6.
16:36
Mercedes
Overtaking maneuver by George Russell
5.
16:36
McLaren
Boxing radio Lando Norris
“Why don’t I have a pack?” Squares Lando Norris. What is meant is the lack of electrical additional boost, which usually ensures more power on the straight. The team’s answer: “We used up a lot of it at the restart behind the Safety Car.”
5.
16:33
Norris fights
Lando Norris seems to fight more with the conditions than Piatri. This opens up a gap between the two teammates.
5.
16:33
McLaren
Overtaking maneuver from Oscar Piatri
Oscar Piatri uses the slipstream and puts the attack against Lando Norris! He passes and takes the lead in the Spa race. All other positions remain unchanged according to the key point.
5.
16:31
Let’s go!
Now it really starts! Lando Norris has no difficulty at the top and can claim the leadership ahead of Oscar Piatri. Nothing happens behind it either.
4.
16:29
Rolling start
Now there is new information from the race management. There will be a flying start. An advantage for Lando Norris, who can then set the pace.
4.
16:28
No decision yet
There still seems to be no decision. The Safety Car remains in front of the field. Meanwhile, there are already the first dry areas on the asphalt. You seem to act quite carefully.
3.
16:27
McLaren
Boxing radio Lando Norris
“The right side of the starting line -up is even wet than the left,” says Lando Norris, making it clear that he would prefer a flying start. He would start from the right as a polesetter and would then have the disadvantage. Another round is driven behind the Safety Car.
2.
16:26
Ferrari
Boxing radio Lewis Hamilton
“It dries off pretty quickly,” says Lewis Hamilton on a pit radio.
2.
16:24
Second Safety Car round
The field now begins the second round behind the Safety Car. Charles Leclerc is informed via radio that he can keep up to 20 vehicle lengths from the man in front. An adaptation that the race management had made before the start. The aim of this rule change is to enable more safety distance in the continued difficult visibility so that the drivers can better orient themselves and bring their tires and brakes more specifically to operating temperature.
1.
16:23
McLaren
Boxing radio Oscar Piatri
“How is the view?” Oscar Piatri is asked at radio. His assessment: “Eau Rouge has made it significantly better, but after that it is still quite bad.”
1.
16:21
Start race
With 1:20 hours delay the time has come and the race in Belgium has officially started. First, the field remains behind the Safety Car. Then it is decided whether there may be a standing start.
16:16
Start behind the Safety Car
The race management has now confirmed that the race behind the Safety Car will be started. According to Mercedes-Funk to Kimi Antonelli, the team assumes that there will be at least two rounds behind the Safety Car.
16:13
Drivers get ready
In bright sunshine, the drivers are now ready to restart the race. If no further rain is used, the full racing distance is actually imminent, because the somewhat contradictory interpretation of the FIA was effectively exposed to the three-hour rule.
16:06
Racing start at 4:20 p.m.
But there is also positive news: the race management has just announced that the race will be restarted at 4:20 p.m.
16:02
According to the FIA, three-hour window has not yet started
As the FIA has just announced, the three-hour time window has not yet officially started, although the introductory round has already started. Reason: Since the starting process was subsequently broken off, the race is not started according to FIA. A very contradictory interpretation of the rules, because according to the regulations, the three-hour clock begins with the start of the introductory round behind the safety car.
15:55
Sun shows itself
The cameras are showing a glimmer of hope: blue sky can be seen over a section of the route. The rain actually decreased and in some places the sun even comes through.
15:51
No rain from 4:00 p.m.
According to current forecasts, the rain should stop at around 4:00 p.m. As soon as the weather conditions have calmed down, the race management wants to make a decision about when and how it can go on. Until then, the race remains interrupted, and everyone involved must continue to be patient.
15:40
No new rain is expected
Furthermore, it is called patience in the spa and the start of the race continues to be delayed due to the difficult conditions. But there is also positive news: In around 20 minutes, the rain should stop according to current forecasts and after that, according to Wetterradar, no further showers can be expected. If the route dries up, nothing could stand in the way of a regular start.
15:38
Bearman about the current situation
“We currently have some rain on the radar, so you are waiting for the weather to calm down. The conditions are different on the different sections of the route – typical Spa. Nevertheless, the anticipation of the race remains big, especially since the vehicle mood apparently fits well,” reports Oliver Bearman, especially F1 TV. “We get a ten-minute warning. Until then it means: stay dry, keep warm and keep an eye on the weather.”
15:30
No new information yet
Incidentally, the race management has not had any new information since the start of the start. So it will take some time before it will continue in Spa.
15:22
New rain
Now rain is starting again at the pit lane. Lando Norris is announced that you are currently expecting a delay of around 30 to 40 minutes before going on.
15:20
Three-hour rule applies
The current scenario is strongly reminiscent of the race in Spa in 2021. At that time, heavy rain made normal driving impossible and after over three hours of waiting, only two rounds were completed behind the safety car. Nevertheless, half points were awarded, which caused a lot of frustration and criticism among teams and fans. After that, the set of rules was revised and today should be over at 6 p.m. at the latest. Because the following applies: As soon as the race begins with an introductory round behind the Safety Car, the maximum total duration of three hours starts automatically.
15:12
Williams
Boxing radio Alex Albon
A team radio is also recorded by Alex Albon. The Williams team expects violent rain in nine minutes. If this is true, a long afternoon awaits us. Many drivers have now got out of their cars and are either in the garages or at the command stand with their teams.
15:09
McLaren
Boxing radio Lando Norris
Norris is once again specifically asked about the route conditions on the radio. His assessment: the standing water is not the main problem. Rather, the big challenge is the restricted view, especially in traffic.
15:08
Threats more rain?
The rain has subsided a bit, but the route remains very wet and after some weather models, new rain should be on the way.
15:04
Start broken off!
The decision came quickly. During the introductory round, the race management decides to stop the start. “Not ideal, I can hardly see anything behind the Safety Car. I don’t want to imagine how it is for everyone,” says Norris to his box when you ask him about the conditions. Incidentally, the cars return to the pit lane and do not line up in the starting line -up.
14:59
Cars start to move
Lando Norris starts and joins behind the Safety Car. After just a few meters, he whirls up a massive spray that immediately makes it clear: the view for everyone behind it is almost no present in this part.
14:52
Introductory round behind the Safety Car
Due to the continued rain and the very wet route, the field will complete the introductory round behind the Safety Car. Depending on how the conditions develop, all options are still open. You could then cancel the start or continue behind the safety car. A standing start would also be possible, if unlikely. Everyone is on the intermediate.
14:50
What is possible for Hülkenberg?
As already in Sprint qualifying, Nico Hülkenberg also had to give up his teammate in regular qualifying. Nevertheless, the starting position for Germans with starting place 14 is significantly better than on Saturday. In Silverstone, Hülkenberg had already proven that he can get the maximum out under difficult conditions. Accordingly, there could still be something in the changeable conditions in Spa.
14:46
More drivers start out of the box
The two drivers are not the only ones today who will start the race from the pit lane. Fernando Alonso also has to leave the box after installing a new drive unit. In addition, Williams pilot Carlos Sainz will not start from the regular starting line-up after he was made to the setup.
14:44
Disappointment for Hamilton
Q1 brought an unexpected turn on Saturday when Lewis Hamilton’s last lap time was canceled because he had run over the track limits. The round would have brought him a place in the top 10, but instead he slipped to 16th place. It is already the second disappointing qualifying result for Hamilton this weekend: on Friday he was eliminated in the first section of the sprint qualifying. The situation was similar to Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes. It was only 18. Due to the positions further back, both teams exchanged the drive shafts in the racing cars and both Hamilton and Antonelli from the box. You should now hope that the weather chaos flushes you forward.
14:40
Rain should stay
The rain has increased since the sighting rounds and the teams assume that nothing will change in the direction of the start. It is quite possible that we will experience a shift or a start behind the safety car.
14:36
The places behind it
Charles Leclerc took third place in qualifying and has a good starting situation for the race. Max Verstappen starts from fourth place and you can be excited to see whether he can annoy the McLaren, like in the sprint, when he was able to win through a clever setup election. Alexander Albon goes to the Grand Prix with a good qualifying from five. George Russell stands next to him in the Mercedes. Yuki Tsunoda, Isack Hadjar as well as Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto complete the top ten.
14:30
Norris from the Pole
The qualifying has so far been a story of two McLaren drivers this weekend: While Oscar Piatri dominated in sprint qualifying on Friday, Lando Norris turned the skewer on Saturday and already secured the fourth pole position of the season with a strong performance. For his best round in Q3, Norris needed 1: 40,562 minutes and was a wafer-thin 0.085 seconds faster than teammate and World Cup rival Oscar Piatri. In the driver’s Championships, Norris is still nine points behind the Australian before the race. So a lot is possible today.
14:26
Rain accompanies driver in the starting line -up
While the sprint on Saturday was still in dry conditions, the weather for the main race in Spa presents itself significantly more inconsistent. The rain begins on time to open the pit lane and we experience a typical spa scenario. In the next few minutes the rain should be even more.
14:18
Welcome
Hello and welcome to the Formula 1 race in Belgium. At 3:00 p.m. the field goes to the introductory round.