17:32
Alpines become best-of-the-rest
The two Alpine drivers follow in fifth and sixth place behind Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Pérez and Charles Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Alexander Albon and Lando Norris complete the top ten. With all the penalties, we’re sure to have an exciting race ahead of us. Verstappen still has good podium chances from far behind, considering the Red Bull’s strong pace.
17:28
End of qualifying
Qualifying at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is over! Max Verstappen ends up in first place, but due to the penalty against the Dutchman, Carlos Sainz will be on pole position tomorrow. Sergio Pérez finished Saturday in third place and will also gain a place. Charles Leclerc joins behind the top trio.
17:26
Leclerc helps Sainz
Charles Leclerc does not make a second attempt either. Instead, the Monegasque drives onto the track directly in front of Carlos Sainz and gives his teammate a slipstream on the Kemmel straight. Nevertheless, the Spaniard is already three tenths short in the first sector.
17:24
Two minutes left on the clock
It’s gradually getting into the really hot phase! Carlos Sainz is the first to pull out of the top drivers and tackles his final run. Max Verstappen, on the other hand, stops right in the pit lane and gets out of his car.
17:23
Leclerc only fourth
The gaps are a little closer behind Carlos Sainz. Sergio Pérez in the Red Bull is currently third, a tenth behind the Spaniard. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc is fourth.
17:21
Max Verstappen’s new best lap
Max Verstappen sets a real scent mark and takes the lead with a time of 1:43.665 minutes. Carlos Sainz is more than six tenths behind on the Dutchman’s handicap.
17:19
Pit radio Charles Leclerc
It’s unbelievable: “Why are we driving out with new tires?” Charles Leclerc asks his race engineer, who can’t start at the front anyway. One mistake and the next mistake by his crew is confirmed from the pits.
17:16
Albon can crown performance
Alexander Albon has already secured a top result! Since Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon and Lando Norris still receive a penalty, the Williams driver will start from sixth position in the worst case.
17:14
Q3 started
Let’s continue with the Q3! Who can secure pole position for tomorrow’s race in Belgium in the next twelve minutes? The two Red Bull drivers are the first to get back out on the track. You are on new softs.
15
17:07
Q2 ended
Q2 is over! Daniel Ricciardo was able to improve briefly thanks to his teammate’s slipstream, but was eliminated in the end in eleventh place! Pierre Gasly is also out. Qualifying is also over for Guanyu Zhou, Lance Stroll and Mick Schumacher. Shortly before the end, Charles Leclerc came over the line, who snatched the best time from Verstappen in Q2.
14
17:04
Slipstream games around the Q3
In the direction of Q3, some teams seem to be slipstreaming. Esteban Ocon looks set to drag his teammate Fernando Alonso while Lando Norris is set to slipstream at McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo.
13.
17:04
Red Bull stays in the pits
The two Red Bulls stay in the pits and watch the rest of the Q2 from the garage. At Ferrari they went out again.
12.
17:01
It’s back on track
With just under three minutes on the clock, the drivers are back on the track. Alex Albon, Guanyu Zhou, Lance Stroll, Mick Schumacher and Daniel Ricciardo would have been eliminated.
10
16:59
Mercedes doesn’t start
Actually, it would be Mercedes’ great opportunity to use the penalties against the competitors, but the Silver Arrows don’t really get going. George Russell is eighth after the first fast laps, Lewis Hamilton is tenth.
8th.
16:58
Ricciardo still without time
Daniel Ricciardo has not yet set a time in Q2. As a result, the Australian naturally finds himself in 15th place. Mike Schumacher is 14.
6.
16:57
Close thing for Leclerc
Charles Leclerc has to give everything after a cross so that the car doesn’t break out and he flies off. After his first fast lap he is sixth.
5.
16:55
Max Verstappen’s new best time in Q2
Max Verstappen can undercut that significantly and scores a 1:44.723 on the used soft. Sergio Pérez remains just 0.071s behind in the second Red Bull. He was on fresh tires though.
4.
16:54
Hamilton’s first lap time
The first time in Q2 comes from Lewis Hamilton. However, with a 1:46.622 he does not pose a major hurdle for the best drivers in the field.
1.
16:51
Q2 started
Let’s continue with Q2! This time it’s all about getting a place in the top ten. The drivers go back on the track partly on fresh softs, partly on used softs.
18
16:44
Q1 ended
Q1 is over and doesn’t end well for Vettel! The German is eliminated as 16th! Nicholas Latifi, Kevin Magnussen, Yuki Tsunoda and Valtteri Bottas are also eliminated. Mick Schumacher, on the other hand, is 15th. Max Verstappen had set the best time.
16
16:41
The last few minutes are running
The last few minutes are running. Vettel is still in Q2 in 13th place. Things are getting tighter for teammate Lance Stroll. He is currently 16. Mick Schumacher and the two Alfas are also outside the top 15.
14
16:39
It’s going to the showdown
The showdown in Q1 begins. The first drivers go back on the track with fresh tires. Vettel is now in twelfth place, Mick Schumacher is 18. He is one of those who will start the race tomorrow with a penalty.
13.
16:38
Albon well on the way
Alex Albon has already done well in practice and now in qualifying things are going extremely well for the Williams driver. He is currently 12th.
11.
16:36
Many back in the box
After the first runs, many drivers are back in the pits. The Mercedes stay outside and do a second pushlap. For Hamilton, that’s enough to move up to eleventh place.
9.
16:34
Vettel in twelfth place
Sebastian Vettel is currently in eleventh place in the interim ranking and would certainly be in Q2. But there are still a few minutes left. Of course, it is also questionable how much the drivers unpack who already have a grid penalty for sure.
8th.
16:33
Max Verstappen’s new best time in Q1
Max Verstappen can follow suit and scores a 1.44.581. This puts him clearly ahead of his teammates. Sainz is also faster than the Mexican.
7.
16:32
Sergio Pérez sets a new best time in Q1
Now there are the first times that you have to take seriously. Sergio Pérez put in a 1:45.377 on the softest tire compound.
5.
4:30 p.m
First lap time comes from Schumacher
Mick Schumacher is the first driver to mark a lap time in qualifying. The German was able to achieve a 1:47.929.
4.
16:29
It fills up
It slowly starts to fill up on the track. More and more drivers are taking to the track. All are on the soft tire so far.
2.
16:27
Not much going on yet
Not much is going on yet. Only Nicholas Latifi and Mick Schumacher went straight out. After the installation round, Latifi goes straight back to the box.
1.
16:25
Start qualifying
With a 25-minute delay, qualifying in Spa can finally begin! The drivers have 18 minutes in Q1 to secure a place in the top 15. Seven drivers start qualifying with a heavy load and actually only drive in the order in which they will line up tomorrow from 14th on the grid.
16:20
Not for long
The drivers get ready in their boxes. There are still a good five minutes left before qualifying can begin!
16:09
It’s supposed to start at 4:25 p.m
Now there is new information from the race management. Qualifying is scheduled to start at 4:25 p.m.
16:07
No new info yet
There is still no information as to when qualifying can start in Spa. The track is still being repaired.
16:02
The weather
While the repair work is underway, there is enough time to check the weather. The chance of rain is 30 percent. The track temperature is 21 degrees, the air temperature is 15 degrees.
16:00
changes to the route
For the year 2022 some changes were made to the track in Spa. There are new gravel beds in turns 1, 6, 7 and 9. This should be particularly important in turn 1, because this is where the drivers used to use the run-off zone at the start of the race in recent years. The following fast passage has also been changed. In Eau Rouge, the asphalt was completely resurfaced, which means that the route should no longer be so bumpy. There is also a wider run-off area in front of the Raidillon.
15:57
A look at the drivers’ championship
In the title race, Max Verstappen has meanwhile gained a solid lead through many mistakes at Ferrari. The Dutchman is 80 points ahead of his main competitor Charles Leclerc for the rest of the season. Sergio Pérez lurks just five points behind Leclerc in third place in the Drivers’ Championship.
15:51
Late start
The start of qualifying is delayed due to repair work on the crash barriers after an accident occurred in the previous Porsche Supercup qualifying.
15:49
Pérez wins 3rd practice
In the last practice session before qualifying, Red Bull was in good shape. Sergio Pérez secured the best time in 1:45.047, just ahead of team-mate Verstappen, who is of course not a great opponent in the fight for first grid position due to his penalty. Carlos Sainz was already 0.7 seconds behind in third place. Charles Leclerc caused a red phase at the end of the session. The Ferrari driver slipped into the chicane. However, he was then able to return to the pits himself.
15:32
More demotions
However, Verstappen and Leclerc are by no means the only drivers in the field who will have to start from further behind tomorrow. McLaren’s Lando Norris, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, Haas’ Mick Schumacher and Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou will all have to start from the back of the grid after their teams opted to do so at Spa replace engine components. The track is considered to be relatively overtaking-friendly.
15:31
Verstappen and Leclerc with penalties
The qualifying in Belgium starts with different signs than on the previous weekends of the season. Max Verstappen and his Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc will receive new engine components which will wash them back to the back of the grid on Sunday. This puts other drivers in the spotlight. Carlos Sainz looks like the new favorite in qualifying, but so far he hasn’t been able to pull away as clearly as the competition.
Warm welcome!
Hello and welcome to the first qualifying after the summer break! At 4:00 p.m. it’s all about pole for tomorrow’s race at Spa-Francorchamps.