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Lewis Hamilton put on another driving show this Saturday and took pole position at the Belgian GP, breaking the Spa-Francorchamps track record. In the decisive stage of qualifying, the six-time champion and current championship leader set 1m41s252 on his fastest lap and secured pole 93 in F1, while second-placed Valtteri Bottas, his teammate on the Mercedes team, stayed 0s511 behind.
Hamilton pays tribute to Black Panther actor after taking pole position at Belgian GP
After taking pole position, Hamilton paid tribute to American actor Chadwick Boseman, who passed away on Friday at the age of 42. Immediately, the Englishman dedicated the post to the actor on the radio and, when he got out of the car, he made the symbol of the “Black Panther”, a character played by the American in the cinema and that also marks the anti-racist struggle carried out by the six times champion in recent months.
– I woke up to the sad news of Chadwick’s death. This news really, really broke me. He was a bright light. Wakanda forever. I just want to go tomorrow and drive perfectly – said the Mercedes driver.
Lewis Hamilton takes pole position and honors actor Chadwick Boseman – Photo: Getty Images
Max Verstappen was once again the closest driver to Mercedes and was third on the grid, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, who took Renault’s best grid position in 2020. Alexander Albon completed the top ten, from fifth to tenth. (RBR), Esteban Ocon (Renault), Carlos Sainz Jr. (McLaren), Sergio Pérez (Racing Point), Lance Stroll (Racing Point) and Lando Norris (McLaren).
Ferrari performed poorly again and was left out of Q3 with its two drivers. The two were in serious danger of not even advancing from Q1 to Q2, and in the end, Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel will split the seventh row, at 13th and 14th places respectively.
The Belgian Formula 1 Grand Prix begins at 10:10 am (Brasilia time) this Sunday, with a live broadcast on TV Globo. The narration will be provided by Cleber Machado, with comments from Luciano Burti and Felipe Giaffone. The ge also shows the race on video.
Starting grid of the Belgian GP – Photo: Playback / FOM
What do you need to know?
– Lewis Hamilton’s 93rd pole position, increasing his own record.
– Since the 2015 United States Grand Prix, Ferrari has not exited Q3 with both cars.
– Daniel Ricciardo’s fourth place is Renault’s best grid of the 2020 season.
Q1 – 18 minutes and five eliminated
Verstappen started Q1 at 1m43s408, but Sainz was 0s086 faster and took first place. Ricciardo was even better than both, at 1m43s309. But Mercedes was next and destroyed the competition, with Hamilton driving 1m42s323, 0s211 ahead of Bottas. Soon after, Max improved to 1’43s197 and climbed to third place.
Fastest Hamilton in Belgian GP Official Practice
Before the last series of attempts in Q1, there was a repeat of what happened at Monza last year, when the drivers formed a single line as they tried to make room for opponents to avoid traffic on the timed lap. At least this time there was no harm to anyone.
The cars go out together in a row at the official practice of the Belgian GP
The end of Q1 was marked by the desperation of Ferrari, which was in serious danger of being left out of Q2 with its two cars. But on the last attempt, Leclerc set 1m43s656 and took 15th place, while Vettel, who had been last in free practice third, finished 1m43s567 and still placed 13th. A slightly less obtrusive performance.
Magnussen slips during Q1 of the official training of the Belgian GP
Leclerc was lucky that Kevin Magnussen missed his last lap and took the last position on the grid. Dane’s teammate Romain Grosjean was also eliminated, the two Alfa Romeo drivers Antonio Giovinazzi and Kimi Raikkonen, and Williams’ Nicholas Latifi.
16th KIMI RAIKKONEN (ALFA ROMEO)
17th ROMAIN GROSJEAN (HAAS)
XVIII ANTONIO GIOVINAZZI (ALFA ROMEO)
19th NICHOLAS LATIFI (WILLIAMS)
20th KEVIN MAGNUSSEN (HAAS)
Result of Q1 in the classification of the Belgian GP – Photo: Playback / FOM
Q2 – 15 minutes and five eliminated
Mercedes immediately showed strength at the start of Q2, with Hamilton setting the best time of the weekend so far at 1’42s014, while Bottas was 0s112 behind. Verstappen only managed a 0s4 lap over Hamilton. The three have done their best laps on the medium tire and will start with these compounds in the race this Sunday, by regulation.
Hamilton leads Q2 of the official training of the Belgian GP
In the initial part of the practice, the two Renault team drivers, as free practice, showed a good performance, with Ricciardo ahead of Ocon, in fourth and fifth place respectively. In the end, Sainz placed fourth on soft tires, but then dropped to fifth as Albon, also on soft compounds, moved up to third and edged out Verstappen.
See the result of Q2 of the official training of the Belgian GP
Ferrari, unsurprisingly, finished out with both cars, with Leclerc in 13th place, just ahead of Vettel. The two Alpha Tauri drivers and George Russell with Williams were also eliminated.
11th DANIIL KVYAT (ALPHATAURI)
12º PIERRE GASLY (ALPHATAURI
13th CHARLES LECLERC (FERRARI)
XIV SEBASTIAN VETTEL (FERRARI)
15th GEORGE RUSSELL (WILLIAMS)
Q2 result of the Belgian GP qualifying – Photo: Playback / FOM
Q3: ten minutes and contest for pole
At the most important moment, Hamilton returned to an absurd performance and set the fastest lap ever at Spa-Francorchamps, with 1m41s451, and Bottas posting only 1m42s029. Ricciardo led Renault to third place, 1’42s061, 019 ahead of Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton makes the fastest lap in the history of Spa-Francorchamps in Q3 of the official practice of the Belgian GP
On the last attempt, Hamilton improved his time even more and dropped to 1´41s252. Bottas also improved but was still more than half a second behind, while Verstappen managed to take third place from Ricciardo.
Lewis Hamilton achieves pole position at the Belgian GP
– Photo: Infoesporte