In Pictures: Belgium 2024
The last Grand Prix before the summer break takes place at Spa-Francorchamps, one of the most iconic race tracks in the world, which has witnessed some of the greatest moments in the history of the sport. This 7-kilometer circuit runs through the Ardennes forests, featuring climbs and descents that make the location even more magical, while challenging drivers at every turn. Names like Eau Rouge, Raidillon, La Source, Kemmel, Stavelot, and Malmedy have made the Belgian Grand Prix famous worldwide.
Racing has been a tradition in the Ardennes for over a century, starting with a motorcycle event in 1921. The first Belgian Grand Prix was held in 1922 on a road circuit connecting the towns of Spa-Francorchamps, Malmedy, and Stavelot. For 2024, the track has been revamped with significant resurfacing, a crucial factor for teams to consider as they prepare for the race.
But how can one discuss a race weekend at Spa-Francorchamps without taking the weather into consideration? This track is renowned for its unpredictable conditions, making weather a crucial factor in both F1 and motorsport in general. The weather can change drastically from day to day, and grip levels can vary significantly across different parts of the track at the same time. Furthermore, because of the length of the lap, even the smallest misjudgment of when to switch between dry and wet tires can have severe consequences, particularly in the race and even more so during qualifying.
This weekend marks the 68th edition of the Belgian Grand Prix as part of the Formula 1 World Championship. Out of these, 56 have been held at Spa-Francorchamps, 10 at Zolder, and 2 at Nivelles.
The most successful driver in this event is Michael Schumacher, with six wins. He made his debut at Spa in 1991 and secured his maiden F1 win, the first of 91, at this same track the following year. Next up at Spa is Ayrton Senna with five wins, followed by Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen, and Jim Clark, each with four. Ferrari holds the record for the most wins in Belgium, with 18 victories, 14 of which have been at Spa-Francorchamps.
FRIDAY
The first day of action at the circuit was dominated by various shades of orange. Max Verstappen was quickest in the first session with a time of 1:43.372, much to the delight of the orange army that follows him. However, in the second session, the dominant color shifted to papaya orange with McLaren. Verstappen initially topped the FP2 timesheet with a time of 1:42.477 after his first run on softs, but then he was edged out by Oscar Piastri, who was two thousandths of a second quicker, and more decisively by Lando Norris, who set a time of 1:42.260. Norris's time was not only faster than the 2022 pole time, a 1:43.655 set by Verstappen, but also well below the predicted time of 1:42.800. That 2023 event was also run in the Sprint Format, so both qualifying sessions are not comparable to today's times as the track was wet.
Both Friday sessions were held under relatively stable weather conditions, with cloudy skies and track temperatures ranging from just over 37°C in FP1 to a low of 30°C in FP2. Twelve of the twenty drivers have already used one of their two sets of Hard tires available for the weekend, while only Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, and Alpine drivers have preserved both sets.
There were also a few penalties for using additional components: Verstappen received a 10-place grid penalty, and Yuki Tsunoda faced a staggering 60-place grid penalty. Yes, you read that right—60 places!
SATURDAY
The third free practice session was affected by rain that began about twenty minutes before the session started. A red flag came out only ten minutes later following a crash by Stroll, effectively ending the session. Up to that point, nearly all drivers had used intermediate tires, with only the two Sauber drivers opting for Extreme Wet tires for their initial laps. The Race Director then reopened the track with two minutes left, allowing drivers to complete their practice starts.
Qualifying took place entirely on a wet track, with rain falling intermittently and not uniformly across the circuit. Driver skill made a difference in very low grip conditions, as well as in managing their tires. Each driver had four new sets of tires available, but Verstappen was the only driver in Q3 to use a new set for all four runs, while others had to use at least one used set.
History repeats itself. Max Verstappen was quickest in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix with a 1:42.159 in Q3. However, it's again a Ferrari driver that will start from pole position. The same situation occurred two years ago when Verstappen was quickest in Q3 but ultimately lost pole to a Ferrari driver—Sainz in 2022 and Leclerc in 2023—but had to give up those poles due to exceeding the allowed number of power units and gearboxes, respectively. This year, Verstappen’s time was nearly six-tenths quicker than Leclerc’s 1:42.754, but the Dutchman will start ten places back due to a grid penalty for using his fifth internal combustion engine of the season, exceeding the regulations.
But the comparisons don't end there. Not only is a Ferrari driver on pole for a third consecutive year, but also Sergio Perez starts in second place and Lewis Hamilton in third, just as they were in 2023. In 2022, Hamilton was fourth.
This is Leclerc’s 25th pole position, his third at Spa-Francorchamps (following 2019 and last year), and Ferrari’s 251st overall pole, with this being their 17th at this Grand Prix.
SUNDAY
This race was incredible from start to finish, including the closest three-way race to the line since 2016, with only 1.173 seconds separating the top three; However, the final result wasn't settled until after the checkered flag. On track, it was a Mercedes one-two, George Russell leading lewis Hamilton, with McLaren's Oscar Piastri in third. But post-race scrutineering found that Russell's car was underweight according to technical regulations, resulting in his disqualification. As a result, Hamilton was awarded the win, with Piastri promoted to second place and Charles Leclerc taking third.
This marks Hamilton's 105th win from 346 Grand Prix starts. It's also Mercedes’ 128th win, their third of the season, and their seventh at the Belgian Grand Prix. Hamilton is now tied with Ayrton Senna for the second-most wins at Spa-Francorchamps, each having five. The record for the most wins at this track is held by Michael Schumacher, with six wins.
Excerpts of this article provided by Pirelli S.p.A.
