Belgium Grand Prix – Qualifying: Sainz on pole position

Following a collision between two drivers during a Porsche Supercup race, the barriers were damaged, requiring repairs. As a result, the qualifying session started with a 25-minute delay.

Q1:

It was Nicholas Latifi who was the first driver to take the track. Behind the wheel of a Williams that appears comfortable at Spa-Francorchamps, the Canadian driver could take advantage of the penalties incurred by many drivers to shine in qualifying and secure a good position on the starting grid.

It was at the wheel of this same Williams that Alexander Albon managed the feat of finishing in 6th position. The Thai driver thus separated the two Mercedes. Having already scored points twice this season, Belgium could well be an opportunity to enter the Top 10 again. A more disappointing performance for Nicholas Latifi who was eliminated in 17th position.

For the first time since the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix, Valtteri Bottas was eliminated in Q1. Being one of the seven drivers penalized on the grid for engine and gearbox component changes, the team decided it was unnecessary for the Finn to complete his final attempt.

Eliminated in Q1: Sebastian Vettel (16th) / Nicholas Latifi (17th) / Kevin Magnussen (18th) / Yuki Tsunoda (19th) / Valtteri Bottas (20th)

Q2:

Despite a very promising race in Hungary for Mercedes, who managed to place both of their cars on the podium and fight for victory, the return from the summer break is more complicated than expected for the German team. Suffering once again from the bouncing caused by choppy seas, the W13 lost a lot of time compared to Ferrari and Red Bull. After the first attempts of each driver in Q2, there was a significant gap of 1.5 seconds separating Max Verstappen and George Russell.

Taking advantage of the Williams’ very good straight line speed, Alexander Albon set the fastest first sector of the session and completed a solid lap to secure his passage into Q3. This performance meant that the driver of car number 23 would start at least in sixth position for the race. This is the first time in 2022 that Albon has qualified for Q3.

It was a very good session for Alpine, which managed to get both of its cars into Q3. Fourth after his first attempt, Esteban Ocon was tasked by his team to provide a slipstream for Fernando Alonso. With Esteban Ocon being one of the 7 drivers penalized for Sunday’s race, Alpine wanted to give Alonso every chance of making it into Q3 to ensure a good starting position on the grid.

Eliminated in Q2: Daniel Ricciardo (11th) / Pierre Gasly (12th) / Guanyu Zhou (13th) / Lance Stroll (14th) / Mick Schumacher (15th)

Q3:

If Ferrari stumbled by using worn tires on Charles Leclerc’s car, Max Verstappen’s Red Bull continued to be unbeatable at Spa-Francorchamps. The Dutch driver had a comfortable lead of 6 tenths of a second over the second-placed Carlos Sainz.

Despite being the fastest in qualifying, Max Verstappen will not start in pole position for Sunday’s race. Indeed, the Dutchman is among the seven drivers who have accumulated penalties due to engine and gearbox component changes. The Red Bull driver will begin the race in 15th position alongside his rival, Charles Leclerc.

So it’s Carlos Sainz who will start from pole position. Despite this good starting position, the Spanish driver didn’t show much confidence in the interview, aware that the pace difference between Ferrari and Red Bull could prevent him from securing a second victory this season. Carlos Sainz is followed behind him on the starting grid by: Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, and Alexander Albon.