Lewis Hamilton called the 2024 F1 Belgian GP a “weekend to forget” after a poor qualifying performance left him starting from 18th position. Through strategic tire choices and careful driving in wet and dry conditions, Hamilton climbed the order to finish seventh, behind Williams’ Alex Albon, marking his first race with Ferrari without reaching the podium, though he has maintained top-10 finishes in all his Ferrari starts so far.
Despite the disappointing outcome, Hamilton acknowledged the hard work of his team and remained optimistic about future races. Discussing the car’s performance and upcoming events, he said,
“Not the result that I want this weekend, and definitely a weekend to forget, but positives to take from the car,”
and added,
“I think everyone in the team worked so hard. We obviously had these upgrades. Everyone back in the factory worked so hard. And then when you come and put a performance like I had in these past two days, it’s tough because that’s not what the team deserves.”
Hamilton also praised teammate Charles for securing another podium, expressing confidence that ongoing improvements would lead to better results as the season progresses.
“Clearly the car is improving because Charles was able to hold on to another podium I definitely feel confident going forward through here. As I said, having learned more about the car today, fine-tuned it, I’ll set that up, go to it for next week. We have the factory on Wednesday. So, yeah, I don’t see why we wouldn’t have better results going forward.”
Hulkenberg Falls Back After British GP Podium
Nico Hulkenberg’s promising form from the previous British Grand Prix faded as he returned to a more familiar mid-field position in Belgium. Starting with a strategic early pit stop for slick tires, Hulkenberg moved up to ninth but yielded the position to Sauber teammate Gabriel Bortoleto after playing the team’s race strategy.
As tires deteriorated and under pressure from Pierre Gasly, Hulkenberg made a late tire change aiming to recapture tenth place but ultimately finished 12th. Despite this, Bortoleto’s ninth-place finish extended Sauber’s consecutive points streak to five races.
Aston Martin Faces One of Its Toughest Weekends
Aston Martin struggled to find pace at Spa-Francorchamps, marking one of its worst weekends of the 2024 campaign. Both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll qualified at the back of the grid following a disappointing Sprint, with race strategy choices leaving the team vulnerable, as their wet setup did not pay off.
Alonso experimented with a new front wing during practice but ultimately remained frustrated, admitting in the team’s post-race release that
“it hasn’t delivered the improvements we were hoping for.”
This poor showing ended a points-scoring streak that Alonso had maintained over the previous four races, leaving the two-time world champion eager for progress as the season advances.
All Cars Classified in Historic Finish at Belgian GP
The 2024 Belgian Grand Prix became only the 25th time in F1 history where every starter was classified, with all 20 cars completing the race despite difficult wet conditions during the opening stint. Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar brought up the rear of the field, showing the durability and reliability that modern F1 cars now regularly demonstrate.
This feat is especially notable since between 1950 and 2005 it happened only once, at the 1961 Dutch GP. In recent years, improved engineering has contributed to greater finish rates, with nine of these 25 occurrences taking place since the 2023 season began.
Roman Staněk Clinches F2 Victory Following Penalties
The Formula 2 Feature Race at Spa saw a dramatic conclusion as the initial top two finishers were penalized, reshuffling the podium and keeping the championship battle wide open. McLaren junior Alex Dunne dominated much of the race under wet conditions but received a time penalty for a starting procedure violation, dropping him down to ninth place.
Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad was briefly elevated to first but was later excluded for not meeting tire pressure regulations, promoting Roman Staněk from third on the road to the race winner. He was followed by occasional Haas tester Ritomo Miyata and Williams prospect Luke Browning.
The F2 title race remains tightly contested, with just 12 points separating the top five drivers. Leonardo Fornaroli now leads the standings, holding a three-point advantage over Richard Verschoor, who failed to score at Spa. Meanwhile, American driver Jak Crawford had a challenging weekend without points but stays competitive in third place, nine points behind the leader.
In Formula 3, torrential rain forced the cancellation of the race, despite American Brad Benavides securing a surprise pole position. Ferrari junior Rafael Camara maintains a 28-point lead over Red Bull protégé Nikola Tsolov, with only two rounds left in Hungary and Italy.
Tributes Paid to Late Anthoine Hubert and Dilano van ‘t Hoff
On Thursday evening, the Formula 1, 2, and 3 paddocks came together at Spa-Francorchamps to honor the memory of Anthoine Hubert. The late driver, part of the Renault young driver program and reigning GP3 champion, tragically lost his life in a multi-car crash at the start of a Formula 2 race in 2019.
Organized by Hubert’s friend Pierre Gasly, the paddock gathered on the pit straight wearing ‘Racing For Anthoine’ shirts, with some participants completing a group run around the track. Gasly delivered a brief speech and laid flowers at the site of the accident, also paying tribute to Dilano van ‘t Hoff, who died in a Formula Regional race at Spa in 2023.
Throughout the weekend, Gasly wore Hubert’s Renault cap instead of his usual Alpine team headgear, underscoring the heartfelt remembrance shared by the racing community.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Is number 13 banned in F1?
A. Yes, using the number 13 is permitted. Pastor Maldonado chose #13 when the permanent number system was introduced in 2014. While some cultures view 13 as unlucky, Formula 1 let drivers decide their numbers.
Q. Which F1 driver has ADHD?
A. Lewis Hamilton’s experiences with ADHD and dyslexia have influenced his life and career in racing. His journey changes the idea of success in Formula 1 and highlights the importance of acknowledging learning differences.
Q. Is 69 allowed in F1?
A. F1 drivers can pick a personal number to use during their entire racing career, selecting from numbers 2 to 99, except for 17.