Hamilton's 89th victory, Gasley's breakthrough and Kvyat's 11th place: what ended the Belgian Grand Prix in Formula 1

First day

In the XXI century, the Belgian Grand Prix has won the status of one of the most unpredictable. Since 2005, not a single driver has been able to compete in Spa for two years in a row, which could well set up numerous Formula 1 fans in an optimistic mood. After all, after six stages in the general classification there was not even a hint of struggle. Lewis Hamilton won five races and had 132 points in his asset, confidently ahead of the nearest pursuer in the person of Max Verstappen by 37 points.

According to the results of the first two practices, Hamilton never showed the best time, taking second and third places, respectively. True, it was also impossible to call this a failure, because the British lag behind the leader did not exceed 0.1 seconds. First, his Mercedes partner Valtteri Bottas turned out to be the fastest, and then - Verstappen.

Both times, the leaders were drivers Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez from the Racing Point team, which in early August was fined $ 470 thousand and deprived of points for copying elements of a Mercedes car. And if the Canadian in the second practice significantly surrendered and rolled back beyond the top ten, then the Mexican entered the top 5 both times. At the same time, Daniel Riccardo became the second in the final training session, and even problems with hydraulics could not prevent him. As the managing director of Renault Cyril Abiteboul later assured, the gearbox and power plant were not damaged.

As for Daniili Kvyat, the Russian performed fairly smoothly in the first two races, albeit without brilliance. The pilot Alpha Tauri never made it to the top ten, showing 11th and 12th times respectively. At the same time, he himself highly appreciated his results and expressed the hope that he would be able to compete for getting into the third qualification segment.

Second day

The third free practice turned out to be no less unpredictable and eventful. The controversial episode involving Perez and Romain Grosjean was especially memorable. According to French rider Haas, the Mexican stopped him on a fast lap twice in a row, almost causing a collision. The stewards conducted an appropriate investigation, but limited themselves to a warning.

Hamilton turned out to be the fastest, while Bottas fell immediately to fifth position, and Verstappen - to sixth. The second unexpectedly became Esteban Ocon from Renault, who had never shown such a high result not only in races but also in training earlier this season. He was followed by the promising Lando Norris from McLaren, who had an unsuccessful performance in the last two stages of the World Cup, and then Alexander Albon from Red Bull. Kvyat finished 12th for the second time in a row and lost to his Alpha Tauri partner Pierre Gasly. At the Spa, the Frenchman decided to honor the memory of Formula 1 pilot Antoine Hubert, who died on the local track a year ago.

But already in the qualification itself, Kvyat was, though a little, but more successful than Gasli. Even though he could not get into the first segment, but for the first time this season he got the right to take a more advantageous position on the starting grid. The Russian showed 11th time and was 1.478 seconds behind Hamilton, who won the fourth pole position of the season and 93rd in his career. In the dispute for a place on the first line of the field, Bottas again won, 0.015 seconds ahead of Verstappen.

At the same time, Hamilton admitted that this qualification became special for him. The British racer said he was trying to perfect the track in Spa in honor of the famous actor Chadwick Boseman, best known for his role as "Black Panther" in the film of the same name. Lewis admitted that this event seriously hit his psychological state and noted that it was very difficult for him to tune in to the race.

The real disappointment was the performance of the Ferrari Scuderia riders. Charles Leclair and Sebastian Vettel failed qualifying and ended up outside the top ten. The winner of last year's race was only 13th, and the four-time world champion - 14th.

Race

On the eve of the start, some riders expressed the hope that the weather in Spa will deteriorate on Sunday, as a result of which the race itself will turn out to be much more intense and interesting. However, this did not happen. The race was held in ideal conditions and therefore turned out to be not the most exciting, and one of the most notable episodes happened before it began. The pilot of McLaren Carlos Sainz Jr. was unable to enter the track due to a malfunction of the car. The car began to smoke, as a result of which they had to drive it back into the pits. As it turned out, the reason for this was a malfunction in the power plant, which led to a breakdown of the exhaust system. It is all the more offensive for the Spaniard that for the second year in a row he was forced to withdraw from the Belgian Grand Prix.

Apart from Sainz, Antonio Giovinazzi and George Russell were unable to reach the finish line. On the tenth lap, the Italian lost control at the exit from a bunch of turns and crashed into a fence. As a result of the collision, a wheel flew off his car, hitting the British car. None of the pilots was injured, but there was no talk of continuing the race.

As for the triumphant, the traditions were not violated again. Leclair did not manage to repeat last year's result and became only 14th, and the trophy, as expected, went to Hamilton. The Mercedes driver was in the lead for all 44 laps and confidently chalked up another victory. She became for him fifth this season and 89th in his career. Already in 2020, Lewis can bypass the legendary Michael Schumacher and become the leader in this indicator in the history of Formula 1. The Red Baron won two more stages.

It is noteworthy that in comparison with the qualifications, the entire leading four has not undergone changes. Bottas finished second, followed by Verstappen and Riccardo. At the same time, it was the Australian who made the fastest lap, thanks to which he earned an additional point. Kvyat was unable to improve his position and remained on the 11th line, but his partner in Alpha Tauri was recognized as the best pilot of the stage. With 17 laps left, Gasly was 15th, but impressively completed the final part of the race and finished eighth. In many ways, the reason for this was the decision not to make a pit stop when the safety car appeared on the track.

After seven stages of the World Cup, Hamilton has 157 points to his credit and is 47 points ahead of his closest pursuer. At the moment, Verstappen remains him, but very soon he may give up this title to Bottas. Finn is only three points behind his counterpart. Moreover, the gap from the closest pursuers is colossal. The fourth is Albon, whose track record does not even have fifty points (48).

In this regard, no one questions the dominance of Mercedes in the Constructors' Cup. The German team is confidently leading with 264 points, 106 points ahead of Red Bull. Next came McLaren with 68 points and Racing Point (66), which were not prevented even by the sanctions from the FIA.