Formula 1 will return from its summer break this weekend for the Belgian Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen leading the Championship by 80 points.
Charles Leclerc will be leading the charge against the Dutchman in the final nine races, which will take place over 12 weeks.
Race preview
© Reuters
The last time that Formula 1 went racing was in Hungary at the end of July, where Verstappen made his way through the field from 10th place on the grid to clinch his eighth win of the season.
While Verstappen stood on the top step, Mercedes celebrated a double podium after Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished in second and third place respectively.
Hamilton has the chance to finish in the top three for the fifth consecutive race, while Russell can achieve a third straight podium finish this weekend.
Meanwhile, Verstappen's Championship rival Leclerc needs a positive run of results to close the gap to the Dutchman after finishing in the podium places on only one occasion in the last eight races.
Leclerc's teammate Carlos Sainz will also be looking to experience a successful weekend, with the Spaniard currently sat in fifth place in the Championship standings.
© Reuters
While Ferrari hope that they return from the summer break with their reliability issues behind them, Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo head to Belgium, knowing they will not be racing for their current teams next year.
Alonso has decided to leave Alpine to replace Sebastien Vettel at Aston Martin after the German driver previously announced he will be retiring from Formula 1 at the end of the season.
As for Ricciardo, he will leave McLaren at the end of the year after the team confirmed the termination of the Australian's contract for 2023.
Meanwhile, Ricciardo's teammate Lando Norris will attempt to continue his run of promising results this weekend after finishing in the top seven in the last four races.
Track Guide
© Reuters
The Belgian Grand Prix will take place at the 7.004km Spa-Francorchamps circuit, which has undergone changes since last year.
A number of gravel traps have been added to the circuit, certain areas of the track have been resurfaced, while new barriers and debris fencing have also been installed.
The track still features a number of long straights and high-speed corners, which tests the skill of the drivers and the setup of the cars.
On Sunday, they will be two DRS zones, with the first one from turn four up to five, while the second zone is on the pit straight.
© Reuters
The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix was the shortest Formula 1 World Championship race in history after torrential rain only allowed the drivers to complete two laps behind the safety car.
Although only two laps were completed last year, Verstappen was classified as the winner, and the Dutchman is one of five drivers on the grid who have previously won the Belgian Grand Prix.
Hamilton has won the event on four occasions, Vettel has stood on the top step at Spa three times in his career, while Ricciardo and Leclerc have one win to their name in Belgium.
Meanwhile, AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly is set to start his 100th Formula 1 Grand Prix this weekend.
Qualifying Results
© Reuters
1. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
3. Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
5. George Russell (Mercedes)
6. Alexander Albon (Williams)
7. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
8. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)
9. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
10. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)
11. Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
12. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
13. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
14. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
15. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
16. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
17. Lando Norris (McLaren)
18. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
19. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
20. Mick Schumacher (Haas)
Although Verstappen topped the timesheets on Saturday, he will start from 15th place due to a grid penalty for using too many engine parts, presenting Sainz with the chance to start from pole position.
Leclerc and Ocon qualified fourth and fifth respectively, but like Verstappen, Norris, Bottas, Zhou and Schumacher they also have penalties.
Starting behind Sainz will be Perez, while Alonso will line up in third spot alongside Hamilton who moves up to fourth position.
Albon impressed to qualify ninth and after penalties are applied, the Williams driver will start the Grand Prix from sixth place.
Driver Standings
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 258
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 178
3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) - 173
4. George Russell (Mercedes) - 158
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - 156
6. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - 146
7. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 76
8. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) - 58
9. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) - 46
10. Fernando Alonso (Alpine) - 41
11. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) - 22
12. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) - 19
13. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) - 16
14. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) - 16
15. Mick Schumacher (Haas) - 12
16. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) - 11
17. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) - 5
18. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) - 4
19. Alexander Albon (Williams) - 3
20. Nicholas Latifi (Williams) - 0
21. Nico Hulkenberg (Aston Martin) - 0
Constructor Standings
1. Red Bull - 431
2. Ferrari - 334
3. Mercedes - 304
4. McLaren - 99
5. Alpine - 95
6. Alfa Romeo - 51
7. Haas - 34
8. AlphaTauri - 27
9. Aston Martin - 20
10. Williams - 3
We say: Lewis Hamilton to win
With Verstappen and Leclerc set to start towards the back of the grid after being penalised for using too many engine parts, Sunday's race could be a chance for one of the Mercedes to claim their first victory of the season, and we think that Hamilton could be the man to stand on the top step on Sunday.
