position off Sainz hard but due to the tyre temperature, he ended fourth:

"I have mixed feelings right now because had you told me last night we will be two seconds off the podium on merit and pure pace, I'd have said that's a good recovery. When I was closing in on Carlos at the end, a second a lap, I thought here we go - we're in for a really good shot here. But then I just had two really scrappy laps and got the tyres out of the window. When the tyres are in that sweet spot, the car is transformed but as soon as I lost them, I knew the podium was game-over. Overall, considering where we were, P4 and two seconds off the podium - not too bad. Today our race pace was probably better than the Ferraris; Carlos started on pole, was leading the first stint and we closed him in both times. So at worst, I think we were equal with Ferrari today, but as we know, it's swings and roundabouts. What is clear is, Max is cruising away at the moment".

Toto Wolff is not satisfied about the race:

"I don't think we can be satisfied with this weekend - if you see Verstappen, he has leaped above us all. We really need to find out how we can improve our car because the gap is just too big. We're giving the drivers a very difficult car to drive and it hasn't got the pace on a single lap so we need to work ourselves out of this situation. Over the next four days, we'll be putting our heads together, setting our sights on the next race and also next season. It's important we stay level-headed, keep our spirits up and don't flip too much between elation and depression - this weekend is a low but in Hungary three weeks ago, we were thinking we will absolutely win a race, so we'll never give up".

After the race, Max Verstappen explains that in the chaos of the first lap he was forced to clear his vision:

"I couldn’t see anything, it was very dirty, I had to take off a tear-off visor".

This move influenced Charles Leclerc’s race. The Ferrari driver followed like a shadow his peer in the special slalom between his opponents during the first lap - indeed at the Brussels corner he also joined him using the braking to which Verstappen was forced to avoid Lance Stroll, who returned dangerously to the track after the gravel exit at Les Combes - and so Verstappen’s tear-off visor slipped into Charles Leclerc’s right front brake vent. The Monegasque driver saw smoke rising from the tire and an unscheduled pit stop was necessary to see what was happening. The Ferrari mechanics mounted a set of medium tires and, above all, removed the tear-off visor that blocked the air intake. Leclerc collapsed from ninth to 17th position with the race of the Monegasque who immediately started uphill. In the final, the Ferrari wall recalled Leclerc in an attempt to steal the fastest lap from Max Verstappen. A move that turned out to be an own goal because not only did Leclerc not beat the Dutchman’s lap, but he also exceeded the average speed limit in the pit lane and was penalized with a five-second penalty. A penalty that relegated him to sixth position (which by seven tenths did not become a seventh). Mattia Binotto, Ferrari’s Team Principal, at the final press conference underlined that from his point of view the stop was a right choice and that once again Verstappen’s visor betrayed Leclerc: 

"Every stop involves risks, but if the team has decided to stop to subtract a point and earn it, it is a courageous choice that must be supported. You have to be brave in F1 to earn something. We were close with Alonso at the level of seconds of margin, but we knew that we would use the DRS to pass him and that this would also help in the fast lap. We exceeded the average limit of 0.1.81 km / h instead of 80.9, and it happened because Verstappen’s tear-off visor not only overheated the brakes, but also knocked out sensors that we use to control the average speed in the pit. lane. With the knockout sensor we had to switch to a fallback solution that excluded speed control in the pit lane. Not for this you don’t have to have the courage to stop. If the team has decided to stop, it’s nice because it was the right choice".

Verstappen's second home race of the season will be held next weekend, September 2-4, at Zandvoort. The 2021 World Champion is 93 points ahead of team mate Perez, while third in the ranking is now Charles Leclerc.