Qualifications – Belgium: In his own world, Hamilton hasn’t changed his good habits

After a four-week break, the 20 drivers of this 2015 Formula 1 season gather on the majestic Spa-Francorchamps circuit for the eleventh qualifying session!

As this morning and in the continuity of the weekend’s start, the weather is more than mild over the Belgian Ardennes: bright sunshine and 23 degrees in the air, against nearly 40 degrees on the track!

On the penalty side, several drivers have been sanctioned since the start of the weekend: the most disadvantaged being the McLaren-Honda drivers, with Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button receiving 30 and 25 place penalties, respectively. At Toro Rosso, Max Verstappen has been penalized ten places. These three drivers have been penalized for changes to their power unit components. Bad news as well for Romain Grosjean, who will be moved down five places due to a gearbox change this time.

At 2 p.m., the green light for Q1!

GREEN LIGHT: #Quali is under way with the start of Q1. Who will progress to Q2 and who will be eliminated? #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/wZih94DKNt

— Formula 1 (@F1) 22 Août 2015

It is Valtteri Bottas who is the first to hit the track on medium tires. The initial stint is dominated by Nico Rosberg with a time of 1:49.498. He is just ahead of Lewis Hamilton (+0.079 seconds). They are followed by Vettel, Bottas, and Sainz, nearly 0.7 seconds behind. Only one driver has yet to take to the track: Felipe Massa.

At McLaren, there is little ambition on display, and for good reason: the penalties imposed ensure they start from the last row!

5 minutes before the end, those eliminated are Button, Alonso, both Manor cars of Merhi and Stevens, as well as Felipe Massa.

At Ferrari, it is announced on the radio that both drivers will complete the last stint of this Q1 on soft tires. They are imitated by almost the entire field. Times are therefore constantly improving. Felipe Massa gets out of the danger zone by setting a decent time. Max Verstappen is now under pressure: he pulls through! Carlos Sainz and Valtteri Bottas also come under threat of the cut-off: both drivers easily escape it! They thus eliminate Felipe Nasr in his Sauber, who finishes 16th. Jenson Button’s engineer finds a point of satisfaction despite the elimination: the veteran Englishman beats Fernando Alonso. He himself remains very positive:

BUTTON: “I actually enjoyed driving it today. A long way to go before we’re competitive, but at least it felt good” pic.twitter.com/1fjzYeDwbB

— Formula 1 (@F1) 22 Août 2015

Eliminated in Q1: Nasr, Button, Alonso, Stevens, Merhi.

After a few minutes of relaxation, the remaining 15 drivers head out for Q2. Valteri Bottas is once again the first to take to the track. During the out-lap, some telemetry issues are reported on Lewis Hamilton’s radio. He is beaten by a tenth by Nico Rosberg.

With more than eight minutes remaining in Q2: drama as Kimi Räikkönen comes to a stop just before the Stavelot corner. The slow-motion replay shows that a component of the power unit suddenly failed Iceman. It is actually an oil pressure drop that caused the problem. Misfortune hasn’t left the four-time winner of the Belgian Grand Prix, who is now sidelined: only Sebastian Vettel will be able to defend the Scuderia Ferrari’s chances, as they celebrate their 900th Grand Prix in history.

RED FLAG: Räikkönen pulls over and his #Quali is done #BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/SMLfqkpDn5

— Formula 1 (@F1) 22 Août 2015

The red flag is waved for a few minutes: the session is therefore temporarily stopped. Only 7 drivers have set a time: Rosberg, Hamilton, Pérez, Hülkenberg, Massa, Bottas, and Ericsson.

After a 5-minute interruption, the light turns green again: the battle for qualification in Q3 is going to be in full swing!

Only Max Verstappen remains in his garage: his ten-place penalty likely deters him from taking to the track.

We therefore have 13 drivers for 10 spots in Q3. Very satisfying times for both Lotus drivers, Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean: the black and gold cars make it to Q3! Such performance hadn’t been achieved since the Canadian Grand Prix. Sergio Pérez also delivered a strong performance, finishing 4th in this Q2. The contrast is striking with his teammate, Nico Hülkenberg, who ends up 11th and thus eliminated. A mistake in the first corner (La Source) cost him the precious tenths he was missing. Daniil Kyvat and Marcus Ericsson are the other two drivers eliminated on the track.

Eliminated in Q2: Hülkenberg, Kvyat, Ericsson, Räikkönen, Verstappen.

We are now at the beginning of Q3! Of course, unless there’s a surprise, the Mercedes will be competing for Pole Position.

Who between Sebastian Vettel or the Williams team will be the second strongest?

GREEN LIGHT: Q3 is GO and 10 drivers remain. HAM fastest in Q1, ROS in Q2 – who will grab pole? #Quali #BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/0ehVouDo3b

— Formula 1 (@F1) 22 Août 2015

The ten drivers in the running are now giving their all on the 7 kilometers of the majestic Spa-Francorchamps track!

And on the first pass over the line, it’s Lewis Hamilton who takes the lead, with a time of 1:47.449.

Nico Rosberg went a bit wide at the exit of the Paul Frère curve, before the Blanchimont sequence: he is trailing by more than 4 tenths.

Behind, the Williams team claimed the second row, Bottas ahead of Massa. A rather disappointing time for Sebastian Vettel: he is also behind Daniel Ricciardo. Behind, Pastor Maldonado is temporarily ahead of Romain Grosjean. Sergio Pérez and Carlos Sainz did not leave the pits.

Given the length of the circuit, the drivers come out for what will be the first and last timed attempt: it’s a flawless run for Valtteri Bottas, who once again takes off ahead of everyone!

At 3:05 PM, the checkered flag falls on the qualifying session at Spa-Francorchamps: Romain Grosjean significantly improves with a time of 1:48.561. He is 4th! It’s a big moment for the Frenchman, but the frustration is huge with this five-place penalty.

For the pole, Lewis Hamilton improved once again: he set the benchmark at 1:47:197. The Englishman wins this qualifying session!

Nico Rosberg couldn’t raise his game: he finishes second but nearly five-tenths of a second behind. Valtteri Bottas maintains his 3rd position. An honorable mention also goes to Sergio Pérez, who qualified 5th but will move up to 4th position. The big disappointment comes from Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel finishes only 9th. Added to the problem of Kimi Räikkönen, this qualifying session is clearly disappointing for the Scuderia.

Niki Lauda: “Unbelievable. I could not really believe it when I saw the time. Lewis was today unbeatable” #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/DCETN4PfhP

— Formula 1 (@F1) 22 Août 2015

Here is the complete ranking of this qualifying session: