#Formula1 @Rolex #BelgianGP 2022 Preview. #F1 #BelgianGrandPrix

2022 Belgian GP Preview – After Max Verstappen recovered from tenth to win the Hungarian GP and extend his championship points lead over rival Charles Leclerc, round 14 of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship returns to the historic and classic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps this weekend after the sport’s traditional summer break for the Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix 2022. This will be the 78^th Belgian Grand Prix and the 65^th time that the race will be held at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Like in 2021, this will be the first of a back-to-back-to-back set of Grands Prix in the 2022 calendar with the Dutch and Italian races to follow.

 

 

2022 Belgian GP Preview – A look at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

 

 

Built in 1921 and located in the Ardennes countryside in Stavelot Belgium, the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is a favourite amongst the drivers, teams and fans. The longest lap on the calendar will test the 1.6L turbocharged V6 hybrid power-trains to their limits through the high-speed sectors one and three but also aerodynamics through the twisty sector two.

 

Spa is one of the season’s fastest tracks and it features every kind of challenge with average speeds of 230kph. The throttle is wide open for approximately 23 seconds from the stretch of the exit of La Source to Les Combes. From the run down through Eau Rouge, up the steep incline towards the blind Radillon corner, to the flat-out Kemmel Straight, through Les Combes and the technically difficult stretch down through Rivage, Pouhon and Fagnes and on to the ultimately fast Blanchimont left-hander and despite many alterations over the years due to safety reasons, Spa remains an ultimate test for both man and machine.

 

Getting the car setup is crucial, with success being the right balance between low downforce for the high-speed first and third sectors and good grip for the twisty second sector.

The weather can also play a defining role. Ardennes defines the phrase ‘four seasons in one day’ and while one end of the circuit can be full of sunshine, the other can be drenched with rain. The unpredictable conditions can be a real headache for teams especially regarding tyre choice.

 

The current Grand Prix circuit layout is 7.004km (4.352 miles) in length and runs in a clockwise direction.

 

Race distance is 305.052km (191.415 miles) in length with 44 laps in total and 19 corners.

 

Valtteri Bottas holds the fastest lap record with a 1:46.286 set at the 2018 event in his Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport F1 W09 EQ Power+ racer.

 

Michael Schumacher holds the record for most Belgian Grand Prix victories with six.

 

Scuderia Ferrari is the most successful constructor at the Belgian Grand Prix with 18 victories.

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2022 Belgian GP Preview – Onboard Pole Position Lap of the Circuit De Spa-Francorchamps

 

 

Here is the onboard pole position lap of the Circuit De Spa-Francorchamps from last year’s event, set by Max Verstappen in his Red Bull Racing-Honda RB16B racer. The Dutchman posted a 1:59.765. You can watch the footage right here at the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLD1ZmrW7Oo

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2022 Belgian GP Preview – The Last Five Winners

 

 

2021: Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing. 2020: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1. 2019: Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari. 2018: Sebastian Vettel, Scuderia Ferrari. 2017: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1.

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2022 Belgian GP Preview – Tyres

 

 

Pirelli will be bringing with them to the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, the white-branded C2 Hard compounds, the yellow-marked C3 Mediums and the red side-walled C4 Soft rubber along with the green-marked Intermediates and blue-banded Full Wet compounds in-case of rain.

 

All drivers will have eight sets of the C4 red side-walled Softs, three sets of the yellow C3 Mediums and two sets of the white C3 Hard rubber.

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2022 Belgian GP Preview – DRS Zones

 

The detection point for the first zone is 240 metres before turn two with the activation point 310 metres after turn four. The second detection point is 160 metres before turn 18 with the activation point 30 metres after turn 19.

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2022 Belgian GP Preview – Pitlane Speed Limits

 

Pitlane speed limits will be 80km/h during practice, qualifying and the race.

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ICYMI: Verstappen recovers from tenth to clinch Hungarian GP victory

 

 

Verstappen Hungarian GP victory – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen recovered from tenth to claim his 28^th career-victory at the Hungarian GP as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and George Russell completed the top three whilst Ferrari threw away a win with further questionable strategy calls.

 

The reigning world champion overcame his loss of power in qualifying and a spin thanks to solid tyre management to complete his rise from 10^th to victory to extend his Driver’s Championship lead to 80 points.

 

Hamilton lead the Silver Arrows home to a two-three finish over pole-sitter Russell, who lead for 30 tours, as front-row starting Ferrari of Carlos Sainz slipped to fifth over Red Bull’s recovering Sergio Perez.

 

Meanwhile, early leader Charles Leclerc was the only front-runner to make three pit-stops and be passed twice by Verstappen and fell to sixth place.

 

Russell was put on a set of scrub C4 red side-walled softer compounds to launch on a dry Hungaroring, the spots of rain were falling in the build-up to the Grand Prix failing to develop into a full-on rain band.

 

When the 70-lap Hungarian Grand Prix began, thanks to the grippier rubber, pole-sitter Russell launched solidly to pull across and eventually cover the medium tyre-fitted F1-75 threat into the opening corner and held P1.

 

Sainz tried to force his way around the outside on the right-hander before the F1 W13 racer cut back at the apex, with the Prancing Horse keeping in formation as Leclerc slid into third.

 

Hamilton got a great getaway to fly by both Alpine F1 Team A522 entries for fifth behind soft-starting McLaren of Lando Norris, as Verstappen pushed his RB18 racer around the outside of Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo to quickly take eighth place after his loss of power late in Q3.

 

Russell crossed the line at the end of lap one with a 1.6 second gap over Sainz.

 

After a fast virtual safety car deployment for Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel being nipped with Williams Racing’s Alexander Albon, Russell gained another second over the chasing Ferrari next time round with Leclerc 1.5 seconds further adrift.

 

It took until the 14^th tour for the red-marked softer tyres to show signs of degradation for the F1 W13 racer as Sainz cut a 0.6 second gap out of Russell, the leading Ferrari showing enough pace to stop the pit-wall from swapping the order with Leclerc putting pressure on his team-mate.

 

With both F1-75 entries nose-to-tail, it looked as though they’d be split when Sainz was told to pit at the end of the 16^th lap but remained out as Russell went in for his initial pit-stop.

 

The Mercedes driver slowly switched to the C4 yellow-branded mediums after a right-front tyre delay to come out side-by-side with the Alpine of Fernando Alonso, cutting back through turn two and three to grab sixth.

 

A lap later Leclerc reacted, Sainz brought in to release Leclerc, but the Spaniard too was delayed with a 3.7 second stop to crucially come out behind the A522 racer of Alonso.

 

This lead Leclerc to lead the race by 11 seconds over Hamilton before the Brackley-based outfit was brought in on the 20^th tour.

 

Russell was therefore release in second place but 19 seconds behind to race-leader Leclerc.

 

As the lap counter reached the high-teens, Leclerc’s pace was dropping. The Monegasque driver pitted at the end of the 21^st tour for a set of mediums in 2.9 seconds to promoted Russell into third place.

 

The first-time pole-sitter had a 2.6 second buffer over the chasing Leclerc as Sainz sat a further one second behind whilst World Driver’s Championship leader Verstappen took fourth place and a further 3.5 seconds’ off.

 

With Ferrari suited to the Hungaroring all weekend, Leclerc soon gained DRS assistance to bring the lead down and bring him right behind the Mercedes gearbox.

 

Russell was forced to defend his position, pushing the F1-75 racer to the outside line wherever possible to maximise the distance Leclerc had to travel at the difficult-to-overtake Budapest track.

 

Then on the 31^st tour, Leclerc made it stick, as Russell moved to the inside line into the opening corner to cover off the Ferrari but with DRS it was tightly squeezed into the turn one braking zone to take first place.

 

Leclerc pulled out a rapid seven-tenths on the F1 W13 and double that gap over the rest of the tour, to advantage rising to 2.8 seconds with Russell and Verstappen third and fourth respectively.

 

Verstappen made a crucial pit-stop on the 39^th lap for medium rubber and despite sparks flying from the right-rear corner, he had a swift 2.4 second stop – encouraged with the message “there’s still a long way to go.”

 

Verstappen emerged in sixth place as Russell made a second stop for mediums the next tour, whilst Leclerc then pitted for the poor-performing C2 white-branded harder tyres.

 

The Red Bull RB18 entries, having passed Russell, the Ferrari returned in third place behind Hamilton and Sainz on the slowest available rubber and struggled to get heat in them leading the Monegasque-driver vulnerable.

 

Verstappen had DRS assistance on Leclerc into turn one to pass the Ferrari, the Dutchman acutely opened his steering a fraction at the apex to force Leclerc to have a compromised line.

 

Getting back on the power, the F1-75 racer stepped out of line to let Verstappen pull away.

 

But Leclerc was given another chance, despite blasting the status of his harder rubber. Verstappen tried to get on the power out of the second-to-last corner but lit up the rears and spun.

 

The Dutchman caught his RB18 racer in 360 degrees, but not before the Ferrari had flew back past, even if Perez limited the damage by blocking Russell and remaining behind his team-mate.

 

But on the 43^rd tour, Verstappen was back within a second of title-rival Leclerc and the Dutchman cut his RB18 back through the second corner to reclaim the position down the hill into the third corner.

 

Ferrari brought Sainz in three tours later to give up the lead and endured a slow left-rear change onto softs meaning he was held to a 4.6 second stop to give Hamilton a 6.4 gap to Verstappen.

 

Verstappen finally made his second pit-stop on the end of the 51^st tour for a switch to the softer compounds and emerged in fifth, 10 seconds behind Sainz as Russell passed Leclerc – still struggling on the harder tyres.

 

The F1-75 entry went loose through the final corner to give Russell an easy run for second place over the line as Ferrari eventually abandoned its strategy and was forced into another stop.

 

The softer compounds were put on but having lead, he emerged over 30 seconds behind Verstappen.

 

With the Dutchman managing the mediums to the flag, including a late virtual safety car deployment for Bottas coming to a halt due to a power loss onboard his Alfa Romeo at turn 12, he claimed an unlikely victory by 7.834 seconds.

 

The Mercedes were the next quickest cars in the closing stages of the Grand Prix, with soft tyre-running Hamilton able to pass Sainz on older rubber and then team-mate Hamilton for second place.

 

Despite complaining that his tyres went off, Russell too had the pace over Sainz to score consecutive 2-3 finishes for the Silver Arrows as Perez inflicted more pain on the Scuderia in fifth place.

 

Leclerc’s pit-stop made him come home sixth and in-front of Norris, who swapped to the harder compounds to remain ahead of Alpine pairing Alonso and Ocon.

 

Vettel recovered from the early tangle with Albon to take the final point’s place in the updated Aston Martin AMR22 racer, in-front of team-mate Lance Stroll, the Canadian having been turned around by the McLaren of Ricciardo – the Australian slapped with a five second-time penalty.

 

AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly finished 12^th from a pit-lane start after passing the exceeded engine allocation limit with a post-qualifying power-unit change.

 

Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN’s Zhou Guanyu was 13^th and ahead of Haas F1 Team’s Mick Schumacher who took 14^th and the penalty-hit Ricciardo 15^th, whilst Kevin Magnussen placed 16^th in the other VF-22 entry.

 

Williams’ Albon landed in 17^th in-front of team-mate and FP3 time-sheet topper Nicholas Latifi who ended the Grand Prix 18^th.

 

Scuderia AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda completed the finishers after suffering a spin from 17^th to the rear through the turns six and seven chicane, as Bottas was the sole-driver to retire in the final race the sport takes it’s summer-break.

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2022 Belgian GP Preview – The Situation

 

 

Max Verstappen returns to Belgium sitting on top of the World Driver’s Championship with 258 points and an eighty-point advantage over Charles Leclerc who is second on 178 points while Sergio Perez is a further 85 points behind his Red Bull team-mate in third on 173 points.

 

The Formula One season returns after its traditional summer break to one of its most iconic circuits this weekend, with the Belgian Grand Prix the first of nine races that will decide the outcome of this year’s 2022 World Championship battle.

 

After scoring two victories heading into the summer break and two dismal rounds for his title-rival, Verstappen heads to the Circuit De Spa-Francorchamps with a massive 80-point lead as he looks to retain his title.

 

But can Leclerc fight back? Are Mercedes and Hamilton back in with a shot? Also, what is happening in the driver market?

 

The runaway leader at the start of the 2022 campaign and the driver with more pole positions than anyone else, Leclerc has been fast this season – but his title challenge is in serious danger of falling apart – if it hasn’t already.

 

Leclerc has had a shocker of a run since his engine exploded at May’s Spanish Grand Prix and Verstappen has been there to grab the points, stretching his advantage to 80.

 

This lead, the largest a driver ever has enjoyed at the summer break in over a decade, means Verstappen can finish second behind title-rival Leclerc in all remaining nine rounds and still defend his championship.

 

Why then is there still hope and confidence in the team from Maranello?

 

Because the Scuderia have had the faster package than Red Bull over the summer.

 

Indeed, the difference between Verstappen and Red Bull and Leclerc and Ferrari have been errors, not outright pace. Verstappen and Red Bull have been faultless when it’s come down to strategy and driver mistakes, whereas Leclerc and Ferrari have been more clumsy with more reliability problems too.

 

However, big points swings can happen quickly in Formula One, Verstappen was 46 points behind Leclerc after three Grands Prix earlier this season – but it would take a flawless run from here between now and the end of the campaign for Leclerc to mount a title-challenge, and this weekend’s Belgian GP is the first of nine must-win races to do so.

 

Can the Monegasque driver, do it? More importantly, can Ferrari?

 

After their record highs over the past eight seasons, it has been a well-under par first half of the campaign for Mercedes, with no Grand Prix victories, big questions over their F1 W13 racers and a massive 127-points deficit.

 

But still, the Silver Arrows head into this weekend full of optimism compared to the others.

 

That’s because of their recent form. With Mercedes beginning to slowly understand their unpredictable F1 W13 and thus able to bring improvements and updates as the results have been promising.

 

The reigning world champions were in the hunt for victory at the British Grand Prix, had a pole chance at the Red Bull Ring, claimed their first double-podium of the season in France and repeated that result in Hungary, where they also enjoyed their first pole position courtesy of George Russell.

 

Since their last uncompetitive weekend in Baku, the Silver Arrows have scored 143 points – compared to Red Bull Racing’s 152 and Ferrari’s 135.

 

A more stable car has also seemingly re-energised Sir Lewis Hamilton, who while still behind team-mate Russell in the Driver’s Championship has scored five-straight podiums, finished ahead of him in all those races.

 

The Silver Arrows have promised more upgrades to come in Belgium and their return to the front-fold – which reigning world champion Verstappen welcomed so they can “steal points off Ferrari” – adds more heat to the title run-in.

 

Oracle Red Bull Racing comes to the Circuit De Spa-Francorchamps on top of the Constructors Championship with 431 points and a 97-point lead over nearest rivals Scuderia Ferrari who are second on 334 points whilst Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team are a further 127 points behind the Milton Keynes based-outfit in third place on 304 points.

 

Click here for the full Formula 1 2022 World Driver’s (Top 10) and Constructors World Championship Standings

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2022 Belgian GP Preview – F1 News over the Summer-Break

 

 

2022 Belgian GP Preview – F1 Rules and Regulations Update

 

• On August 16 during the summer break, the World Motor Sport Council gave the green light to the regulations regarding the 2026 Formula 1 Power Unit Regulations that will apply to be developed and used from the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship campaign onwards. These regulations are from extensive research and development by sport’s governing body, the FIA, as well as collaborative meetings between the FIA alongside current and potential manufacturers. The 2026 Power-Trains will have performances similar to the current spec, utilising high-power, high-revving 1.6L V6 Turbocharged Engines and avoiding excessive differentiation to allow improved race-ability. The 2026 Power-Train will feature a 50% increase in electrical power and use 100% sustainable fuel. The Final Regulations regarding the Power-Units will reduce overall costs for competitors while retaining cutting-edge technology that is the core of the sport. The regulations are intended to attract new Power-Train manufacturers to join the sport at a competitive level.

 

• Also, the World Motor Sport Council approved changes to the Technical Regulations for the 2022 and 23 seasons to address the matter of porpoising and greater safety standards to the roll-hoop. The phenomenon of vertical oscillations (aerodynamic porpoising), combined with low ride heights and minimal rake were a notable characteristic of the new generation of Formula 1 cars, introduced for the 2022 campaign, and has been discussed in the Technical Advisory Meetings. This phenomenon brought concerns about driver health, safety and their well-being. Whilst this phenomenon has been less pronounced on some circuits, the FIA believe that this occurrence and the associated safety issues will remain and become potentially worse in the future. The FIA has consulted the teams and came to this final position: “From the Belgian Grand Prix onwards, the FIA will be measuring the phenomenon and expect teams to run below a certain threshold in order for their cars to be considered safe. In addition, the following measures are approved for 2022 and 2023”:

 

2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship Technical Regulations

 

• Central Floor Flexibility – these were changes were made to re-define the stiffness requirements of the plank and skids around the thickness measurement holes.

 

2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship Technical Regulations

 

• Floor edges will be raised by 15 millimetres.
• The Diffuser’s throat height will be raised, whilst care has been taken to avoid any impact on the teams’ designs of mechanical components.
• Diffuser’s edge stiffness will be increased.
• An additional sensor will be mandatory to monitor the phenomenon more effectively.

 

After the horrific accident at the start of this year’s British Grand Prix involving Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN’s Zhou Guanyu, a detailed analysis was conducted on a number of issues, from the start of the accident to the final rescue operation and vehicle recovery, as is normal for any incident.

 

One item majorly looked at was the performance of the roll hoop, which came off the chassis during the accident. The findings were as follows:

 

• The pointed top of the roll hoop dug into the tarmac, which played a role into the high horizontal force which lead to it breaking off.
• That the wording, currently in the rules, allows the teams to homologate their roll hoops with forces acting through a lower point than its meant to. This can lead to the roll hoop resisting forces that are lower than intended by the rules.
• That a huge increase in roll hoop strength should be brought into Formula 1.

 

Following a review of the information above, the World Motor Sport Council approved these changes to the 2023 Formula 1 Technical Regulations:

 

• A change which requires a rounded top of the roll hoop, which will reduce the chance of it digging into the ground during a crash.
• A change that requires a minimum height for the point of application of the homologation test.
• The creation of a new physical homologation test where the load pushes the roll hoop in a forward direction.
• The definition of new tests to be carried out by calculations.

 

As a medium-term objective, for the 2024 campaign, the plan is to proceed to a major overhaul of the roll hoop tests to ensure that cars in the future will resist more severe loads.

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Alonso signs for Aston Martin on a multi-year deal

 

 

• Following the announcement on the Hungarian GP weekend of four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel retiring at season’s end, Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team confirmed that double World Champion Fernando Alonso will join the team on a three-year deal. Alonso returned to Alpine in 2021 following a two-year break and delivered a string of solid drives alongside team-mate Esteban Ocon. As the summer-break began, Aston Martin revealed the Spaniard signing on the dotted line was a clear statement from the organisation that it is committed to developing a winning Formula One team. Alonso explained: “This Aston Martin team is clearly applying the energy and commitment to win, and it is therefore one of the most exciting teams in Formula One today. I have known Lawrence and Lance for many years, and it is very obvious that they have the ambition and passion to succeed in Formula One. I have watched as the team has systematically attracted great people with winning pedigrees, and I have become aware of the huge commitment to new facilities and resources at Silverstone. No one in Formula One today is demonstrating a greater vision and absolute commitment to winning, and that makes it a really exciting opportunity for me. I still have the hunger and ambition to fight to be at the front, and I want to be part of an organisation that is committed to learn, develop and succeed. We all appreciate that there is much to be done to get to the front, and that we must apply all our energies in working together to find performance. The passion and desire to perform that I have witnessed convince me to maintain my enjoyment and commitment to the sport. I intend to win again in this sport and therefore I have to take the opportunities that feel right to me.” Alonso concluded. Credit to Aston Martin for the quote.

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2022 Belgian GP Preview – F1 Driver Market Silly Season

 

 

• Following Vettel’s shock retirement announcement at the Hungarian Grand Prix and Alonso day’s later being announced as the replacement for the German at Aston Martin in 2023, the drama that came after was even bigger than itself. BWT Alpine F1 Team thought they had an in-house replacement lined-up and announced reserve and Formula 2 Champion Oscar Piastri as Esteban Ocon’s new team-mate, although the Australian refuted the claim hours later via social media and said he would not be driving for the Enstone outfit next season. It is believed that Piastri and his management have been working on a deal with McLaren for the next campaign, which would be the likely replacement for fellow Australian-compatriot Daniel Ricciardo, and there are reports that McLaren have told Ricciardo that he would be moving on. For now we wait in silence as the teams have not provided any updates since, with Alpine believing that Piastri is still driving for them next season, whilst Ricciardo all along has been insisting that he will remain at McLaren. Thursday’s media day is sure to be a day of fun on this driver market saga.

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2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix Date Announced

 

 

• The date for the 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix has been announced and currently awaiting approval from the FIA World Motor Sport Council. Next year’s event will run from Thursday March 30- Sunday April 2. The four-day motorsport bonanza has been boosted by the inclusions of the FIA Formula 2 and 3 World Championship categories alongside the Supercars Championship as support categories. Tickets for the event will come on sale in the coming months.

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2023 Adelaide Motorsport Festival Date Announced

 

 

• The Adelaide Motorsport Festival will return in March 2023 next year with the event taking place from March 24-26, a week before the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix 2023. The return of the South Australian motorsport event has been marked on a four-year deal with the South Australian Government to deliver the wheels-in-motion festival. In 2019, the event was cancelled due to a cut in government funding. The Bend Motorsport Park hosted a replacement event for the Adelaide Motorsport Festival that same year in The Bend Classic. The Adelaide Motorsport Festival is a key part of the SA Labor Government’s Motorsport policy, alongside the return of the VALO Adelaide 500, which was the pre-election commitment made by now-Premier Peter Malinauskas. The event shares some track infrastructure with the Adelaide 500; however, it runs on a shortened version of the Adelaide Street Circuit, which only requires a single road closure of Wakefield Road over the three days. Tickets for the event will be on sale soon.

 

The Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix 2022 weekend begins Friday August 26 with Free Practice 1 and 2, followed by Free Practice 3 and Qualifying Saturday August 27 and the 44-lap Race Sunday August 28.