If the qualifying session at
Spa-Francorchamps is any preview of the rest of the race weekend in Belgium, it's certain that the all-important race will be a nail-biting one. Before it begins, here's a round-up of the biggest news on and around the grid today, with polesitter
Max Verstappen in the lead.
Verstappen takes pole position
Continuing from his strong showing during this morning's FP3,
fastest man on track Max Verstappen also managed to convince during qualifying today. He was the only driver on the track to be faster than
George Russell.
Russell convinces in the Williams
In the final and hectic qualifying session at Spa, Williams driver
George Russell looked like he was about to take pole position. He managed to beat not only
Valtteri Bottas but also
Lewis Hamilton in the rain and has hereby
resolutely showed his skill towards Toto Wolff and Mercedes.
Norris is allowed to participate
After
Lando Norris' violent crash, which caused a red flag early in Q3, updates from the
McLaren camp were sparse throughout the day. The driver has already given his first reaction via Instagram, and he is officially
declared fit enough to participate in the Grand Prix tomorrow. He will start from Fourteenth place, This is because of a gearbox change.
Formula One calendar has one less race
There was also a big logistical issue today. Amidst the jam-packed 2021 calendar and the large number of races that are in doubt due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the organising body of
Formula 1 decided to reduce the number of races in 2021 to
22 instead of 23.