Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying 2018-08-25

Home / Sport / Motorsport / Formula 1 / 2018 / Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying

Event
Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying

Date
Sat 25th August 2018 (UTC)

Timestamp

Time

23:59:59 UTC

Poster

Your Rating (Click a star below)

Star off icon

Total Rating
Star Icon (0 users)

Thumb

Square Poster

League
Formula 1

Season
2018

Round
0

Status

Location
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

Video Highlights

Description

Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps circuit is among the most historic on the Formula One calendar, having hosted a (non-championship) Grand Prix as long ago as 1924, and remains one of the most popular venues with drivers and fans alike.
Run on narrow public roads, the original Spa layout was an amazing 14.9 kilometres long and notoriously dangerous. The lap distance was reduced slightly over the years, with some corners eased, but when the 'old' circuit staged its final Grand Prix in 1970 it still measured just over 14 kilometres and remained staggeringly quick - Chris Amon set that year's fastest lap at an average speed of just under 245 km/h.

Spa did not return to the calendar until 1983 and then in drastically revised form, with lap distance cut to just under seven kilometres. Somehow, though, the circuit's magic was retained. Around two thirds of the lap used the original layout and the legendary Eau Rouge corner remained intact. Only the new Bus Stop chicane on the run down to La Source drew criticism.
More than twenty years on Spa remains the longest circuit on the calendar. Its mix of long straights and challenging fast corners, coupled with its picturesque setting, means that most drivers still rank it among their favourite tracks.
The weather is still notoriously changeable (it can often be simultaneously raining on one part of the track and dry on another) and Eau Rouge, with its high speed and sudden elevation change, maintains its reputation as one of Formula One racing's most technically demanding corners.
Such is the challenge of Spa that only the truly great drivers can really claim to have mastered it. In fact just six men have won the race more than twice - Juan Manuel Fangio (three times), Damon Hill (three times), Kimi Raikkonen (four times), Jim Clark (four times), Ayrton Senna (five times) and Michael Schumacher (six times).

Vettel decisively claimed the lead on what was a chaotic first lap of the Grand Prix, in which a late-braking Nico Hulkenberg triggered an enormous crash at Turn 1 involving Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc. Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo, meanwhile, also picked up what would ultimately prove race-ending damage in a separate incident.
Once in front, Vettel didn’t cede his advantage at any point, expertly managing the pace to claim his 52nd career victory and 107th podium – two stats that surpass the great Alain Prost’s records. More importantly, he stemmed the flow of his title rival’s momentum, taking seven points out of Hamilton’s championship lead to trail the Briton by just 17 points heading to Ferrari’s home race in Italy.
Hamilton was left to minimise the damage, driving a strong race to finish second – although he ultimately didn’t seem to have the pace to match the Ferrari around the power-sensitive 7.004km Spa track.
Meanwhile Max Verstappen delighted the hordes of Dutch fans who’d crossed the border to watch their hero race by claiming a surprise third place – very much a welcome result, given Red Bull’s struggles for pace around the Spa track throughout the weekend.

Reports

Result List

Result Description
POS NO DRIVER Q1 Q2 Q3 LAPS
1 44 Hamilton 1:42.977 1:41.553 1:58.179 19
2 5 Vettel 1:43.035 1:41.501 1:58.905 18
3 31 Ocon 1:44.003 1:43.302 2:01.851 16
4 11 Perez 1:44.004 1:43.014 2:01.894 14
5 8 Grosjean 1:43.597 1:43.042 2:02.122 20
6 7 Räikkönen 1:42.585 1:41.533 2:02.671 13
7 33 Verstappen 1:43.199 1:42.554 2:02.769 11
8 3 Ricciardo 1:43.604 1:43.126 2:02.939 16
9 20 Magnussen 1:43.834 1:43.320 2:04.933 19
10 77 Bottas 1:42.805 1:42.191 DNS 7
11 10 Gasly 1:44.221 1:43.844 14
12 28 Hartley 1:44.153 1:43.865 13
13 16 Leclerc 1:43.654 1:44.062 14
14 9 Ericsson 1:43.846 1:44.301 11
15 27 Hulkenberg 1:44.145 3
16 55 Sainz 1:44.489 6
17 14 Alonso 1:44.917 6
18 35 Sirotkin 1:44.998 6
19 18 Stroll 1:45.134 6
20 2 Vandoorne 1:45.307 8

Popular Tweets

Fanart