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Sebastian Vettel was saved from the maximum penalty. When Lewis Hamilton achieved 93rd pole position of his career and fifth in race 7 this season in record time in the battle for the best starting position at the Belgian Grand Prix, poor Vettel’s Ferrari was back in boxes on Saturday.
The three-time winner on the legendary Ardennes roller coaster failed to beat 14th, and the 33-year-old Heppenheim native was at least able to avoid the imminent end in the first period. “That, of course, is not a success, but all we could do today,” said Vettel. “That is the real picture. That’s what the car can do here today, ”said Vettel after the worst qualifying result so far this year.
The deficit to the top was still terrifying, this Sunday’s race (3:10 pm on the FAZ live ticker for Formula 1, on RTL and Sky) threatens to become the next red fiasco. His teammate Charles Leclerc will be joining Vettel, the 22-year-old Monegasse who turned 13. “To be honest, it’s hard to find an explanation. We have taken a big step back, “he said. This means that the Belgium winners of 2018 (Vettel) and 2019 (Leclerc) only form the seventh row. A year ago they were allowed to start from row one: Leclerc on pole, Vettel on two.
Now it is back in the hands of Mercedes. Hamilton continued the series of the Silver Arrows, which were still painted black: for the fifth time he started from position one, the remaining two times he awarded it to his teammate Valtteri Bottas. The six-time champion obviously held back during training, when things got serious, he drove one of his notorious “hammer” laps – 0.511 seconds that he took from Bottas.
He dedicated his 93rd career pole and sixth in Belgium to the late actor Chadwick Boseman. “It has been such a tough year for everyone, and now this news. That shocked me a lot again, “said Hamilton. The morning before qualifying he had learned of the death from cancer of the 43-year-old, who had become world famous with his starring role as the son of King T’Challa in the superhero movie “Black Panther” and had become an identifying figure in black America. “This is for you, Chadwick,” Hamilton radioed immediately after his super lap.
Bottas was combative after qualifying. “The first round is a great opportunity,” he said, referring to possible attacks on Hamilton. Bottas also reiterated his World Cup ambitions, but two days after turning 31 in the race, the Finn should mostly have to face backwards. Max Verstappen came in third place, second behind Hamilton 37 points behind in the World Championship, but six points ahead of Bottas.
The 21-year-old Dutchman is the only one to have already beaten Hamilton and Bottas in a race this year. “I can be happy to be so close to Valtteri,” Verstappen said. For him, the Grand Prix is almost a home game, even without his Dutch fans: Verstappen was born in Hasselt, Belgium. The anticipation is correspondingly great.
On the other hand, Ferrari is likely to be fearful of the upcoming appearances at Monza and Mugello. “I can understand that the fans are disappointed at home,” Leclerc said at Spa: “We cannot expect miracles.” On the Belgian circuit with its long straights and climbs, the engine is not enough for superior performance. In practice, both drivers were a second and a half or two seconds behind the leaders.
As midfield, which Ferrari can only count on in the rear zone at the moment, has come closer and Renault also made a strong impression, the Scuderia threatens the next low point of an already devastating season before the trip to the races. From home.
