1 day ago
Key events
It looks arsenic though Hamilton will beryllium capable to return portion successful qualifying OK, pinch half an hr to nan off. Ferrari person been difficult astatine work.
In summation to Norris, Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and nan 2 Aston Martin drivers, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, each look grid penalties for taking caller powerfulness portion items. Given Aston Martin’s struggles, only Hadjar’s nonaccomplishment has immoderate awesome significance; he is sent to nan backmost of nan field, for taking 3 elements. However, truthful is Alonso. If my calculations are correct, we will decorativeness pinch Stroll 20th, Hadjar 21st and Alonso 22nd.
Preamble
In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to nan Galaxy, nan astir unspeakably violative connection successful astir of nan cosmos is coincidentally besides nan sanction of a mini state connected Earth. Will anyone beryllium taking Belgium’s sanction successful vain aft this weekend’s expansive prix?
Well, aft this morning’s last believe session, possibly Lewis Hamilton.
For Hamilton, 2025 was 1 agelong bleep. But moreover if he has dropped backmost from 2nd aft Monaco and Barcelona – his first Ferrari triumph – to 3rd successful nan standings, he is only 7 points worse disconnected than Russell and gained substantially connected Antonelli. However, arsenic PA reports:
double quotation markLewis Hamilton will look a title against clip to return portion successful qualifying for tomorrow’s Belgian Grand Prix aft he collapsed retired of last practice.
In nan last seconds connected nan concluding convention astatine Spa-Francorchamps, Hamilton mislaid power of his Ferrari connected nan exit of Fagnes, racing done nan gravel pinch nan rear of his car thudding into nan barrier.
“I person destroyed nan car, mate,” said Hamilton arsenic he came to an abrupt extremity successful nan mediate of nan track.
Hamilton, unharmed successful nan accident, sewage retired of his car to inspect nan important harm to nan backmost correct of his Ferrari – pinch his back-right instrumentality facing nan incorrect way.
Earlier successful nan season, it was a Mercedes driver and Max Verstappen who were getting regularly bleeped complete their radios. More recently, it’s been a Mercedes driver and Max Verstappen who person been getting bleeped connected their radios, nan alteration being that nan erstwhile is now Kimi Antonelli alternatively than George Russell. Two finishes extracurricular nan points successful nan past 3 races aft 5 consecutive wins person trim nan 19-year-old’s title lead to 25, from a precocious of 66. His car’s manoeuvrability nonaccomplishment astatine Silverstone erstwhile closing connected nan lead tested his youthful vocabulary.
Life seemed to beryllium improving for Verstappen pinch his 2nd spot successful Austria, against a inheritance of speculation complete his Red Bull future. But nan Dutchman crashing retired astatine Silverstone had nan bleep constabulary retired successful force.
Even Charles Leclerc, aft nan scary of retiring astatine his location expansive prix successful Monaco and past 15th successful Barcelona arsenic Hamilton was coming first and second, was swearing, albeit suavely, but won for Ferrari astatine Silverstone.
Lando Norris, meanwhile, had his bluish moments successful China, on pinch Oscar Piastri because of McLaren’s double “did not start” pinch a powerfulness portion failure, followed by different problem successful Japan. However Norris does successful qualifying, he will commencement a further 10 places back, arsenic nan squad person opted to return a new, improved Mercedes powerfulness portion now. McLaren explained: “We person chosen to do this successful [expletive deleted], a circuit wherever overtaking is comparatively much prevalent, arsenic opposed to nan pursuing 2 events successful Hungary and Zandvoort.”
According to Douglas Adams, nan conception Belgium embodies “is truthful revolting that nan publication aliases broadcast of nan connection is utterly forbidden successful each parts of nan Galaxy isolated from one, wherever they don’t cognize what it means”. Join maine from 2.30pm for nan buildup to qualifying, past from 3pm to spot who, if anyone, will coming beryllium joining Zaphod Beeblebrox successful exclaiming: “Holy Belgium, man!”
