GEORGE RUSSELL BLAMES A MERCEDES POWER FAILURE, NOT LEWIS HAMILTON, FOR HIS BELGIAN GRAND PRIX TITLE BLOW

• George Russell retired from the Belgian Grand Prix on lap one after colliding with Lewis Hamilton, but he pinned the cause on a Mercedes power problem rather than his former teammate

• Hamilton received a five-second penalty for the clash, yet both drivers agreed afterward that it was a racing incident

• Toto Wolff confirmed all Mercedes engines lacked power on the straights in the race, extending a pattern of reliability issues that has cost the team points all season

Getty Images 

George Russell’s Belgian Grand Prix ended on the opening lap, but the Mercedes driver said a problem with his own car, rather than the collision that put him in the gravel, was the real cause of his retirement.

Russell started third at Spa-Francorchamps and held the position through the first corner before Lewis Hamilton passed him along the Kemmel Straight. Russell moved to the outside of Hamilton into the braking zone at Les Combes to try to reclaim the place, the pair made contact, and Russell was spun into the gravel and out of the race. Hamilton received a five-second penalty for the collision, but Russell placed no blame on his former Mercedes teammate.

‘I Just Got Totally Swallowed Up Down the Straight’

“I just got totally swallowed up down the straight,” Russell told Sky Sports F1. “I lost three positions down the straight down into Turn Five and then the incident was a racing incident.”

“Maybe I could have gone a bit wider, maybe he (Hamilton) could have braked a bit more. The incident shouldn’t have happened if I had the speed down the straight,” Russell added. “Very, very disappointed.”

The collision followed a qualifying session in which Russell had already flagged a lack of power, finishing more than half a second off pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli in fourth. He had spent Thursday’s media day discussing changes to his driving style to try to find lost time in this year’s cars, only to reverse that thinking on Saturday and conclude his technique was not the problem.

“I appreciate everyone is working hard to solve the problem, but I’m stood here [in the TV interview pen] on lap five of the race,” Russell said when asked how Mercedes could get to the bottom of the issue. “It felt like I was in a good position to fight for the lead up to Turn One and then, suddenly, no power and it’s all gone.”

Hamilton Agrees It Was Nobody’s Fault

Hamilton, who went on to finish fourth carrying the penalty and separate front-wing damage, echoed Russell’s read on the incident once the race was over.

“Ultimately, sorry for George because that obviously ended his race, but I did think… I do agree that it was a racing incident,” Hamilton said. “It’s not like I went in aggressive and was misplaced or anything like that. I think it was just an unfortunate scenario, which happens in racing. Then I had damage as well, so I carried that through the race. It was a tough one.”

Wolff Confirms a Problem Across the Whole Grid

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff went further than Russell in explaining what had gone wrong, confirming that every Mercedes-powered car on the grid had lost straight-line performance in the race. As well as building their own engines, Mercedes also supply McLaren, Alpine and Williams with power units.

“The accident that happened was unfortunate for us. We lost a lot of constructors’ points and George’s drivers’ points,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1. “We had an issue on all Mercedes engines that we lacked the power out on the straights. That hit him badly and it 100 per cent goes on us.”

“We are trying our best as a team. We have the most powerful power unit, a strong car that is capable of winning,” Wolff added. “Everyone is giving their maximum to minimise the mistakes and still it happens because we are humans at work.”

A Season Defined by Reliability, Not Pace

Russell’s retirement at Spa was his second of the season following an engine failure in Canada. His teammate Kimi Antonelli has had his own share of mechanical trouble, retiring in Barcelona after an engine failure and dropping from a likely victory to outside the points at Silverstone after a wheel-guard failure.

“We let Kimi down at Silverstone where George got a podium, which is maybe better than the result should have been,” Wolff said. “Then one DNF for Montreal, the other in Barcelona. That’s a little bit of the story of our season. It’s a technical sport, a mechanical sport.”

“We came out with a product [power unit] that is so strong and I’d rather fix the reliability rather than accelerate a slow engine, or slow car,” he continued. “We are giving it 100 per cent and need to give it 100 per cent because we lost a lot of points with reliability. We should be much further ahead than we are.”

Championship Fallout

The result dropped Russell 50 points behind championship leader Antonelli, and Hamilton’s fourth place moved him back ahead of Russell into second in the standings, 45 points off the lead.

- Jack Renn

FERRARI CRITICISES "MEGA HARSH" LEWIS HAMILTON PENALTY IN F1 BELGIAN GP

Hamilton was given a five-second penalty for contact with George Russell’s Mercedes on the opening lap of the Belgian Grand Prix

Hamilton tagged Russell into a spin on the opening lap

Photo by: Getty Images

Both Lewis Hamilton and his Ferrari team boss, Frederic Vasseur, profoundly disagree with the five-second penalty he received for a collision with George Russell’s Mercedes on the opening lap of the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix.

"I think it's mega harsh," said Vasseur after the race. "If you have a look on the corner, Russell had enough space on the left-hand side, it's not that he was close to the wall.

"I think it's more a racing incident for me and this cost us a lot."

The contact eliminated Hamilton’s former team-mate from the race, but was fundamentally caused by the Mercedes power unit apparently suffering an electrical deployment issue through the first sector, causing Russell to lose position to both Ferraris on the run up the hill towards Les Combes.

Russell then tried to brake ultra-late on the outside line into the corner and looked as if he had reclaimed a place from Hamilton at least, only for the Ferrari’s front-left wheel to clout his sidepod and tip the Mercedes into a spin. At the time, Hamilton explained on the radio that he had "no front end" because he was in the turbulent wake of the car in front, Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.

"It was ultimately a difficult weekend," Hamilton said afterwards.

"I take all the responsibility for my incident yesterday [when he crashed in FP3], which then had a knock-on effect of the setup not being right, and then out of place in qualifying. Because I think with the setup right, I would have been probably, I think I could have been fifth or third or second.

"And then, that meant starting further back, and then I was in a position where George obviously looked like he lost power, and then he just swooped around on the outside, and we just sort of had a coming together.

"I got damaged, and then in the race, I did the best I could with the damage that I had, and then also the penalty.

"I think it was a racing incident, so I don't think there should be a penalty for that."

Steven Lee/LAT Images via Getty Images 

Hamilton served the penalty at his first only pitstop of the race, during a virtual safety car deployment on lap 20, but he was signalled to go while a mechanic was still attempting to make a front wing adjustment. That consigned Hamilton to fourth place on the road at the chequered flag, with the Briton facing another investigation for an unsafe release.

In fact, 10 seconds is that standard penalty for "causing a collision", but the stewards decided that mitigating circumstances warranted a lesser penalty.

"Approaching Turn 5 on the opening lap, Car 63 [Russell] attempted an overtake around the outside of Car 44 [Hamilton] and had established sufficient overlap to be entitled to racing room. Car 44 remained on the inside," said the stewards’ verdict.

"During the corner, Car 44 experienced understeer and, despite attempting to avoid Car 63 by applying corrective steering, made contact with the right-hand side of Car 63 with its left-front wheel. The stewards determined that Car 63 remained with the available racing room and the the collision was caused by Car 44 being unable to maintain sufficient separation.

"The stewards recognised several mitigating circumstances. Car 44 acknowledged the presence of Car 63, attempted to leave appropriate racing room, and made a genuine attempt to avoid contact. The collision resulted from a loss of front-end grip rather than from an aggressive or deliberate manoeuvre. In addition, the incident occurred on the opening lap, where reduced grip and compressed racing conditions are recognised.

For these reasons, while Car 44 was wholly at fault for the collision, the stewards consider that a five-second time penalty, rather than the standard 10-second time penalty, is the appropriate penalty in accordance with the FIA Penalty Guidelines."

- Stuart Codling and Filip Cleeren

BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2026 | FINAL CLASSIFICATION

 

KIMI ANTONELLI WINS BELGIAN GRAND PRIX TO EXTEND F1 CHAMPIIONSHIP LEAD

Mercedes driver won his sixth GP of 2026 as championship rival and teammate George Russell crashes out on first lap.

Kimi Antonelli celebrates winning the Belgian Grand Prix for Mercedes at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, July 19 [Andrej Isakovic/AFP]

Kimi Antonelli won the Belgian Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday to stretch his Formula One lead to 45 points over Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton on a bleak day for teammate George Russell, his closest title rival heading into the race.

Russell had been the 19-year-old Italian’s closest rival before the start at Spa-Francorchamps, but the Briton spun off into the gravel on the opening lap after a collision with Hamilton while trying to make up places lost at lights out.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was second in the 44-lap race, 1.952 seconds behind after leading, thanks to a pit stop while a virtual safety car was deployed, with Max Verstappen third to give Red Bull their 300th Formula One podium.

Hamilton finished fourth, despite serving a five-second penalty for the collision with Russell, but remained under investigation for an unsafe release from a pit stop that could drop him to fifth and further stretch Antonelli’s lead.

It was Antonelli’s sixth win in 10 rounds this season, leaving him 50 points clear of Russell. Antonelli was first in qualifying, continuing Mercedes’ clean sweep of pole positions this season.

“It’s great to be back on the top step after a few difficult rounds,” said Antonelli, who had drawn a blank in two of the past three rounds.

“It was a hard-fought race. We lost first place with the VSC but then we managed to make our way back.

“The momentum was always there. It was just about getting the results,” he added. “Today we were a bit lucky with what happened in terms of the championship but you have to take every opportunity because we saw how much it can swing.”

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri finished fifth, with Isack Hadjar sixth for Red Bull from last on the grid. Reigning champion Lando Norris was seventh for McLaren after starting 13th due to a 10-place grid drop.

Gabriel Bortoleto brought more points for Audi in eighth place, with Arvid Lindblad ninth for Racing Bulls and Argentine Franco Colapinto completing the scoring in 10th place for Renault-owned Alpine.

- Reuters

KIMI ANTONELLI WINS THE 2026 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX

 

FIA PUNISH LEWIS HAMILTON AFTER DRAMATIC GEORGE RUSSELL COLLISION AT BELGIAN GRAND PRIX

Lewis Hamilton has been punished by the FIA after a dramatic collision with George Russell at the Belgian Grand Prix.

George Russell was involved in a dramatic collision on the opening lap of the Belgian Grand Prix with Lewis Hamiliton, leading to a punishment for the seven-time world champion.

The Mercedes driver has seen his bid for the 2026 drivers’ championship take another hit as he has had to retire from the race this weekend at Spa.

It means that he will receive no points for his world championship bid, seeing him lose ground on his teammate and title rival Kimi Antonelli if the Italian driver were to finish the race.

Before the red lights went out, the gap between the title rivals was 25 points, but this is expected to grow if all goes to plan for Antonelli.

Hamilton appeared to be at fault for the incident; at least that is the reading from the FIA, as they have given the Ferrari driver a five-second penalty for causing the incident.

The seven-time world champion will now serve that penalty when he enters the pit, with his team not being allowed to touch his car until the car has been sat stationary for five seconds.

Hamilton was straight on the team radio to defend his actions in the incident, as he said: “Car crossed over in front of me. I was right behind another car, so I had no front end.”

Russell appeared to be quite emotional in his interview with Sky Sports after the collision, after getting back to the pits following the collision.

He said: "I just got totally swallowed up down the straight," Russell told reporters back in the Spa paddock, before Hamilton was issued with a five-second penalty by the stewards.

"I lost three positions down the straight down into turn 5 and then the incident was a racing incident. Maybe I could have gone a bit wider or he could have braked a bit more.

"The incident wouldn't have happened if I had the speed down the straight. I'm very, very disappointed."

Hamilton’s Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc was involved in a collision just a number of laps later at the same corner, as he made contact with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

Leclerc would then progress past the Australian at the corner, and it appeared that this had an impact on the McLaren car as Hamilton, who was nearby during the incident, also overtook Piastri within a couple of laps following the incident.

However, while the seven-time world champion got a punishment from the FIA for his collision, Leclerc would not.

Featured Image Credit: Getty Images

- Brendan McGilligan

BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2026 | GRID

 

FASTEST | FREE PRACTICE 3 | BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2026

 

LEWIS HAMILTON 'DESTROYS' FERRARI IN THE FINAL BELGIAN GP PRACTICE

It was almost a carbon-copy repeat of Pierre Gasly's incident in Friday practice.

Lewis Hamilton left his Ferrari mechanics with a mountain to climb ahead of qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix after crashing in final practice.

In what was an almost identical incident to Alpine driver Pierre Gasly's smash in second practice on Friday, on his final flying lap in the dying moments of FP3 at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Hamilton ran wide in emerging from the Fagnes chicane.

In attempting to control his car as it careered across the gravel, the seven-time F1 champion hit a barrier with the rear of his SF-26.

The impact immediately ripped off the rear wheel that was left hanging on by its tethers, whilst also severely damaging the rear wing.

Unlike Gasly, who spun through 360 degrees twice before finally coming to rest, Hamilton maintained forward momentum before finally stopping on track due to the damage sustained.

Asked over the radio whether he was okay, Hamilton responded by saying: "I've destroyed the car! Sorry!"

It means his team is in a race against time to repair the car and ready it for qualifying, which starts at 3pm UK [4pm CET; 10am EST].

- Ian Parkes

TWO MORE DRIVERS HIT WITH SPA GRID PENALTIES

Isack Hadjar and Lance Stroll have joined Lando Norris in receiving grid penalties for Sunday’s Belgian grand prix after taking new power unit components at Spa-Francorchamps.

Isack Hadjar will join Lando Norris and Lance Stroll with grid penalties for the Belgian Grand Prix. Image: XPB Images

Hadjar has been handed the most severe punishment after Red Bull fitted his car with a fifth internal combustion engine, turbocharger and exhaust system of the season.

Each component exceeds the Frenchman’s permitted allocation, resulting in penalties totalling 30 grid places and requiring him to start from the rear of the field regardless of where he qualifies on Saturday.

Hadjar acknowledged before the changes were confirmed that extending his run of five consecutive top-six finishes would be difficult this weekend.

“This weekend, I think another top-six finish is going to be difficult given where I’m starting from, but we’ll give it a go,” Hadjar told Canal+.

“The main focus will be on race pace. It won’t be as much about qualifying performance, because we already know what to expect.

“We’ll probably start 22nd on the grid, but Spa is a track where you can overtake. A lot can happen, and we know we’ve got decent race pace. So I’m expecting to have some fun on Sunday.”

Hadjar’s hopes of recovering through the field will depend heavily on Red Bull’s race pace as he attempts to continue his recent run of form.

His teammate Max Verstappen has also received a new engine, turbocharger and exhaust this weekend but remains within his permitted allocation and will avoid a penalty.

Stroll will meanwhile drop 10 places from wherever he qualifies after Aston Martin installed a new MGU-K on his car.

The Canadian’s penalty may have less of an impact than those facing Hadjar and Norris, with Aston Martin expecting Spa to be one of its most difficult events of the season.

Norris’ 10-place penalty was confirmed on Thursday after McLaren introduced a fourth power electronics unit on the reigning world champion’s car.

The 26-year-old had already exhausted his permitted allocation following several failures during the opening nine rounds, making a penalty effectively unavoidable.

Spa is traditionally regarded as one of the better circuits at which to serve an engine penalty due to its long straights and greater number of overtaking opportunities compared with many other venues.

- Ben Waterworth

RUSSELL HEATED AT MERCEDES, FERRARI PROBLEM? | F1 NEWS

 

LANDO NORRIS ISSUES 'WAIT AND SEE' PERSPECTIVE ON SPA GRID PENALTY DISCOVERY

Lando Norris has issued confidence in the possibility of a successful damage limitation job in this weekend’s Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, after having taken a 10-place grid penalty for the race.

The reigning World Champion is braced for the significant grid drop after McLaren opted to change the power electronic unit in order to reap benefits from Mercedes’ updates to them.

It will leave Norris in an extremely vulnerable position, needing to get into Q3 and perform well to mitigate the pain of the penalty.

But, speaking to media, including Motorsport Week, ahead of this weekend’s race, Norris was hopeful of nullifying the problems the grid drop will cause, conveying quiet confidence he will make up positions.

“We will have to wait and see how the overtaking is,” he said. “Most people would deploy basically the whole battery to Turn 5, and you would go from pretty much 100 percent battery to zero, so there is not much use for the battery, so we have to wait and see.

“We probably have a small straight-line speed advantage compared to the people a little further back, so we should have a good chance.

“But just to overtake in general, I think it could be pretty difficult here.

“But the slipstream is pretty big, and there are still a few straights where there is no straight mode, and therefore the slipstream is pretty large, and you can gain a good amount for that.

“So I don’t have all the answers yet, but we know it is better than Zandvoort and better than Hungary to take penalties, so I hope it is not the end of my weekend before it starts, but I am confident we can have a good weekend.

“We will wait and see.”

What can Lando Norris expect in midfield battle at Spa?

Spa-Francorchamps presents a unique puzzle for energy management, and it is one of the reasons Norris’ optimism is not entirely misplaced.

The uphill blast through Eau Rouge and Raidillon into the Kemmel Straight is the single biggest harvesting-and-deployment zone on the calendar, with cars spending an unusually long period at full throttle before drivers are forced to lift for the Les Combes chicane.

That long full-power phase burns through battery reserves quickly, but the compensating downhill and braking zones, particularly into Pouhon and the final sector, give the MGU-K plenty of opportunity to recover energy for the next lap.

The difficulty, as Norris alluded to, is that so many cars arrive at Turn 5 simultaneously low on charge, which flattens out what would otherwise be a clear straight-line advantage for cars with stronger deployment.

That bunching effect can work in favour of a recovering driver, since the field’s energy resources are levelled just as the long straights offer the best passing opportunities.

With Spa’s notoriously changeable weather adding a further variable to tyre and energy strategy, teams will need near-perfect harvesting execution through the middle sector to have anything left when it matters heading onto the straights.

- Jack Oliver Smith

BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2026 PRACTICE TIME

 

HAMILTON'S SURFING TRIP WITH KIM KARDASHIAN SPARKS HILARIOUS SERGIO PEREZ REACTION

Photo: Race Pictures

With Formula 1 enjoying a week-long break ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton recently delighted fans by sharing footage of himself surfing alongside Kim Kardashian, and Sergio Perez could not help but offer a hilarious reaction to the footage.

The seven-time champion, who has often been seen sharing relatively affectionate moments with the American socialite, despite the pair not openly admitting they were in a relationship, again thrilled his fans and followers when he took to his Instagram to share footage of him surfing.

While the video itself was entertaining, it was Hamilton's perfectly executed 360-degree spin on the wave that really got fans talking. Kardashian was visibly thrilled by the Ferrari driver's display, screaming with excitement as she watched him complete the impressive manoeuvre.

However, amid the several reactions that continued to greet Hamilton's surfing adventure, Cadillac driver Sergio Perez could not help but drop in a cheeky comment. The former Red Bull Racing driver, reacting to the video, simply quipped: "Ai 100% 😂"

Kim Kardashian was present at the Monaco Grand Prix to cheer Lewis Hamilton - Photo: Race Pictures

Hamilton and Kardashian have continued to appear in public together, and the American socialite was present at the Monaco Grand Prix to cheer Hamilton following his second-place finish at the famed Monte Carlo street race.

George Russell pokes fun at Lewis Hamilton over Kim Kardashian

Earlier during the British Grand Prix weekend, George Russell could not resist teasing Hamilton about Kim Kardashian during a fan event at the Silverstone Circuit. The pair, who were teammates at Mercedes, appeared together on stage in front of a lively crowd alongside fellow British drivers Lando Norris, Arvid Lindblad and Oliver Bearman.

The event was hosted by Sky Sports commentator David Croft, who commented on Hamilton's noticeably positive demeanour this season. Crofty noted: "Lewis, on track and off track, you're a much happier man this year, and from everyone here, that is great to see."

Russell swiftly interjected with comedic timing, playfully asking Hamilton: "Is that because of a fast car or a new girlfriend?" The comment drew laughter from the crowd and the drivers on stage. Hamilton took the question in good humour and smiled before saying, "Yeah, that's a good one."

Croft jumped back in on the joke, telling Hamilton, "You know why he's asking? He just needs to know whether Kimi needs two towels."

During the Monaco Grand Prix, at which Kardashian was present, she was seen picking up Kimi Antonelli's towel and using it to wipe her face in the aftermath of the race, a moment that was captured and shared online. Kardashian would eventually gift Antonelli a replacement towel bearing the inscription: "To Kimi from Kim".

- Samson Ero

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS | BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 🇧🇪

 

BELGIAN GRAND PRIX TRACK MAP

 

OSCAR PIASTRI SHOWS ALL HIS NOUS TO WIN DELAYED BELGIAN GRAND PRIX LANDO NORRIS

Oscar Piastri wins the Belgian Grand Prix from his McLaren teammate Lando Norris after a Lap 1 overtake at Spa

Race winner Oscar Piastri celebrates in parc ferme at the F1 2025 Belgian Grand Prix | McLaren F1 Team

Oscar Piastri widened his gap at the top of the Formula 1 2025 drivers’ championship by beating McLaren teammate Lando Norris to the line at the Belgian Grand Prix.

In a race that started almost an hour and a half later than planned due to rain reducing the drivers’ visibility, the first corner proved to be the major difference between the McLaren‘s as pole-sitter Norris lost time and allowed his teammate to construct an overtake.

After moving on to the slick tyres, Norris couldn’t quite eat into Piastri‘s margin with enough ferocity and had to settle for second, with Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and George Russell rounding out the top five.

Towards the end of the original formation lap, a red flag was thrown due to the poor visibility and the cars funnelled into the pit lane. Norris reported on the radio that the standing water was not an issue, but he could barely see behind the safety car.

An hour and 20 minutes later, the cars were back on track for two laps behind the safety car. The sky over Spa was largely blue by this stage. After four laps behind the safety car, the race began with a rolling start and it only took until just after Eau Rouge for Piastri to get past his teammate and take the lead.

Norris was clearly struggling for grip, and Leclerc and Verstappen knew it. They were right on the back of Norris‘s McLaren, whilst he was complaining about a lack of electrical energy. Russell also made light work of Alex Albon and moved into P5, meaning he could then chase the leading four drivers.

Norris soon found his groove and started to catch Piastri and pull away from Leclerc and Verstappen, whilst the Ferrari driver ran wide on a couple of occasions and allowed Verstappen to start applying the pressure. With no more rain expected, the dilemma for the teams became clear. Almost every driver had dull inters on, but the track was drying.

One driver who came alive in the tricky conditions was Lewis Hamilton, who overtook three cars in one lap and was quickly knocking on the door of the points positions. Despite that pace, he was first to move onto slicks as he pitted for mediums on Lap 12, and he was followed by a host of cars towards the back of the grid.

The McLaren‘s quickly showed the pace of their car by pulloing out a +10 second gap over Leclerc and Verstappen. Piastri was first to pit from the frontrunners on Lap 13, though, with Leclerc and Verstappen following him. Norris went round for another lap and after he put the hard tyre on in an effort to go till the end, he emerged seven seconds behind Piastri, a gap that swiftly became 8.5 seconds as he warmed them up.

Hamilton timed his pit stop perfectly and was in P7 by Lap 14, having started from the pit lane. He continued to show pace and Leclerc was keeping himself ahead of Verstappen, meaning a healthy points haul for Ferrari looked like a very real possibility.

It soon emerged that both McLaren‘s would be aiming to make it to the end on their current tyres, but that would likely mean that Piastri had to do some extra management later in the race which would be Norris‘ opportunity to get past.

Once the grid had moved onto the lick tyres, the race largely stayed the same. Everybody was aware that reaching the end of the race without stopping again was possible, meaning no drivers were pushing particularly hard. A safety car certainly would have seen the grid dive into the pits.

Small errors add up to cost Norris

With 10 laps to go, Norris on the hard tyre did start to eat into Piastri‘s margin. He gained six tenths on Lap 33, with Piastri having to concentrate on keeping his mediums alive. Hamilton‘s charge up to seventh saw him get stuck behind Albon‘s Williams.

The final five laps saw Norris really pick up the pace and the gap was soon beneath four seconds. At the same time Verstappen was getting closer to the back of Leclerc, where he had spent the entire grand prix.

Ultimately, however, a handful of unnecessary errors proved to be what handed his teammate the victory. The slide at the start of the race which allowed Piastri through was followed by a lock-up and an adventure off line later in the race which cumulatively cost him around two seconds.

When he did get close to Piastri on Lap 43, he locked up again and it cost him 1.4 seconds. Throw in the fact that his pit stop was slow thanks to the front left not behaving, and Piastri seemed destined for the victory.

Considering Norris started the race on pole position and has been in a positive patch of form which closed the gap in the drivers’ championship, this was a huge victory for Piastri and he never put a foot wrong in Belgium. That gap now widens to 16 points and it is another reminder that the fight will surely go down to the end of the season.

Leclerc successfully held Verstappen off to take the final podium place, whilst Hamilton could not climb any higher than P7.

- Euan Burns

LEWIS HAMILTON TO START FROM PIT LANE AT SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS

LANDO NORRIS PIPS MCLAREN TEAM-MATE OSCAR PIASTRI TO BELGIAN GRAND PRIX POLE

Lando Norris will be aiming to win a third grand prix in a row on Sunday as he chases down championship leader Oscar Piastri

Lando Norris will start from pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix in his bid to seal a hat-trick of consecutive victories after beating championship rival Oscar Piastri to top spot.

Norris finished third, a place behind McLaren team-mate Piastri in the earlier sprint race at Spa-Francorchamps, but the British driver bounced back to secure his second pole in three races.

Charles Leclerc took third for Ferrari but team-mate Lewis Hamilton's weekend took another nightmare twist after he qualified only 16th.

Max Verstappen - who won the first Formula One race staged following Christian Horner's dismissal as Red Bull team principal in Saturday's 15-lap dash - was fourth, one position clear of Williams' Alex Albon, with George Russell sixth for Mercedes.

Piastri extended his championship advantage over Norris from eight points to nine and appeared to hold the upper hand over his team-mate heading into qualifying.

However, Norris delivered with his first lap of Q3 to hold a near two-tenth advantage over Piastri heading into the concluding runs and - although he failed to improve, and Piastri did - it was enough to take first place as he looks to build on his wins in Austria and Silverstone.

Norris qualified six tenths behind Piastri in Friday's qualifying and he said: "Everyone was quite worried after yesterday. But I was always confident, so it is nice to get back on top.

"The car has been flying all weekend and Oscar and I have been pushing each other a lot. You can see each other's strengths and weaknesses (on the shared team data) so that makes it a tough battle."

Rain is forecast for Sunday's 44-lap race, and Norris continued: "I prefer it to stay dry. But I don't mind if it is wet, or dry, or somewhere in the middle. I just hope it is an exciting race."

Hamilton, who started 18th and finished 15th in the earlier sprint race earlier, was eliminated in Q1 for Sunday's main event after his best lap was chalked off by the stewards.

It's been a weekend to forget so far for Lewis Hamilton

The seven-time world champion thought he had done enough to haul his Ferrari into the next phase of qualifying when he posted the seventh best time. But moments later, his lap was deleted after he was adjudged to have run all four wheels of his Ferrari off the circuit at Raidillon. That dropped him way down the order.

"Is everything OK?" Hamilton asked on the radio. "Track limits," replied Hamilton's race engineer, Ricardo Adami.

Am I out?" Hamilton replied. "Lap time is deleted, P16," came the response.

There was no response from the 40-year-old who is left to reflect on another sobering result of his difficult start to life at Ferrari.

Hamilton, who spun in qualifying for the sprint, enters Sunday's race without a podium for Ferrari - the deepest he has gone into a season in his career without a top-three finish.

Hamilton's replacement at Mercedes, Kimi Antonelli, also failed to emerge from Q1 and will start 18th, with both Aston Martins on the final row of the grid following a dismal qualifying session for the British team.

Fernando Alonso will line up from 19th, with team-mate Lance Stroll 20th and last.

Ollie Bearman finished an impressive seventh in the sprint, but then qualified 12th as he complained the start of his final lap was compromised by Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda.

- RTÊ

SPA'S QUALIFYING RECORD