F1: Belgian Grand Prix - as it happened
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Updated 30/08/2020 at 16:16 GMT
Join our LIVE lap-by-lap updates from the Belgian Grand Prix. Will Lewis Hamilton triumph at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps?
Pole position qualifier Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates in parc ferme during qualifying for the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Image credit: Getty Images
Chequred flag - Hamilton wins!
Hamilton leads from start to finish and wins the Belgian GP! He extends his championship lead with Bottas finishing second! Verstappen crosses the line in third to make up the podium. Ricciardo finishes P4 which is an excellent result for the Australian and Ocon makes it a very positive afternoon for Renault by claiming fifth.
42/44
It seems Hamilton is managing to manage the vibrations he is feeling as a result of the tyre wear the Mercedes is experiencing. Into the final two laps and the championship leader looks set to extend his lead with another race victory.
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Lewis Hamilton on course for victory
Image credit: Getty Images
40/44 - Tyre problems?
Hamilton's race engineer has just been on the team radio to warn the race leader to avoid the kerbs. Now that is very interesting! That is the first real sign that Mercedes might have got this tyre strategy wrong. They got it wrong at Silverstone. Have they got it wrong again?!
39/44
Late charge! Norris is making his way through the pack. He has pulled away from Stroll and is closing the gap on Albon and Ocon in front of him. The McLaren seems to have superior grip than the Red Bull and the Renault at the moment. He is lapping at the same pace as the leaders!
37/44 - Hamilton lock-up!
Hamilton is running out of grip and that was a contributing factor as the race leader locks up on the final turn of the track. However, Hamilton has such a lead on the rest of the pack that it doesn't cost him too much and he can continue his race without much fuss. That was interesting, though. How much life is left in those tyres?
35/44
Oh, hello Verstappen. Haven't heard from you in a while. The Dutchman has been on the Red Bull team radio to complain that vibrations are getting worse. Is that a sign that the hard compound tyres are wearing down a bit faster than was anticipated? That could be interesting.
33/44
"I have nothing on these tyres left," Vettel says over the Ferrari team radio as he locks up heading into a corner. The TV cameras then show Sainz in the McLaren garage with his head in his hands. Now *that's* a shot! Penny for his thoughts on what is happening at Ferrari.
32/44
Strategy! Hamilton and Bottas look to be in control in P1 and P2, the positions they started in, but Verstappen is still within undercut range. That's the only thing that could shake things up at the head of this race. There's a four-second gap between the front two and three seconds between Bottas and Verstappen.
29/44 - More Ferrari friction!
Leclerc has now twice been on the team radio to complain about a lack of guidance from his team and now Vettel has, in rather forceful fashion, told his race engineer not to think about pitting him.
28/44
Into the pits! Gasly comes into the pits and emerges out on to the track second to last. Has that been a bit of a blunder from Alphatauri in terms of their race strategy? Leclerc is running in dead last position after a pit stop, but he has just set the fastest lap of the race. Hmmm... interesting.
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Lewis Hamilton is leading the Belgian GP
Image credit: Getty Images
27/44 - Rain?
Some dark clouds look to be gathering over Spa. I won't lie, rain is pretty much the only thing that might liven this race up. It's been a bit of a procession so far, at least in terms of the fight for the race victory at the head of the pack. Hamilton is in such control. At least Ricciardo and Gasly are providing some entertainment.
24/44
Verstappen is starting to close the gap on Bottas. The Red Bull is only 1.5 seconds behind the Mercedes, but ahead of the Finn the gap on Hamilton is now nearly three seconds. Surely only a lapse of concentration of a mechanical fault can cost Hamilton this race victory. He has been in such control so far.
22/44 - Mid-point
We're halfway through the race, so it's probably worthwhile recapping the top 10 as it stands... 1) Hamilton 2) Bottas 3) Verstappen 4) Ricciardo 5) Gasly 6) Albon 7) Ocon 8) Stroll 9) Norris 10) Kvyat
19/44
One-stop strategy! "It will be a long stint," comes the message over the Mercedes team radio to Bottas which strongly suggests that this will be a one-stop strategy with the two Silver Arrows already on the Hard Compound tyres. This will likely be it until the end of the race.
17/44 - Ricciardo P5!
The Renault has looked strong all weekend and Ricciardo passes Perez up into P5. He had such a pace advantage on the Racing Point that you could have swore he had DRS, but that was not the case. Renault looking good for a strong finish today with both cars! Ocon is running in eighth at the moment.
16/44 - Hamilton problem?
"Loss of power," a concerned Hamilton says over the Mercedes team radio. It doesn't seem to be a catastrophic power unit issue, but could this open the door for the pack behind the championship leader?
15/44 - We're racing!
The safety car is in! The two Mercedes get away well with Gasly putting real pressure on Verstappen in P3. What a race the Alphatauri is having! Will we see a new strategy from Bottas? The Finn looks to be the only one who can get close to Hamilton this afternoon.
14/44
A lot of drivers have taken the opportunity to pit and change tyres with the safety car out. Might this liven up the race? With the exception of Gasly and Leclerc, this race has been a bit of a procession so far.
12/44 - Safety car
"There's a lot of debris on there," Hamilton says over the Mercedes team radio. Indeed, there is. This might take the marshalls some time to get rid of that off the track. The remaining drivers must be very nervous about picking up shards of carbon fibre as they make their way through it.
11/44 - Giovinazzi and Russell crash!
That is a big collision between Giovinazzi and Russell! They have both ended up in the barrier. We have yellow flags. There is a lot of debris on the track and the drivers are having to slowly make their way through it. That was a big crash. Thankfully both drivers are up out of their cars and are walking away. Their races are over, though.
8/44 - Leclerc in free-fall!
After what was an encouraging start by Leclerc, he has been passed by FOUR cars in the last three laps. He has been passed by Gasly, Perez, Norris and Kvyat and is now running in P12. One place ahead of Vettel in P13. Mamma Mia!
6/44
Will anyone see Hamilton again? The championship leader has a 1.5-second lead over his teammate Bottas and the gap is also opening up between the Finn and Verstappen in P3. Bottas is complaining on the team radio that he isn't being allowed to have a go at Hamilton. "I never heard of that," he says.
4/44
"I'm struggling so much in the straights," Leclerc says on the Ferrari team radio as he falls back to P10, with Gasly and Perez passing him after a good start. Is Gasly on the hard compound tyres? He's putting on quite the show early on here!
3/44
Leclerc making moves! What a start to this race from Leclerc! Yesterday was a day to forget, but the young Ferrari driver has already made up a number of places and is up to P3 after the first few laps. There's still a chance that he can achieve some good points today!
2/44 - Gasly passes Perez!
What a move! Gasly on the inside of Perez and the Alphatauri takes P9. That was like Alonso-Webber but on the other side of the track! That was fantastic from the young Frenchman! Excellent move! Perez wasn't expecting that at all.
1/44 - LIGHTS OUT!
Hamilton and Bottas get away cleanly with Verstappen and Ricciardo scrapping for P3. The Renault had a real look at the Red Bulls, with the Australian all over the back of Verstappen, but the Dutchman keeps his place. Ocon is up into fifth ahead of Albon on the opening lap.
14:10 - Formation lap
We are just moments away from lights out at Spa. Can Verstappen keep up with the straight line speed of the two Silver Arrows at the head of the pack? The Red Bull has been keeping Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas honest in recent weeks. He's seemingly the only one currently capable of doing that with the two Ferraris nowhere to be seen this season!
14:05 - RIP Hubert
Of course, last year's Belgian GP saw Anthoine Hubert die in a Formula 2 crash and a minute's silence was held a few moments ago in memory of the young Frenchman. Pierre Gasly is wearing a commemorative helmet in tribute to his late friend.
14:00 - Spa day!
Good afternoon and welcome to Eurosport's LIVE coverage of the Belgian GP from Spa! The two Mercedes are on the front row with Max Verstappen in P3.
Some early news is that Carlos Sainz has been forced out of the race before it has even started due to an exhaust problem with his McLaren. Daniel Ricciardo will be one to watch in P4 with Alex Albon in P5. The young driver will be looking to make a challenge for a podium finish. This should be a good race at one of the best circuits in F1!
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