Racetrackmasters

The cancellation of the Belgian Grand Prix was not only a disappointment for the fans and Formula 1 teams, also Vanessa Maes was very disappointed with the situation. The organiser of the event will try to find a way to give back to the fans. Maes had been working with the team for months to keep the race going with the restrictions due to the corona measures, so she was proud of her people. However, heavy rain in recent days made it impossible to start the race this weekend, so the hard work proved to be for nothing. poster“Spa GP wants to express its deepest disappointments with the result of the GP, for my team the conclusion of a year’s work in which we overcame all the obstacles,” she said in an interview with Dhnet.be. “But unfortunately the weather is something you can’t control. I have always said that the health of our public is of the utmost importance. Also the health of the riders.” The fans along the sidelines did not get to see a race, however, so she will be looking at what she can do for them in the coming period. “In the coming days, I will discuss with Formula 1 management how we can compensate our spectators after this force majeure situation.”

Lewis Hamilton does not like the way things went in Belgium on Sunday afternoon. The Mercedes driver saw the start of the race being postponed time and time again, while according to him it was already clear that the weather conditions would not improve. “Today was a farce and the only people to lose out are the fans who have paid good money to watch us race,” Hamilton said on his Instagram. The seven-time world champion does not hide his opinion. “Of course you can’t do anything about the weather but we have sophisticated equipment to tell us what is going on and it was clear the weather wasn’t going to let up.” The fact that the drivers then had to drive behind the safety car for around ten minutes on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit does not sit well with Hamilton. We were sent out for on reason and one reason only. Two laps behind a safety car where there is no possibility to gain or lose a place or provide entertainment to the fans isn’t racing.” The 36-year-old Briton closed by saying that he finds it incomprehensible that the FIA chose this approach. “We should have just called it quits, not risked the drivers and most importantly refunded the fans who are the heart of our sport,” said Hamilton.

The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix has been abandoned and Max Verstappen declared the winner amid torrential rain at Spa-Francorchamps. Half points were awarded to the drivers in qualifying order — less Sergio Perez, who dropped to last thanks to a crash on the reconnaissance lap — after two laps were completed behind the safety car to satisfy the regulations to produce a classification, short of the 75 percent required to award full points. Rain had lashed Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps all day and intensified in the lead-up to the race. By the time pit lane opened grip was so low that Sergio Perez slid off the road at Les Combes and embedded himself in the barrier, leaving him unable to make it to the grid. The race start was subsequently suspended for 25 minutes before the grid departed for a series of formation laps behind the safety car, but after two exploratory laps race control called off the start procedure and threw a red flag. “I already can’t see anything, guys,” Hamilton radioed his team from third place, complaining about the density of the spray with only Verstappen and George Russell ahead of him. “I have to leave a little bit more space to the safety car because I can’t see anything,” Verstappen said, though the Dutchman added he felt the track was otherwise raceable notwithstanding the lack of visibility. The grid returned to pit lane to wait for a break in the weather, and race control paused the three-hour time limit on the total duration of the event in the hope the rain would abate before sunset. After a suspension of almost 200 minutes, the weather subsided enough to contemplate a race, which got underway with a 60-minute time limit behind the safety car. But visibility was little improved when 20 cars returned to the track, and after two laps shrouded in mist the race was red flagged and eventually called off altogether. Verstappen was classified the winner ahead of Russell, who scored his first podium, and title leader Hamilton whose lead was cut to three points as a result. Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth ahead of Sebastian Vettel, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Charles Leclerc and Nicholas Latifi and Carlos Sainz as the points scorers.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez will start from the pitlane following a crash on his installation lap before the race. Things looked grim for the Mexican driver who had lost control as Les Combes and shunted into the barriers. His Red Bull suffered extensive damage to the front wing and right corner and the team did communicate to the FIA to declare that Perez was unable to participate. With the extended delays due to the adverse weather, the team has been able to repair the car in time with Michael Masi of the FIA confirming to the team via radio that Perez is able to start the race from the pitlane. Should the team be able to repair the car in time, then Perez will be able to participate in the Grand Prix. The race however, is still not underway as adverse weather has halted proceedings. The cars were able to get going under the safety car, but the race was immediately red flagged and the drivers had to come into the pitlane.

Lando Norris is undergoing precautionary checks in a hospital in Spa following his dramatic crash in the final segment of qualifying at Spa. The session started under changing but predominantly wet conditions but worsened at the start of Q3. Just after complaining on his team radio on his out lap about aquaplaning, Norris was caught out by the slippery track in Spa’s daunting Raidillon, where the McLaren slid off in the middle of the corner, hit the tyre wall on the left before rebounding onto the track. As the heavily damaged McLaren grounded to a halt further up the hill, an oncoming Sebastian Vettel stopped near the stricken to check on Norris who gave the German a reassuring thumbs up. “Sorry boys,” quipped Norris as he reported back to his team. “We should have had a good one there. I let you down, my bad.” The incident logically triggered a red flag which many – including Vettel – believed should have been deployed earlier, while Norris stepped out of his stricken car holding his elbow. The Briton was taken to Spa’s medical center for an initial assessment per F1’s mandatory requirement after a high-speed crash and was then transferred to hospital for additional checks and a precautionary X-ray of his elbow. Although Norris was officially classified P10 in the session, should he be fit to drive, a pitlane start for Sunday’s race is most likely in order for the 21-year-old as McLaren will need to build up a new MCL35M chassis for the Briton.

Max Verstappen clinched pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix in the twelfth race of the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. In wet and treacherous conditions, the Dutchman grabbed the ninth pole of his career in the dying minutes of the session. George Russell with a sensational lap took second position ahead of Lewis Hamilton in third position. It was a stellar result for the young Briton to start on the first row. The qualifying session at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium took place under wet and cold conditions with air temperatures at 14 degree C and track temperatures at 16 degree C. The three compounds for this race are from the middle range of the Pirelli tyres – the white-striped hard tyres (C2), the yellow-striped medium tyres (C3) and the red-striped soft tyres (C4). The start of the qualification was delayed by twelve minutes due to standing water on the track. For the first installation lap all the drivers except the two Williams F1 drivers were on full wet tyres. George Russell’s first flying lap was compromised as his team-mate Nicholas Latifi spun and brought out the yellow flags. But on their second lap, Russell and Latifi went to the top of the time charts on the intermediate tyres. The other drivers pitted to take on the intermediate tyres for their next lap. Esteban Ocon then went to third position on the time charts behind the Williams duo. The drivers scrambled to get in their laps before the rain came down again. Lando Norris topped the session ahead of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. The second qualification session started with the drivers on the intermediate tyres and the threat of rain hanging over the circuit. Norris set the first timed lap with a 1m57.235s to go to the top of the time charts. With six minutes to go, both the Mercedes drivers were in the drop zone and managed to move themselves into the top ten positions. But with two minutes to go, both Hamilton and Bottas were again in the drop zone. Hamilton and Bottas in a last gasp effort took second and third position. Norris again topped the time charts. In the dying minutes of the session, Daniel Ricciardo and Ocon knocked out the two Ferrari drivers. Norris was the first driver on the track which was very wet now. Vettel behind him told his pit wall that they should red flag the session as it was too dangerous. Norris on his first timed lap crashed heavily at Eau Rouge and the session was red-flagged. The rain intensified and the drivers sat in their cars and waited for the resumption. The session finally resumed at 16:45 local time with eight minutes and fifty-nine seconds left. In very wet conditions, the drivers were out on the intermediate tyres. Hamilton took provisional pole position ahead of Verstappen by 0.973 seconds. But Russell with an outstanding lap took first position. In the dying minutes of the session, Verstappen grabbed pole position from Russell in a sensational end to the wet qualification session. 2021 F1 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX – QUALIFYING RESULTS POS. DRIVER NAT. TEAM Q1 Q2 Q3 1 Max Verstappen NED Red Bull Racing 1m58.717s 1m56.559s 1m59.765s 2 George Russell GBR Williams Racing 1m59.864s 1m56.950s 2m00.086s 3 Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1m59.218s 1m56.229s 2m00.099s 4 Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren F1 Team 2m01.583s 1m57.127s 2m00.864s 5 Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 2m00.175s 1m56.814s 2m00.935s 6 Pierre Gasly FRA Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 2m00.387s 1m56.440s 2m01.164s 7 Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull Racing 1m59.334s 1m56.886s 2m02.399s 8 Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1m59.870s 1m56.295s 2m02.502s 9 Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine F1 Team 2m01.824s 1m57.354s 2m03.513s 10 Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team 1m58.301s 1m56.025s No Time Set 11 Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow 2m00.728s 1m57.721s   12 Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams Racing 2m00.966s 1m58.056s   13 Carlos Sainz ESP Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow 2m01.184s 1m58.137s   14 Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine F1 Team 2m01.653s 1m58.205s   15 Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 2m01.597s 1m58.231s   16 Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen 2m02.306s     17 Yuki Tsunoda JPN Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 2m02.413s     18 Mick Schumacher GER Uralkali Haas F1 Team 2m03.973s     19 Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen 2m04.452s     20 Nikita Mazepin RUS Uralkali Haas F1 Team 2m04.939s    

During Q3 of qualifying it starts to rain again, which causes doubts for some drivers. Lando Norris has no doubts, but crashes heavily at the beginning of his fast lap, resulting in a red flag. Normally, wet sessions cause many accidents, but during the qualifying of the Belgian Grand Prix it was remarkably quiet. At least, until Q3 starts. At that moment it starts to rain harder, causing puddles on the track. Lando Norris starts confidently with his first fast lap, but that soon comes to an end. At the top of Eau Rouge, the Brit loses control over his McLaren and crashes into the wall, before returning to the track. Luckily no other drivers arrive at full speed, but Sebastian Vettel comes to check if Norris is okay. Norris will start the race in the top 10, but the McLaren mechanics will have to work hard on Saturday. The car of Norris is total loss and will have to be replaced completely.

Mick Schumacher’s future on the Formula 1 grid could be red, Mattia Binotto admits. However, the Ferrari team boss says another year of learning for the son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher is waiting around the corner for 2022. “Before we decide when he’s ready for Ferrari, he has to finish this year without pressure,” Binotto said. “We don’t have to put pressure on him as that would be wrong. He should learn, as I said,” the Italian told the German broadcaster n-tv. And that learning period will involve another year at Ferrari powered Haas, Binotto revealed. “His second year at Haas will probably be great for him because then he will have the opportunity to show how good he is in Formula 1,” he said. “We know that he’s a good driver. So far he’s been doing well and we’re very happy with him.” Therefore, the door has been opened to a full works Ferrari seat for Schumacher in 2023. “Could be. I think that should be his challenge, no doubt,” Binotto admitted. “I think he has a clear goal and that is part of it.”

Red Bull have decided to continue with their experienced driver Sergio Perez for 2022. The team announced on Friday that the Mexican will continue race alongside Max Verstappen in an unchanged lineup for next season. This will mark the 31-year-old’s 11th season in Formula 1. Since joining from Racing Point at the beginning of this year, Perez has provided valuable points for the team has been able to capitalise on any opportunities. This being evident at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix where he got himself in a position to win the race when his teammate and Lewis Hamilton were out of contention. Perez is buoyed by the news and his looking forward to getting his hands on next years’ car where a raft of technical changes mean it’s all to play for. “I’m really happy to be continuing with a great team like Red Bull into the new era of Formula 1 and it’s a great opportunity for me,” said Perez. “Everyone starts from zero next year with the new regulations, so my only goal is to go all the way to the top with Red Bull. “It always takes time to get on top of everything when you join a new team but things have worked well this season and I really enjoy being a part of the Red Bull family. We’ve been working hard to deliver results so it’s great to see the team have faith in me for the future. “We have so much more to achieve together and we still have a great challenge on our hands this season so I really hope we can finish the year on a high and carry that momentum into 2022. I want to thank all my supporters around the world and especially those in Mexico. From my sponsors to my fans, they have been so enthusiastic since I joined Red Bull so I really hope we can reward them by reaching the top and winning the title.” Red Bull Team principal Christian Horner poured praise on the Mexican’s experience and driving ability highlighting his “seamless integration” into the team. “Checo [Perez] is a highly respected Team member and his experience and race-craft are invaluable as we fight for the Constructors’ Championship,” said Horner. “His integration into the wider Team has been seamless and we have been impressed by his performances during the first half of the season which demonstrate what he’s capable of in our car. “Next year we move into a new era of Formula 1 with completely revised regulations and cars, and with over 200 races and a decade of experience under his belt, Checo will play an integral role in helping the Team navigate this transition and maximise the RB18. “Our current attention is on ending the 2021 season as strongly as possible and we look forward to seeing Checo build on a first successful season with the team.”

Max Verstappen set the fastest time during second practice for Formula 1’s Belgian Grand Prix before crashing out of the session. Verstappen clocked a time of 1:44.472s on Soft tyres in cool conditions at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, following earlier rain, to narrowly head Mercedes pair Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton. Bottas and Hamilton finished just 0.041s and 0.072s behind respectively but did so on the Medium tyres, having been unable to improve on their Soft runs. Verstappen brought the session to an early halt a few minutes from the scheduled conclusion after crashing through Malmedy. Verstappen lost control of the RB16B through the right-hander at the highest point of the track and slid into the barriers, sustaining damage to the rear-right of the car. Charles Leclerc claimed his maiden grand prix victory in Belgium in 2019 but also suffered a crash during the second practice session. Leclerc copped an armful of oversteer exiting Les Combes and as he tried to correct the moment slid into the tyre wall entering Malmedy. The left-front of Leclerc’s Ferrari SF21 sustained terminal damage and his incident brought out the red flags. Leclerc finished the day down in 18th place, in front of only the Haas drivers Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher. Alpine claimed a shock victory in Hungary and while a repeat in Belgium is highly unlikely both Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon displayed encouraging speed. At a circuit where the team was relatively strong under its Renault guise in 2020 Alonso was fourth while Hungary winner Ocon placed seventh, avoiding damage after a spin exiting Fagnes. Pierre Gasly maintained his and AlphaTauri’s strong performance from the opening practice session by classifying fifth, just 0.012s behind Alonso, and within half a second of pacesetter Verstappen. Lance Stroll was sixth for Aston Martin, with team-mate Sebastian Vettel eighth, as McLaren’s Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez rounded out the top 10. It was confirmed earlier on Friday that Perez will be staying within Red Bull’s stable in 2022. 2021 F1 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX – FREE PRACTICE RESULTS (2) POS DRIVER NAT. TEAM TIME 1 Max Verstappen NED Red Bull Racing 1m44.472s 2 Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1m44.513s 3 Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1m44.544s 4 Fernando Alonso CHI Alpine F1 Team 1m44.953s 5 Pierre Gasly FRA Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1m44.965s 6 Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 1m45.180s 7 Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine F1 Team 1m45.302s 8 Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 1m45.336s 9 Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team 1m45.386s 10 Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull Racing 1m45.404s 11 Carlos Sainz ESP Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow 1m45.517s 12 Yuki Tsunoda JPN Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1m45.758s 13 Antonio Giovinazzi GBR Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen 1m45.789s 14 Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen 1m45.967s 15 Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren F1 Team 1m46.118s 16 Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams Racing 1m46.198s 17 George Russell ISR Williams Racing 1m46.665s 18 Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow 1m46.836s 19 Nikita Mazepin RUS Uralkali Haas F1 Team 1m47.335s 20 Mick Schumacher GER Uralkali Haas F1 Team 1m47.529s

Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will battle Red Bull Racing this weekend with new engines. Both drivers have put in their third and final power unit at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Logically, the changes are not accompanied by grid penalties. Hamilton and Bottas will drive this weekend with a new exhaust, MGU-H, MGH-K and turbocharger. The engine development for this season is as good as frozen, so it doesn’t look like Mercedes will have a lot of extra horsepower immediately. What could be the case though, is that the engine is more reliable now, which means it can be used for a longer period of time. Especially on Sundays that could be an advantage. The customer teams will also receive new engine components in Belgium. Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo, Lance Stroll and Nicholas Latifi will also drive with new parts. Sebastian Vettel and George Russell are already driving the third engine of the 2021 season. Red Bull Racing will also be running with a new engine same as AlphaTauri.

Valtteri Bottas posted the fastest time in first practice for the Belgian Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton finished 18th. On Formula One’s return to action at Spa-Francorchamps following the sport’s four-week summer break, Bottas edged out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 0.164 seconds. Hamilton, who leads Verstappen by eight points in his bid for a record-breaking eighth world championship, ended the running three seconds of the pace after he was forced to abort his fastest lap following a close call with Williams driver Nicholas Latifi. Hamilton, who had just posted the fastest second sector of the one-hour session, approached the back of Latifi’s Williams on the 200mph drag to the Bus Stop chicane. But Latifi was caught unawares and, as Hamilton moved to his left to pass the Canadian, so did Latifi, forcing Hamilton to slam on the anchors to avoid a high-speed collision. Hamilton’s team-mate Bottas stole the early advantage for Mercedes by lapping the 4.34-mile circuit – the longest track on the calendar – faster than anybody else. Rain threatened to disrupt the first action on Friday but, after a light shower, the drivers were able to run on slicks. The rain then arrived again as the chequered flag fell with Spa’s infamous changeable conditions forecast for the remainder of the weekend. Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly finished third, half-a-second back, with the two Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, fourth and fifth. British driver Lando Norris, an impressive third in the standings after the opening 11 rounds, finished eighth for McLaren, 1.1 sec down. Kimi Raikkonen spun at La Source and then was left red-faced as he banged the wall on his entry to the pits in a practice to forget for F1’s most-capped driver.