Belgium – Qualification: Hamilton takes pole and equals Schumacher’s pole position record

As for free practice 1, the sun and blue sky made their grand return above the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit. 23 degrees in the air and 33 on the track, ideal conditions for the start of the session.

Blue sky for qualifying! #BelgianGP #PinkPanthers pic.twitter.com/f1t6aw9vKx

— Sahara Force India (@ForceIndiaF1) 26 août 2017

Q1: Best time for Hamilton, problems for Räikkönen

At the green light, it’s Lewis Hamilton who noses the Mercedes at the end of the pit straight, quickly caught up by Esteban Ocon during his installation lap. The Frenchman pushes behind the Briton but has to leave space before launching for a first attempt.

On the line, it’s Vettel who records the best time with a 1:44.275, ahead of Hamilton, Räikkönen, and Bottas. In his first attempt, the local contender Stoffel Vandoorne places 5th ahead of the Williams cars of Massa and Stroll.

“I have massive vibration from the rear I think,” reports Räikkönen.”Understood,” say Ferrari. #F1

— Autosport Live (@autosportlive) 26 août 2017

Still far from his morning performance, the Finnish driver encounters some tire issues. Well-inspired, Lewis Hamilton grabs the best time, beating his championship rival by 0.091 seconds. More in shape than during the practice sessions, the Force India team performs better this afternoon, with Ocon in 7th and Pérez in 8th.

6 minutes before the end of the session, the drivers in the red zone are Grosjean, Kvyat, Stroll, Ericsson, and Wehrlein.

In a good attempt, Grosjean gets out of the danger zone and places 14th ahead of Sainz who jumps to 8th place at the checkered flag.

The eliminated drivers are: Massa, Kvyat, Stroll, Ericsson, and Wehrlein

INITIAL CLASSIFICATION (END OF Q1): Both @WilliamsRacing drivers eliminated #Quali #BelgianGP 🇧🇪 #F1 pic.twitter.com/TyvgM9zDyo

— Formula 1 (@F1) 26 août 2017

Q2: Hamilton keeps control and drives the point home

Again, as soon as the green light is given, it’s Lewis Hamilton who takes to the track, while Räikkönen still seems to complain about some vibrations on his set of rear tires. On the line, it’s a phenomenal time for the Brit who smashes the record set in the morning: 1:43.539. The Finn hasn’t said his last word and gets within 0.161 of the Mercedes driver. Bottas is 3rd ahead of Verstappen and Vettel; Ricciardo, Palmer, Ocon, Pérez, and Alonso complete the provisional top 10.

5 minutes before the end the provisional eliminations are: Hülkenberg, Magnussen, Grosjean, Sainz, and Vandoorne.

At a crawl, almost stopped in the pit lane, Jolyon Palmer complains about a problem with his radio. The Briton seems to have forgotten to shift into first gear in the pit lane and stalled. At McLaren, any means to gain speed are good; already in Q1, the drivers took turns slipstreaming each other up the Kemmel straight and then Blanchimont, and once again, Vandoorne plays the slipstream role, but after Blanchimont, the Spaniard complains about a loss of power and aborts his attempt.

Lewis Hamilton once again completed a lap with his trademark skill and set a new record: 1:42.927.

The eliminated are: Alonso, Grosjean, Magnussen, Sainz, and Vandoorne.

INITIAL CLASSIFICATION (END OF Q2): 🚀 Blistering lap from HAM, 👏 Nice job, @JolyonPalmer #Quali #BelgianGP 🇧🇪 #F1 pic.twitter.com/ERfLFJGyZK

— Formula 1 (@F1) 26 août 2017

Q3: Majestic Hamilton, Vettel a runner-up

At the green light, all the drivers take off one by one, unfortunately for Palmer, after a promising Q1 and Q2, his gearbox fails him at the chicane braking, causing a yellow flag in sector 3 while his car is being cleared. It’s over for the Briton.

Meanwhile, another Briton shines, Hamilton continues to improve his time and achieves a 1:42.907, Räikkönen is far behind at 0.363 after the first attempt. Bottas and Vettel follow the Finn, Verstappen is almost nine-tenths behind while Ricciardo is beyond a second.

As the final three minutes approach, the drivers get back on the track for one last attempt.

And once again, it’s a magnificent performance by the Briton, claiming the 68th pole position of his career – equaling Michael Schumacher’s record – with a time of 1:42.553. Vettel delivers a strong performance, securing 2nd position, two-tenths behind Hamilton. Bottas completes the podium, while Räikkönen falls off the podium due to vibration issues with his tires.

BREAKING: History made as @LewisHamilton equals Michael Schumacher’s all-time #F1 record of 68 pole positions #BelgianGP 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/Qezpe5RNYB

— Formula 1 (@F1) 26 août 2017

The final standings of the qualifications:

INITIAL CLASSIFICATION (END OF QUALIFYING): Confirmation of an incredible performance by @LewisHamilton #Quali #BelgianGP 🇧🇪 #F1 pic.twitter.com/PkzPT5BIVo

— Formula 1 (@F1) 26 août 2017