F1 Belgian GP Live Commentary and Updates – Race
Minute-by-minute updates for the 2024 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc starts on pole after inheriting top spot from Max Verstappen who topped qualifying but serves a 10-place grid penalty for an engine change.
The sister Red Bull of Sergio Perez joins Leclerc on the front row, with Lewis Hamilton in third for Mercedes and Lando Norris in fourth for McLaren.
The Belgian GP starts at 2pm BST and is the final race before the F1 summer break.
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Summary
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Ocon has made hay with his newer tyres, taking Gasly into La Source and then using DRS to blast through on Hulkenberg on the Kemmel Straight into 13th. Next in his sights is Alonso.
Verstappen continues to stare at Russell's gearbox as the Mercedes remains stuck behind Perez. Who will break that stalemate?
Replays show Sainz going off track into Stavelot which causes a brief yellow flag. He gets away with it but loses three seconds in the process.
Tsunoda does now pit, leaving Magnussen as the last of the drivers out of position yet to come in.
Next lap around Norris pits, takes on his fresh hards, and comes out behind Verstappen in eighth.
Albon blasts into tenth by passing Tsunoda on the Kemmel Straight. Stroll meanwhile is adrift of Bottas, currently in 18th, and has let rip on the radio about his lack of straightline speed.
Albon and Ricciardo were among those who stopped earliest, and that has helped them move up the mid-pack order. Alonso and Ocon have lost ground by waiting - but all are likely to swoop ahead of Magnussen and Tsunoda when they belatedly make their stops.
Norris is told "100% pace" which means use all of the juice from these tyres and be ready to pit. He continues for another lap and remains second - but he is only 7.3s ahead of Hamilton who has already pitted.
Verstappen has chopped past the yet-to-stop Tsunoda and Magnussen in short order at the Bus Stop and into the Rivage hairpin. That puts him back into eighth, where he was before the stops, as things stand.
So, Norris has gone long on the mediums that he started on, while Sainz, who started on hards, is in the lead for now.
Piastri is speedy on the hard tyres as he gets by Perez with the aid of DRS on the Kemmel straight. He's effectively gained two places in short order and is a net third.
Ocon and Stroll, who had Hamilton and Perez respectively on their gearboxes, now pit and take on hard tyres.
"If we are getting undercut let's go long," Leclerc says, but Ferrari has clearly overruled him as he comes in at the end of lap 12. The Ferrari driver takes on fresh hards and comes out behind Hamilton but ahead of Perez.
Hamilton pits from the lead a lap later - and is followed in by Perez and Piastri. They also all switch to the fresh hards. At pit exit Russell gets the undercut done by getting ahead of Piastri! But not for long as the Australian fights back using DRS to regain the place against Russell.
Russell demonstrates the benefits of fresh tyres with a bold move on Magnussen down the inside at Blanchimont. We've seen moves go wrong there before.
Russell encounters little difficulty in passing Tsunoda using DRS into Les Combes. How long will it take Verstappen to do likewise? The Mercedes man didn't really lose any time as a result of emerging just behind the RB, who started last.
Russell and Verstappen pit at the end of lap 10. Both ditch their mediums for fresh hards and come out in 13th and 14th respectively.
Norris trims the gravel coming out Les Combes and that forces Verstappen to take avoiding action to duck out of a face full of gravel.
Gasly is the next driver to ditch their starting mediums from the mid-pack. He moves onto the hard tyres. Ricciardo and Hulkenberg undercut ahead of him.
Piastri opts for "Plan A" when quizzed by McLaren. Who will blink first and pit from the leaders?
Albon, Ricciardo and Sargeant now do come in, looking to cover off Hulkenberg. Each of that trio takes a set of mediums.
Leclerc has responded to Hamilton's pace increase, trimming a tenth of a second out of the lead, as the gaps between the frontrunners continues to stretch out fractionally.
That is an interesting development because Ricciardo, who started on the softs, has still yet to come in. Haas clearly going aggressive on the undercut seeking to push Hulkenberg up the order. Will anybody respond to it?
Zhou is now listed as a retirement. Meanwhile, Hulkenberg has become the first driver to pull the pin and pit for a set of hard tyres.
Alonso is beginning to lose touch with Verstappen ahead. The Aston Martin in ninth has dropped 3s behind the Red Bull, but is keeping a train of cars comprising Albon, Ocon, Gasly and Bottas behind.
Despite his cockpit worry, Hamilton is the fastest driver on track as his lead grows to 1.8s over Leclerc at the end of lap seven.
Zhou has now come into the pits, as it appears his dramas in that Sauber were not magically fixed. A forgettable weekend all told, after he was penalised for impeding Verstappen in Q1 yesterday.
"Something is moving down by my legs," Hamilton reports on team radio. That's probably not good.
Hamilton has moved out of DRS range from Leclerc, who in turn has done the same to Perez. The Mexican leads a very tight group with Verstappen at its tail.
Norris wants to get a wiggle on if he is to keep Verstappen behind him. Ahead in sixth place is Sainz, who can afford to bide his time as the Ferrari driver is on the hard tyres.
Five laps in the book and Hamilton leads by 1s from Leclerc, while Perez is still fending off Piastri. Russell remains fifth ahead of Sainz, Norris and Verstappen.
Zhou lost over a minute on his last lap, but has now picked up the pace again and elects not to come into the pits.
Perez is complaining of a battery issue as he comes under threat from Piastri for third. Ahead, Hamilton completes the third lap and sets the fastest lap of 1m49.109s - that Merc is flying along.
Problems for Zhou, he's crawling down towards Pouhon and reports he's losing power.
Taking the soft tyres hasn't worked for Ricciardo. He's lost a spot instead of moving forwards and currently sits 14th.
On lap three, Hamilton uses DRS to charge into the lead ahead of Leclerc on the Kemmel straight.
Verstappen gains another spot on lap two, motoring past Alonso on the Kemmel Straight. Next in his sights is Norris in seventh.
DRS is enabled, Hamilton uses it to reel in Leclerc at the front. He cannot get close enough on the straight so holds the line in second through the twisty bits on the second lap.
Two places gained immediately for Verstappen, who is up to ninth ahead of Albon and Ocon. A neat move on the Williams driver into the Bus Stop at the end of lap one for the Red Bull man who started 11th.
On the run down the Kemmel straight Leclerc is able to avoid being slipstreamed as Hamilton fends off Perez. So Leclerc leads from Hamilton, Perez and then comes Piastri. Norris has dropped to seventh behind Russell and Sainz.
By: Autosport Staff
