The Belgian Grand Prix, the thirteenth round of the Formula 1 World Championship, will take place on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit on Sunday the 26th of August 2018. After almost a month of waiting, the Circus is back on track. And it does so with numerous innovations, starting with the announcement made on Thursday 2 August 2018, with Daniel Ricciardo as the protagonist, who will leave Red Bull Racing at the end of the championship to join Renault for the next two seasons. In 2019 Ricciardo will have the confirmed Nico Hulkenberg as his teammate.
"It's probably one of the toughest decisions of my career so far. But I thought it was time to take on a new challenge. I realize there is a lot that needs to be done to enable Renault to achieve its goal of competing at the highest level, but I have been impressed with their progress in just two years and I know that every time Renault has gone into motorsport, in the end he won. I hope to be able to help them on this journey and contribute on and off the track".
Therefore, there remains an open position in Red Bull Racing, which will probably be filled by the French driver Pierre Gasly. Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner says:
"We fully respect Daniel's decision to leave Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and wish him all the best for his future. We would like to thank him for his dedication and the role he has played since he joined the team in 2014, and of course for the seven victories and 29 podiums he has achieved so far with us. We will now continue to evaluate the many options available to us before deciding which driver will partner Max Verstappen for the 2019 season. In the meantime, there are still nine races left in 2018 and we are fully focused on maximizing every opportunity for Max and Daniel to the rest of the season".
Two weeks later, exactly on Monday 13 August 2018, Fernando Alonso announces that he will leave Formula 1 at the end of the year. The announcement is made by McLaren, with which the Spanish driver has played the last three seasons.
"After seventeen years in this fantastic sport, it's time for me to change and go elsewhere. There are still several races between now and the end of the season and I will compete in them with the same passion and commitment as always. Let's see what the future will give me, there are new challenges around the corner. But thanks to Chase Carey and Liberty Media for their effort to change my mind".
But as far as the McLaren team is concerned, there is little uncertainty regarding the name of the driver who will take over from Fernando Alonso in the McLaren team. The following day, the news broke that the English team had signed the Spanish Carlos Sainz jr for 2019. The engagement is made official by McLaren with a press release. Meanwhile, the Force India team, which was facing a serious economic situation and which had gone into administration on the eve of the Hungarian Grand Prix, manages to save itself as it receives decisive support from a consortium of entrepreneurs on Wednesday 8 August 2018 who takes charge of paying past debts, thus avoiding a possible bankruptcy. The administrators accept the purchase proposal of this group led by Lawrence Stroll, the father of the Williams driver, Lance Stroll, who takes over the ownership of Vijay Mallya's team, taking over its management. The operation, which in addition to Lawrence Stroll involves entrepreneurs Jonathan Dudman, Andre Desmarais, John McCaw Jr, John Idol, Michael de Picciotto and Silas Chou, is confirmed by Otmar Szafnauer, team operations manager, and will allow the team to conclude the season and save jobs that were in jeopardy.
"This result secures Force India's future in F1 by enabling it and our drivers to compete to our full potential. I am delighted to have had the support of a consortium of investors who believe in us and we may also have some components that had been put on hold by our suppliers and that we hope to get on track soon".
The solution of the pending financial situation is another serious aspect of the affair, given that among the creditors are both Mercedes, which supplies the engines to the team, and the driver Sergio Perez. Says team administrator, Geoff Rowley:
"All creditors will be paid in full and jobs preserved, the team will have a significant investment to use for its future and within the next few weeks the company will be out of administration".
The decisive contribution of Lawrence Stroll in the restructuring and relaunch of Force India is the prologue to the discounted hiring of his son, Lance Stroll, for the 2019 season. From now on, the team will use the name Force in its communications. India F1 Team, without the addition of the sponsor Sahara. The presence at the Belgian Grand Prix, however, is questioned by some legal problems which still do not allow the transfer of ownership to be concluded. In fact, there is still no agreement with a pool of Indian banks that financed the old property: this does not allow the new property to acquire the sporting title to participate in the Grand Prix. The FIA thus decides to exclude Sahara Force India from the championship, pursuant to article 8.2 of the sporting regulations. From now on, the team will participate in the World Championship under the name of Racing Point Force India F1 Team, but will lose all the points won under the old name. Speaking of the Belgian Grand Prix, the FIA establishes two zones for the use of the Drag Reduction System: the first along the Kemmel straight, with a point for determining the gap between drivers located before the second corner. The second zone is established on the pit straight, and the detection point set before turn 18. Furthermore, the Federation appoints the former Formula 1 driver, Mika Salo, in the role of assistant commissioner for the race. The Finn has already performed this function in the past, most recently at the German Grand Prix. On the eve of the Belgian Grand Prix, Mercedes announces that it will use the third seasonal evolution of the power unit: Valtteri Bottas will therefore have a new power unit in all six components, while Lewis Hamilton will use a new internal combustion engine, a new turbo and a new MGU-H. Ferrari is also fitting for the first time the third evolution of the power unit, which had already been prepared for Haas and Sauber, in the previous Hungarian Grand Prix. For this race, Pirelli, the sole supplier of the tyres, brings medium, soft and super-soft compounds. In this regard, Mario Isola, Pirelli Motorsport Director, says:
"For this race, the teams have opted for different choices of available sets, with some variables that could lead to numerous strategies, also thanks to the fact that Spa-Francorchamps is a circuit that favors overtaking. This race is always an unknown factor, especially as regards the weather, so the teams will be called upon to react promptly to the various circumstances. From a tire point of view, it's a very demanding grand prix. In 2017 the nomination for this tender was quite aggressive, and the tender confirmed the validity of this choice. For this reason we have decided to bring compounds of the same level again this year, albeit with a different name".
As mentioned, after the fear of not being able to race in Belgium, Force India overcame the moment of difficulty thanks to the definitive transformation into Racing Point Force India, which will have Lawrence Stroll as owner and CEO, and Otmar Szafnauer as Team Principal. On the eve of the Belgian Grand Prix, the Canadian manager thus comments on the definitive realization of an exhausting negotiation that has finally reached a happy ending:
"On Monday I was looking at the Silverstone and Brackley factories from outside and I could only feel great admiration for the results achieved by this team in recent seasons. The credit goes to a truly special and talented group of people. In my career I have already measured myself in various entrepreneurial activities, but trying to make Force India make the leap in quality is undoubtedly the most exciting challenge I've ever faced. Together with my partners we will invest in new resources to bring new energy to an already special environment. We recognize ourselves in the competitive spirit shown by Force India and we want to make this team even more special in the coming seasons".
Force India team principal, Otmar Szafnauer, thanks his colleagues, who have remained loyal to the team in a very difficult moment from a financial point of view:
"I thank all my colleagues who have shown great loyalty, now that the team is financially secure we can concentrate on what we do best, racing. I thank Robert Fernley for all that he has been able to give to Force India over the years".
The new Racing Point team principal will begin his adventure starting from the Belgian Grand Prix, starting from zero points in the classification reserved for the teams.
"The Racing Point Force India team is delighted to be able to start a new adventure this weekend. Just a few weeks ago, an uncertain future lay ahead, with over 400 jobs at risk. Today the new team has the backing of a consortium of investors led by Lawrence Stroll, who has confirmed their confidence in all of us as a team, in our experience and in our potential. We are grateful to the FIA and Formula One Management for their support and concrete help which has enabled us to achieve such a positive result, both for us but, we believe, also for the sport and its many fans".
FIA President Jean Todt adds:
"I am very pleased that a positive result has been achieved and we welcome the mid-season entry of Racing Point Force India. Creating an environment of financial stability in Formula One is one of the most important challenges, and thanks to the hard work of the FIA, the directors of Racing Point and Formula One Management we have created a situation that safeguards the future of all the highly talented employees of this team, keeping the league competition fair and regulated well into the second half of the season".
On Tuesday 14 August 2018 Fernando Alonso informed the media of his intention not to extend his contract with McLaren at the end of 2018, making the decision to bid farewell to Formula 1 after a militancy of no less than seventeen seasons. The Spaniard also talks about choosing him during the press conference that takes place on Thursday 23 August 2018, on the eve of the Belgian Grand Prix:
"It was a decision that I began to make last year. After that, in 2018 there were a lot of changes within the team, a change of engine supplier and I thought it would be worse to stay another year".
The Spanish driver does not hide that he has lost the enthusiasm for driving in Formula 1:
"The Formula 1 that exists now is not the one I dreamed of as a child, nor the one when I entered. There comes a day when you don't get excited anymore: that's why I left. I made some changes in my priorities with the WEC championship and other things towards this direction. A couple of months ago I decided it was the right time to leave because I still feel strong, still a top level rider and I want to leave this sport at a time when I still feel strong and not at a time when I don't feel competitive and I have nowhere else to go. I prefer to make the decision on my own terms, to find new challenges that perhaps Formula 1 cannot provide me at the moment".
Alonso's new challenge - it's no mystery - is called the Triple Crown:
"I've been thinking about it for months or years. To be the best driver in the world, I would have to win eight Formula 1 titles, which seems unlikely to me, or be able to win in different categories. In Indianapolis I was competitive: I want to be able to win with different cars in the future. For next year I have several opportunities: I didn't stay because there are only two teams that can win and they will continue with their riders for next year as well. Certainly not being in a top team had an impact on my decision, not being able to aim for the title makes everything more difficult. In the past, even if a team seemed clearly superior, there were always races with more strategic variables, more action. It's not like that now".
And speaking of a possible return, the Spaniard says:
"At the moment I think it's goodbye, but in life things change quickly. As I said in the press release, we must always leave a door open for the future".
It's no secret that Lewis Hamilton has deep esteem for Fernando Alonso, a sentiment expressed several times during interviews in recent years. Therefore, the Briton's opinion on the farewell to Formula 1 of his Spanish colleague, with whom he shared the experience in McLaren in 2007, could not be missing.
"I would like to say that it is a pity that he has not been appreciated as much as his qualities deserved. But our sport is very interesting, it is not limited to the talent behind the wheel, but also embraces the way of acting, of 'playing'. A bit like in chess, it is important how the pieces are placed, all of these things are part of the overall package".
However, Lewis Hamilton openly acknowledges his rival's talent:
"He was one of the best riders, indeed, for me he was probably the best I raced against. I wish him the best for his future. Seventeen seasons is a lot, and I have a lot of respect for him for that. Even Jenson Button ran for a long time, or even Kobe Bryant in basketball, staying at a high level for a long time takes a lot of time, a lot of effort and just as much dedication, it's something that ordinary people can struggle to understand".
The British driver will face the Belgian Grand Prix as leader of the standings, currently holding a 24-point lead over Sebastian Vettel, on a track that has seen him triumph three times, and take pole position on four occasions:
"I won't run in defence administering the advantage. In the last few races we were strong and they worked a lot in the factory before closing their doors for the mandatory break. I will continue as in the last few races, at the end of the first half of the season we were very competitive".
Performance will obviously be decisive in the last nine rounds of the World Championship. And this is the true strength of the SF71H, which has shown that it can adapt better than any other car to most tracks and conditions.
"The key will be to be the fastest, to have speed. In terms of points, we're a little behind, but the gap isn't unbridgeable".
The memory, perhaps, goes back to that 2012 in which the German showed up in Belgium with a good 42 points behind Fernando Alonso, still managing to become World Champion at the end of the season:
"In the past, I've found myself in worse situations and then I recovered anyway. Do I expect to have a competitive car here? Well Ferrari has been fast up to now on similar circuits. We should be everywhere. And we also have updates. We'll see how they work".
But for his part, Lewis Hamilton warns his rival:
"The season has said that things can change quickly, I still expect it. We have to get a result at Spa and Monza, because then there will be tracks where we will struggle. But I'm curious to see how Ferrari will go. I'll try not to drop points for road. The pressure? I don't know how much Vettel has, I have the right one. Sure, the Red is the team with the most history and it hasn't won the title for a long time...".
Regarding Daniel Ricciardo's decision to leave Red Bull Racing for Renault next year, the British driver says:
"Daniel looks like me. People are afraid of changes. We do not".
Finally, the Mercedes driver reserves a very special and affectionate thought for Niki Lauda, recovering from the delicate lung transplant operation that took place a few weeks earlier:
"We miss. I asked to visit him, but it was not possible, but I kept in touch with his wife. He's the greatest fighter I've ever known".
For Stoffel Vandoorne, racing in Spa, Belgium should be a source of pride. However, when asked about his short-term future, which could be away from the Formula 1 tracks, the Belgian driver admits:
"I have no doubts. I think there's always a lot of rumors and a lot of question marks in the press these days, but I'm 100% confident. The only thing I can do is concentrate on my work and I think I've already shown that I know how to be very, very close to Fernando. I think some of your colleagues have prepared some statistics to show how close your teammates from the various teams are, and I think I'm close enough to Fernando".
Vandoorne has undoubtedly suffered from the confrontation with Alonso and the statistics, both in qualifying and in the race, see the Spaniard as the wide favourite. However, in Hungary, with the chassis change, there seems to have been a small turning point, with the performances of the Belgian rider approaching those of his teammate. But all this may not be enough to allow him to end the season.
"I think the only thing I have under my control is track performance. I know I had a series of difficult races before Hungary, due to the problems I had with my car, but then we showed that everything is back to normal. So yes, I'm very confident about the next appointments, and about the fact that the results can return to being those hoped for. Undoubtedly, given the position we occupy at the moment, it's not the best, but I'm feeling positive".
Finally, on the future and the possibility of changing teams next season, Stoffel Vandoorne says:
"It depends on the situation. Many things have happened in the Formula 1 paddock in recent weeks and everything has become a bit unpredictable".
On the eve of the Belgian Grand Prix, speaking of the Spa circuit, where the thirteenth race of the World Championship will be held, Daniel Ricciardo says that, compared to other circuits, mistakes can always be corrected:
"I was third at Spa last year, second the year before and won in 2014. It's a fantastic place and a very historic track. The lap is long but it's one where you feel that if you make a small mistake somewhere, maybe you can balance it, since there are so many corners and it's never over until the full lap is done. It's not like Austria, where if you make a mistake in the first corner your time is basically ruined. At Spa, you can earn a little before the end, but obviously you'd prefer each lap to be perfect".
The Australian's favourite sector is the central one:
"I really like the intermediate sector, I like quick changes of direction and it has plenty. Turn 10 is one of the fastest and most beautiful on the calendar. Spa is good for overtaking, it allows for big slipstreams and is high-speed, so it's a fun track".
His teammate, Max Verstappen, also welcomes the Belgian track, which attracts a large number of Dutch fans, given the proximity of the circuit:
"Racing in Spa is always special. I was born just an hour away so it's pretty much a home race for me. You can see from the orange crowd and the many campers how much the track is stormed by the Dutch. The track is located in the forest which makes it different to drive than other circuits. Eau Rouge is obviously special but my favourite part is Pouhon, the fast left turns are really nice. The victory in Austria was amazing as it was Red Bull's home race and there was a massive Dutch influx. Winning at Spa would be similar, orange flags everywhere, hopefully we'll make them smile this year".
In the days leading up to the eve of the Belgian Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko talks about various topics, including the drivers' situation which saw the recent farewell of Daniel Ricciardo. Regarding his decision to move to Renault, Marko admits:
"I can't understand why he changed. It was a very strange story. The negotiations were difficult. On the Wednesday before the Austrian Grand Prix, we sat down to talk for two hours and agreed. Then there were some improvements for him during the weekend. In Hungary, he told both me and Mr. Mateschitz that everything was fine and that the Tuesday after the tests he would sign, but he didn't. Thursday afternoon I received a call. It was so evident from his voice… I told him: get to the point. We're adults. Then he added: I'm going to Renault".
And he adds:
"I can only assume that he doesn't believe in the Honda project, and that Renault has offered him a very high price. But I think making Shoeys will be difficult for him in the near future. He has lived a total of ten years with Red Bull, since his junior days and probably needed a change. I can understand if he thinks the grass is greener on the other side, but on the other hand it's a real shame. Certainly he is one of the strongest drivers in the race and his overtaking maneuvers are simply great. Sometimes the rivals don't even notice they're being overtaken and recently he was very close to Max in qualifying".
Fernando Alonso has confirmed his farewell to Formula 1. But, previously, he had been approached by Red Bull Racing and defined as a team breaker by team principal, Christian Horner. In this regard, Helmut Marko specifies:
"We negotiated with him in 2007 or 2008. It was very difficult because of the requests he made. If you look at his history at McLaren and Ferrari, it's always been a one-man show. This approach does not suit us. We also have our junior program. We push our youth. Alonso is certainly the best driver, but he doesn't fit into our structure".
As for Pierre Gasly, who will team up with Max Verstappen in 2019, Helmut Marko says:
"Pierre is only in his second year in Formula 1, so he still lacks the routine. But in terms of sheer speed he won't be far from Max in qualifying. This is one of his strengths. He has to learn the rest. We expect him to adequately replace Ricciardo by the middle of the season. At Toro Rosso we now have to fill Gasly's cockpit. We want to decide by Monza".
Fernando Alonso is rather sorry for the treatment reserved for him by Christian Horner, given the frequent contacts between the parties.
"I received some offers from Red Bull. In fact, I had one in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, and two this year. One in Monaco and one in August. So I'm glad you asked this question, because the comments made over the summer by Christian Horner and Mr. Marko are completely out of context. Surprise comments towards me, where I am defined as a person who creates chaos and is difficult to work with. One, they have never worked with me, secondly they have chased me five or six times in the last seven years and now say they are sticking to their schedule and their commitments to younger riders. It was weird and it was unfair to me. I wrote to Christian after his summer comments, he apologized by email, and I hope he apologizes again over the weekend".
However, Red Bull continues to claim the opposite, so much so that Horner himself replies:
"Just to be completely clear. There was no offer for Fernando Alonso. I don't know, perhaps Franz did it to him (Tost, Toro Rosso team principal, ed), but there was really nothing on the part of Red Bull Racing. He is a great rider and a talent, but as I said he doesn't fit our profile which is based on investing in young talent. However, it is true that we had contacted Alonso, but it was in 2007. Recently, immediately after the announcement of Daniel's farewell, Liberty Media and Flavio Briatore called us. I don't know why Fernando chose to say so, just as I don't know who made him other offers".
Red Bull Racing adviser Helmut Marko also denies any contact with the Spanish driver:
"I've never spoken to Alonso or Flavio Briatore, so I don't know where this idea came from".
On Friday 24 August 2018, during FP1, Sebastian Vettel preceded Max Verstappen by just 0.15 seconds. The German sets a time of over a second better, compared to the time recorded during the same session in 2017. Behind the Dutch, however, are Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Räikkönen and Valtteri Bottas. The British driver prefers to concentrate on studying the tires, while Daniel Ricciardo only carries out his work in the final part of the session, setting the sixth fastest time, due to a problem with the engine injectors. Sebastian Vettel tests a new rear wing, while Kimi Räikkönen tests a spoon profile. Lando Norris takes over from Fernando Alonso at McLaren during FP1. In the afternoon session it was once again a Ferrari driver, in this case Kimi Räikkönen, who set the best lap time, just 0.8 seconds slower than the track record. The Finn precedes the two Mercedes drivers, with Lewis Hamilton suffering from some oversteer. The Anglo-German cars don't seem at ease with the Supersoft tyres. Sebastian Vettel scores only the fifth fastest time, not finding a correct set-up for the single-seater. Both Ferrari drivers test the third specification of the power unit, which should theoretically be more powerful and therefore have more thrust than the previous models. On the race pace the SF71H prove to be the most constant. Sebastian Vettel runs with Supersoft tires and with Soft tyres, a compound with which he laps at a pace of 1'48"288 (Hamilton, with the same compound, laps with times of around 1'48"869). Kimi Raikkonen, on the other hand, rides with the Soft compound, and later with the Supersoft. However, the Finn, who is also the active driver with the most successes at Spa (four), is not thrilled by the best time of the day:
"It's only Friday, we'll see tomorrow and Sunday how we go. Today we expected the rain but it didn't arrive, looking around it seems that it could rain at any moment. The new power unit? It's difficult to establish the increase in power, the last time we raced was a month ago on a completely different track".
Sebastian Vettel was only fifth at the end of FP2 because in the time attacks he first made a mistake in turn 4, and then found traffic.
"The car is not yet exactly how I would like it, Raikkonen was better on the fastest lap. I expect a lot from the power unit tomorrow and at Monza next week".
Max Verstappen, who essentially experiences his home weekend at Spa, being Dutch, says that on such a fast track there is little hope of being able to get a good result with Red Bull Racing:
"The chances of rain this weekend are decreasing and in the dry, being fifth and sixth is our maximum objective at this track. We tried to focus on low-load short runs to compensate for the power unit deficit, our pace isn't even that bad. I was pleased to see so many Dutch flags in the grandstands even though it was only Friday".
Valtteri Bottas will be forced to start from the back of the starting grid due to the penalty he had to serve at the engine level (both the Finn and Lewis Hamilton, like all Mercedes engines, were equipped with the third specification of the power unit), and therefore for Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo open up the opportunity to qualify on the second row, behind the Ferrari drivers and Lewis Hamilton. Although Daniel Ricciardo practically had to miss the first free practice session due to an injector problem, and he will have to make up for the lost time in the morning, in the third practice session:
"I still haven't found the right balance for either the long run or the single lap. We have a lot of work to do in the evening and during the night to find the ideal compromise".
On Saturday 25 August 2018, the Maranello team drivers also command the Saturday session, with Sebastian Vettel ahead of Kimi Räikkönen by 0.063 seconds. Lewis Hamilton, third, is the only other driver to set a time lower than the limit of 1'43"0. The greater aerodynamic load created on the Mercedes wings allow the drivers of the Anglo-German team to make the most of the Supersoft tires At the end of the session, the red flag was shown when Valtteri Bottas caused Stoffel Vandoorne to go off the track. In fact, the Belgian spun to avoid the Finn. At the restart, after the red flag, Pierre Gasly too spins as he exits the pits. Uncertain weather conditions push the drivers out onto the track as soon as possible. Kimi Räikkönen sets the reference time, while Sebastian Vettel is second, ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Valtteri Bottas subsequently sets the second best time, while Lewis Hamilton climbs to third place. Carlos Sainz Jr., Fernando Alonso, Sergej Sirotkin, Lance Stroll and Stoffel Vandoorne do not pass in Q2. In Q2 Kimi Räikkönen sets a time that earned him the track record, lapping in 1' 41"627. Lewis Hamilton was second, ahead of Sebastian Vettel and the two Red Bull Racing drivers, before rain started pouring down the track. Valtteri Bottas, who hadn't managed to score valid times in the first part of the session, still managed to get back into the top ten. Pierre Gasly, Brendon Hartley, Charles Leclerc, Marcus Ericsson and Nico Hülkenberg are eliminated at the end of the session. Sebasrian Vettel, at the end of the second phase, is the driver with the best time, after setting a new record time. The rain intensified in the decisive phase of qualifying, but the drivers decided to tackle the track with dry tyres. Valtteri Bottas spins, and all the other drivers decide to pit, except the two from Force India, Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez. The Red Bull Racing drivers opt for the use of intermediate tyres, which however don't seem usable. Daniel Ricciardo makes a mistake at the Combes and misses the chicane; Max Verstappen sets a time of 2'02"849, two seconds quicker than Daniel Ricciardo. But immediately after Kimi Räikkönen passes the Dutchman, setting a time of 2'02"671. Lewis Hamilton climbs to third place, Max Verstappen takes improves without beating Kimi Räikkönen, who is instead beaten by Sebastian Vettel (2'02"446). In the meantime, the track is improving, becoming drier. This pushes the riders to try to start last, to take advantage of the best conditions. Lewis Hamilton sets a time of 1'58"179, leaving Sebastian Vettel almost 0.8 seconds behind. The German, on the last lap, is penalized by a battery that is not fully charged. The two Force India drivers, Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez, monopolize the second row, while Kimi Räikkönen was unable to set a useful second time, due to a lack of petrol. Lewis Hamilton conquered an unexpected pole position, taking advantage of the constantly evolving track conditions:
"It was the hardest qualifying I can remember. I don't know if Ferrari would have taken pole in the dry, because we were just a few thousandths away in Q2 too and I was hoping to be able to make a difference. Then the rain came, it was very difficult, I went out in Turn 1, it was like being on eggshells. Here it was more difficult than in the past, I went out twice. Incredible track, it's great to see so many people here".
However, the British driver gave the men of the Mercedes a good scare, finishing wide at La Source and then at Fagnes. After better understanding the track conditions, Lewis Hamilton managed to complete a fast lap that earned him pole position:
"I think we could have fought for it in the dry as well, but driving in these conditions at Spa was simply magnificent. We were all tiptoeing in hopes of not locking up the tyres. After two mistakes I could no longer fail in the last attempt, but I managed to take pole. Tomorrow on the pass Ferrari seems to be ahead of us, but I'll give it my all. It won't be easy to defend yourself at the start, the Ferrari power unit is very fast and there is a long way to go to get to Les Combes".
A year ago, the British driver found himself with Sebastian Vettel in his slipstream at the restart, but by lifting his foot as he exited Eau Rouge he managed to defend himself, forcing the German driver to get out of his slipstream too early. In competition duelists will compete again at the same spot. Valtteri Bottas on the other hand is called to comeback from the back of the grid:
"I wanted to offer Lewis the slipstream, but the rain made it useless. Tomorrow it will be a lot of fun to be able to come back from the back of the group".
Sebastian Vettel was very fast in all sessions, except in Q3, made chaotic by the rain that wet the track immediately after the green light in the last ten minutes, only to leave room for the sun again:
"It's not rain, it's not dry, it's somewhere in between. I knew that not all laps would count, apart from the last one. It was a bit chaotic and it wasn't great from a management point of view. I don't think we put everything together in the last lap, we ran out of battery".
The German knows that he had an excellent chance of taking pole position:
"It wasn't a good finish for a good qualifying up to that point. It's a lot of fun (the situation with the track first being wet and then damp, ed), but obviously it's not very rewarding when you know you could have done a little better. It hasn't all been as calm as I thought it could be. It didn't seem like I had pulled everyone out for various reasons, so it was a session that didn't have rhyme or reason. We probably didn't have perfect timing, but in these conditions anything can happen. We had the pace for pole, but we'll never find out. The gap was big, many credits to Lewis for this pole, we hope to have a great race tomorrow. There was some confusion in the box. When there are these weather conditions it's not easy to manage two cars and Kimi obviously rushed to try to get back out, even I wasn't sure what to do. I wanted to save the tyres, I found some traffic with Esteban in front and you know that every lap can be decisive. Maybe in the end I wasn't able to keep all the necessary calm in the car".
The moments following Sebastian Vettel's return to the pits were particularly agitated, after the first lap done on dry tires in the rain. The Ferrari driver was waving his hands furiously at the mechanics who were moving his car. Thanks to the recordings of the radio communications, it later emerged that the German was trying to warn his men that the bottom of the single-seater was crawling. For this reason, at the end of qualifying the German immediately went to check underneath his SF71H. Be that as it may, Sebastian Vettel will start the Belgian Grand Prix starting alongside Lewis Hamilton.
"It could have been a lot worse".
Taking advantage of the ever-changing track conditions, Esteban Ocon managed to set the third fastest time:
"Fantastic result, thank you all so much for the support. After such a difficult period for the team it's great to be in third place. Now everything is better, it's a new start and we are very happy with this result. I'm excited, we changed tires very quickly and managed to go out at the right time, I did a clean lap and we brought home third place, let's try to repeat that tomorrow".
In the Ferrari garage, Kimi Raikkonen shakes his head once he gets off the car, and then presents himself to the media decidedly annoyed by the unexpected event that prevented him from setting a time that could guarantee a better position:
"Obviously I didn't have enough fuel to do more laps. It was unfortunate and clearly a far from ideal position. We'll see what we can do tomorrow".
Once again, the rain ruined the plans of a Ferrari that appeared to be the car to beat in the dry, so much so that it finished Q2 in the first two places. Despite this, the Finn currently finds no consolation:
"Positive aspects for the race? Not for what happened today".
The bitterness that Kimi Raikkonen feels is so high that, at a certain point, the Ferrari driver left the garage without even seeing his final position. A position that, given the circumstances, isn't even terrible, with a third row that allows him not to start too far from the leading riders:
"It will be a different story, we will see what happens. I don't even know what position I ended up in, but certainly far from ideal".
The lack of power from the Renault power unit is forcing Red Bull Racing to use rather extreme set-ups to try to catch up in terms of top speed. The rear wing used in qualifying had a very low incidence. In this regard, Daniel Ricciardo explains how the performance of the Anglo-Austrian cars is conditioned by this situation:
"Here we are forced to go around with a very unloaded wing but if we could have a more charged one we could also do full turn ten (Blanchimont ed). Eau Rouge is easy, I think we could do it with the DRS open if it was allowed. This morning I tried to ride with a more loaded configuration. In the second sector we were doing very well but in the first and third sectors we were really slow. With a more charged wing in the race if there were to be restarts behind the safety car we would be very easy to overtake. So tomorrow in the race we will race with an unloaded wing which will allow us to overtake a few times".
The lower power of the Renault power unit was not an advantage even on wet asphalt:
"Since our engine is less powerful than the others, one might think that the power delivery is smoother, but that's not the case. We're still struggling to find good handling especially in the first part of the acceleration phase. So I don't think having less power helped in the wet".
As is known, Daniel Ricciardo will move to the Renault team in the next two years. But the Australian driver hopes to have a power unit with much higher performance than the one mounted on his car today. When asked about the possibility that Red Bull Racing will start excluding him from development work on the simulator, Daniel Ricciardo replies:
"I have already started (to be excluded ed) but for me it is excellent news. Seriously the simulator is a great tool for engineers. They offer us twenty types of setup and we have to try them all in one day. We get some good feedback but when we put the wheels on track we can progress faster. I think the simulator has helped me to reach a good level of communication with engineers in terms of feedback, especially in the beginning of my career. However, after driving a lot on the track, I don't think there's much left to learn in this sense. I don't think that winning a race depends on the work done on the simulator first. For example, if I didn't use the simulator before the Japanese Grand Prix, I wouldn't feel in trouble about that. I'm not disappointed that I can't try the 2019 novelties on the simulator because I understand that they don't concern me. But as long as there are developments that will be mounted in 2018, they are included in the test program. I understand this choice and I respect it".
In Belgium, Fernando Alonso underlined that Red Bull Racing contacted him as a possible replacement for Daniel Ricciardo, also demanding an apology from Christian Horner after the offenses received. However, Helmut Marko responds that perhaps the offer to Alonso to race with Red Bull Racing came from a mechanic.
"I said no to Red Bull because it's not a winning project. Finishing fifth, sixth or seventh one second from pole doesn't interest me, I prefer to race elsewhere where I have more motivation. I made the decision to leave F1 two months ago and have never looked back".
In short, Ricciardo and Alonso have made the same reasoning on the chances of victory of the Red Bull Racing-Honda project. Alonso didn't like the words of Christian Horner, but the Spaniard receives an apology from the Red Bull Racing team principal, albeit indirectly:
"He's never worked with me, so I don't see how he can judge me. I don't think the people who worked with me had any problems, Renault and McLaren wanted me back. My manager contacted him, apologized and said it was a misunderstanding, that's the only thing that matters to me".
On Sunday the 26th of August 2018, at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton defends himself from the attack of Sebastian Vettel and maintains the first position; the two are followed by Force India drivers. Further behind, Nico Hülkenberg mistimed his braking at the Source and hit full on Fernando Alonso's car, which took flight leaning on the Halo of Charles Leclerc's Sauber, while the nose of the front wing hit the rear of the car by Daniel Ricciardo, who in turn touched Kimi Räikkönen's right rear tire causing him a puncture. Alonso, Leclerc and Hülkenberg are forced to retire. Meanwhile, on the long Kemmel straight, Sebastian Vettel passes Hamilton and climbs into first position, just before the marshals decide to use the safety car. The Force India drivers also unsuccessfully attacked the British driver, with four cars practically in the same line. Subsequently, all the drivers returned to the pits to make their pit stops, while the Red Bull mechanics tried to quickly repair Ricciardo's RB14. On the fifth lap, the Australian returned to the track, two laps down from the group. The race restarts Sebaetian Vettel followed by Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Pérez, Esteban Ocon, Max Verstappen and Romain Grosjean. On lap eight, Verstappen overtook Ocon and moved up to fourth place. During lap 9 Kimi Räikkönen was forced to retire due to the DRS damaged after the accident and the damage to the floor caused by the puncture on the first lap. Meanwhile Verstappen also overtook Pérez and moved up to third place, but remained 12.7 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton. On lap 13, Valtteri Bottas moved into tenth position, overtaking Sergej Sirotkin. On the twenty-second lap, Lewis Hamilton stops, returning third, behind Max Verstappen. A lap later, Sebastian Vettel also entered the pits, maintaining the lead of the race after his stop.
A few minutes later the battle between Marcus Ericsson and Brendon Hartley for ninth position began: the New Zealander overtook the Sauber along the Kemmel straight, but the Swede recovered the position later. On lap 30, Valtteri Bottas also returned to the pits to mount a set of Soft tyres. Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo retires. In the final laps, Bottas overtook the two Force Indias and climbed to fourth place. The other Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, slowed down and saw the gap from the leader of the race, Sebastian Vettel, who won the Belgian Grand Prix, increase to over ten seconds. The German driver wins for the fifty-second time in his career and for the thirteenth with Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton is second, followed by Max Verstappen, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez, Esteban Ocon, Romain Grosjean, Kevin Magnussen, Pierre Gasly and Marcus Ericsson. With this success, Sebastian Vettel surpasses Alain Prost in the special ranking of all-time winners. At the end of the race, the German driver exclaims:
"Have I won more races than Alain Prost? Wow… The first round? It was a great start, Lewis pushed me a bit to the left I have to say, but I knew I had a chance further up the hill. I tried like last year, but I didn't succeed in 2017 and this year it went better. We had a little less wing to tell the truth, but the timing was also perfect. I was able to manage it crucially, then Force India also attacked, and to be up front was a relief. Then with the Safety Car the situation was reversed a bit, but I restarted very well, with an excellent exit at the first corner. I had this wind from behind after the first corner, but then it was a very linear race. Lewis pushed a lot especially towards the end of the first stint, but in the second stint I controlled my pace. The situation was under control, so it was a great weekend. Even in traffic I was quite lucky, overtaking on the straight without wasting any time. I saw that he wasn't pushing in the last 15 laps, so I was able to relax a little more. I enjoyed this race, with a great car it's even better. We look forward to next week with optimism".
This is how Sebastian Vettel will appear at the Italian Grand Prix 17 points behind Lewis Hamilton but, unlike in recent years, at Monza he will be able to aspire to victory thanks to the new specification of the Ferrari power-unit, which proved to be very competitive on its debut on the SF71H:
"Winning is always nice, but winning here is very good. With the new engine, I think we have taken another step forward and this is very important for Maranello, because the engine is the soul of our car. I think we are all very proud of it, because Ferrari must have a very strong engine".
Lewis Hamilton was unable to resist when Sebastian Vettel attacked him immediately after the start. On the restart, the British rider tried to stay close to his rival, to put pressure on him, but locked the front right tire under braking, before tackling the Bus Stop corner. Not even the undercut was successful, but the feeling is that even in the event of overtaking, the Ferrari driver could have replicated the overtaking again on the track.
"Congratulations to Seb. We have and I did everything we could in the race, but I think in the end we couldn't do more this weekend. When he passed me I almost didn't even see him on the straight. We tried to push as hard as possible and we have to push even harder to try and make up the lost ground. The restart from the SC? I might have had a chance but you saw how he passed me in the straight, he would pass me again. They found some special tricks in their car, I did what I could and we have to keep working. Also in Monza the speed on the straight will help them".
At the end of the race, Lewis Hamilton lowered his pace trying to save the engine in view of the Italian Grand Prix, another race of pure power in which it will be extremely difficult to stem Ferrari's supremacy:
"I thought saving the engine was the best thing to do in a final race where I couldn't get close. We have to work to try to close the performance gap that still separates us from Ferrari".
Max Verstappen managed to finish the Belgian Grand Prix in third position:
"At first I had to attack and pass a couple of cars, then we stayed out of trouble and had our race. I am very happy with the podium here. We had a bit of bad luck before, but today I'm very happy".
Valtteri Bottas was the author of an extraordinary recovery, having started from tenth position. Therefore, the Finn is satisfied with the result of the Belgian Grand Prix, given the initial difficulties:
"Our goal was to limit the damage and we completed a good recovery. We knew we had a chance to finish on the podium, but I had a collision in the first corner which damaged my front wing. After that episode, fourth place was the best we could get and in fact it's not a bad result since we started seventeenth. I really enjoyed it, because I had to overtake several cars and I probably did my best maneuver at Eau Rouge (outside on Hartley ed). Unfortunately we couldn't win the race, but we scored more points than Ferrari, so that's all positive. Both in qualifying and in the race, they have been very competitive this weekend. We still took a step forward with our engine, but the Ferraris proved to be even faster, so we have to keep pushing".
On the other hand, someone who is not at all happy with the outcome of the Belgian Grand Prix is Kimi Raikkonen, who throughout the weekend had to face a series of problems which penalized him:
"I was hit from behind and clearly damaged the underbody and rear wing. Basically my race ended there".
In the contact, the #7 Ferrari also suffered a puncture to the right rear tire which forced the Finn to complete an entire lap of the long Spa circuit on three wheels. One detail that certainly didn't help:
"We saw in the lap we made after the restart that the DRS kept opening by itself, it was impossible to continue".
Raikkonen's race ended with a sad retirement to the pits, a few laps after the restart which followed the entry of the Safety Car. A decision, to stop, not linked to the management of the new Ferrari power unit:
“Retired to preserve the engine? No, all of this has nothing to do with it, the car was too damaged, just this".
Scuderia Ferrari was expected to come to the rescue in Belgium after the missed successes in Germany and Hungary. At Spa, Sebastian Vettel returned to victory, a victory that had not been achieved since the British Grand Prix. Scuderia Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene would like to thank the German driver for this victory:
"Thanks Sebastian, great race. Yesterday he was called the wizard of rain, so we are the wizards of dry weather. He did well to look at our car because it is not inferior to him. In Monza we will also have the twelfth man and we are counting on it a lot, we are sure that he will support us".
The only discordant note was the withdrawal of Kimi Raikkonen. But Maurizio Arrivabene preaches calm:
"The important thing is to stay calm and serene, starting with me, it won't be necessary to be more aggressive in Monza. We have to go forward convinced of ourselves and smile a little more. We are a fantastic team, we make mistakes like our drivers, but we are human not robots".
Kimi Raikkonen's Belgian Grand Prix was conditioned by the accident which involved several drivers at the start, including Ricciardo, Alonso, Leclerc and Hülkenberg. The German driver caused the accident, forcing the race direction to bring out the Safety Car to allow the debris caused by the impacts to be safely removed. At first it was thought to be a failure in the Renault braking system. But this eventuality is excluded by the person concerned, who takes into consideration other factors.
"No problem with the brakes. In the first lap these cars are very sensitive in terms of aerodynamics. If there are cars crowding up in front of you you lose a lot of grip, when I braked there was an instantaneous lockup of the front wheel and I slid into my colleagues".
In fact, it was a mistake by the German driver, who lost control of his single-seater.
"It was a misjudgment on my part, I braked too late, too aggressively. It's obviously frustrating for Alonso, for Charles and also for me".
Given the similarities with the accident that took place in 2012 at the same point on the track, Nico Hulkenberg does not rule out the arrival of a penalty against him:
"I haven't seen if my mistake affected anyone else, but Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc certainly had to retire and risked what happened. We'll see what action will be taken".
Punctually, at the end of the race, Nico Hülkenberg was penalized by ten positions on the starting grid of the following Italian Grand Prix following the accident at the start. Three points are deducted from his Superlicence. Valtteri Bottas also loses two points from the Superlicence and receives a 5 second penalty on the total time for causing an accident with Sergej Sirotkin; however, he maintains the fourth position. In the accident involving Ricciardo, Hulkenberg, Alonso and Leclerc, the front of the Spanish driver's McLaren detached Daniel Ricciardo's rear wing and a wheel also hit the halo that protected the cockpit of Charles' Sauber Leclerc. At the end of the race, Fernando Alonso highlights how much difference the presence of the Halo has made, which had been criticized in the past:
"The important thing is that everything went well, especially for Leclerc because I ran over him. Luckily there was the Halo, which is a good thing to always have. This is the positive part, the negative is not finishing the first corner, with a car that came behind without braking, which certainly lost its braking point and played a bit of bowling with everyone".
It had already happened in 2012, when Alonso - and others - was hit by Romain Grosjean's Lotus. The Spanish rider says he saw in advance, despite himself, that Nico Hulkenberg would hit him:
"I realized it before the bang, looking at the mirror under braking, I saw Hulkenberg with all the wheels locked who had already lost braking, I was ready for impact. A serious mistake, in 2012 others had also committed it having a disqualification in Monza. Let's see what they decide".
The other McLaren driver, Stoffel Vandoorne finished the Belgian Grand Prix in last position. An undoubtedly disappointing result for the Belgian driver, who risks being left free and not being present at Monza for the Italian Grand Prix.
"To be honest it was quite a boring race. I found myself alone at the back of the pack. Luckily, nobody got hurt on the first lap and that's the most important thing. We tried to do something different with the strategy and so we stopped when the Safety Car came in, but unfortunately the move didn't bring the desired results. Ultimately, I think it was a fairly boring race for everyone, where there weren't many overtakings and where there weren't any situations for us to take advantage of. Whatever we did wasn't going well and we more or less confirmed that we weren't competitive at all".
A negative balance that is summarized as follows by the McLaren sporting director, Gil De Ferran:
"Overall, a disappointing end to a tough weekend. We are relieved that no one was injured in the first corner crash that innocently sidelined Fernando. With Stoffel we fought as best we could, but we were unable to overcome our lack of competitiveness. We now have a lot of work to do in a short space of time, to repair the damaged car and carefully analyze the performance put in at Spa. We are moving forward and aiming to maximize performance at Monza during the next race weekend".
Thus ended the Belgian Grand Prix, with Scuderia Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel returning to victory, who after two disappointing races, also taking advantage of the latest evolution of the power unit produced in Maranello, returned to triumph. With eight races to go at the Camposanto del Mondo, and just 17 points behind Lewis Hamilton, the season continues to attract great interest from the fans, who now await the German driver and his team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen, at Monza. On the Italian circuit, Scuderia Ferrari will be able to exploit the power of the power unit again, and aspire to new success.