Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz will take pole position in tomorrow’s Belgian Grand Prix with Redbull’s Max Verstappen incurring an engine penalty.
SPA, BELGIUM – AUGUST 27: Pole position qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing (C), Second placed qualifier Carlos Sainz of Spain and Ferrari (L) and Third placed qualifier Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing (R) pose for a photo in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on August 27, 2022 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Championship leader Verstappen was first in today’s qualifying session but will start 15th after taking an engine penalty. This elevates Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz to pole position in tomorrow’s race.
Verstappen is not alone in taking an engine penalty, with championship rival Charles Leclerc also taking new engine parts as well as Esteban Ocon, Lando Norris, Zhou Guanyu, Mick Schumacher, and Valtteri Bottas. However, Bottas has been able to use a loophole that means that he has a 20-place penalty in place of a ‘back of grid’ penalty that the other drivers have incurred. This means that he will start ahead of these drivers and so will start 14th tomorrow.
The influx of engine penalties has led to a mixed-up grid with four teams locking out the first two rows. Redbull’s Sergio Perez joins Sainz on the front row of the grid whilst Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton make up the second row.
In addition, Williams driver Alex Albon is starting 6th in his best starting position for the British team. Albon also made his first Q3 appearance this season, meaning that every driver has gotten into the final stage of qualifying in 2022.
The combination of a mixed-up grid and the overtaking opportunities Spa Francorchamps provides will no doubt make this year’s Belgian Grand Prix an exciting race to watch.
Will it be a second win of the season for Sainz? Or will we see Verstappen and Leclerc fight it out for the victory? Or even the return of Mercedes to the top step of the podium? Tune into the Belgian Grand Prix tomorrow at 2pm BST to find out!
Both McLaren and Daniel Ricciardo have announced today that they have ‘mutually agreed’ to part ways at the end of the 2022 season. This means that Ricciardo’s contract will be ended a year early, with the Austrailian initially signing a contract with the Woking-based team for 3 years from 2021.
The announcement comes after a challenging 2 years for the 8-time race winner at the team, with Ricciardo find it difficult to adapt his driving to their car philosphy. Whilst he gave McLaren their first win in 9 years in Monza last year, teammate Lando Norris has consistently been ahead of him in terms of pace and points in the championship.
In a video released by Ricciardo today, he stated that both parties made a lot of effort into making the partnership work but the ‘team decided to make a change for next year’. This fuels the rumours that McLaren have made the decision to change their lineup to include fellow countryman and reigning Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri.
Ricciardo has also stated that he is not currently sure of his future within the sport but indicated that he is keen to continue racing in Formula 1. However, despite his time at McLaren, Ricciardo has proven himself to be one of the best drivers on the grid and ESPN reports that 4 teams have been in contact with him over the summer break. And so it seems that 2022 will not be the last we see of the honey badger on the Formula 1 grid.
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