F1 LIVE | Belgian Grand Prix: Verstappen from pole, George Russell starts from P2
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- GPblog.com
The Belgian Grand Prix promises to be an exciting race again. During a wet qualifying yesterday Max Verstappen managed to get pole position and George Russell surprised everyone by qualifying his Williams in second place. Will Red Bull Racing have to defend their first place in wet conditions today or will it stay dry? Follow all the action here in our liveblog!
Verstappen on pole in Spa
It is the first pole position for Verstappen at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, and also the first pole for the Red Bull team since Spa in 2011. A very special moment. Lewis Hamilton is on the second row of the grid, alongside Daniel Ricciardo. Can the Briton come back from third and threaten Verstappen or will wet weather be a problem?
Russell and Williams surprised everyone with a sublime lap in Q3. The British driver, who is after Valtteri Bottas' seat in the Mercedes for next season, starts from second-place for the second time in his career. It's the first time Williams start a race in their most common grid spot since Lance Stroll did so in Italy 2017. Stroll finished qualifying in fourth, but benefited from grid penalties.
After the crash in the last Grand Prix in Hungary, Bottas gets a five-place grid penalty and will therefore start the event from 13th place. Stroll also picks up a penalty and starts from the back of the grid in his Aston Martin.
Hard hit for Norris
During Q2, Lando Norris experienced a hard crash going into Raidillon. Fortunately, the McLaren driver was unharmed and can start today's race, but will take a five-place grid penalty due to a gearbox change. Teammate Daniel Ricciardo, on the other hand, experienced his best qualifying so far for McLaren.
Ferrari also has a lot of ground to make up. In short, it promises to be an exciting race. Follow all the action below in our liveblog!