The fans left early on Saturday, despite the typically cloudy, wet and cold weather. Many had lined up behind barriers along one of the roundabouts on the way to the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. At some point, the drivers would come by here one after the other, whom they wanted to cheer on from close up – for perhaps the last time here for the time being. Because even if the Belgian Grand Prix, with its picturesque course between wooded hills, is firmly part of the Formula 1 tradition, it may be removed from the calendar next year, by 2024 at the latest. The roller coaster in the Ardennes doesn’t help with all its history, its fame and popularity among the drivers.
The track has been modernized: Slightly changed layout, fresh asphalt, more space, more gravel beds in the run-off zones after the recent past was characterized by accidents. With the Eau Rouge, Spa has one of the most prominent curves in motorsport, it is legendary, but also one of the most dangerous. When the cars race up the mountain with a gradient of up to 18 percent at around 300 km/h without seeing what lies over the crest, there is always a risk involved. In 2021, due to persistent rain, various accidents and a lot of criticism. Two years earlier, Formula 2 drivers had an accident at Eau Rouge Anthoine Hubert deadly. But this modernization in terms of safety is probably not enough.
In the premier class, some traditional routes threaten to disappear, although Formula 1 wants to increase the number of stops to 24. The treaties with France, Belgium and the Monaco Glamor Grand Prix are running out, they have to worry about the competition from all over the world pushing into this booming sport. With Las Vegas, the USA will receive a third Grand Prix in addition to Austin and Miami from 2023, the start will also be in Qatar, and there is also talk of South Africa. The tried and tested must give way for the new. The premier class wants to expand.
The last row would have to be made up of seven cars instead of two
If the last Formula 1 race for the time being is actually held in Spa this weekend, the Grand Prix, which was part of the program at the first World Championship in 1950, will say goodbye in an unusual way. Because who starts from the first parking bay on Sunday at 3 p.m., this question did not only decide the fastest time driven in qualifying this time.
One of seven drivers with a penalty: In Mick Schumacher’s Haas, parts were exchanged beyond the permitted limit.
(Photo: Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
On Friday and Saturday, messages from the race stewards of the world motorsport association Fia kept pouring in throughout the day with the information that parts of the engine or gearbox had been replaced on this and that car. According to the Fia regulations, this is only permitted to a limited extent within a season, three times for the combustion engine, for example. And so it was always noted in the letters that the corresponding component change would result in a penalty of five, ten, fifteen positions or even to the end of the line-up. And that with such a frequency that the last row of the Grand Prix would have to be made up of seven cars instead of two, occupied by prominent names.
World champion Max Verstappen in the Red Bull and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc were the first to be affected – the world championship leader and his worst competitor, who was already 80 points behind, who shared the victories in eleven of the previous 13 races . Mick Schumacher (Haas), Lando Norris (McLaren), Esteban Ocon (Alpine) and Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) followed in the course of Friday afternoon. His teammate Zhou Guanyu joined him during the third practice session on Saturday.
Under normal circumstances, Max Verstappen would start from pole position
There is an understandable reason why all of these teams acted in this way, the decision was a strategic one: during the 44 laps on the seven-kilometre track it is easier to overtake than elsewhere, so the penalties are less painful. The racing teams invigorate their cars beyond the approved limit in the knowledge that they will start with fresher engines in the following eight stops of the season. “We had the feeling that it could be particularly tight with our engine contingent to come by the end of the year,” said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner. “We should be quick here, so we decided to take the opportunity.”
Aim high: Daniel Ricciardo races up the Eau Rouge in his McLaren.
(Photo: ANP/Imago)
Seven cars in a row, of course that doesn’t work. Formula 1 has a set of rules for replacing components. If several drivers start from the end of the field due to engine penalties, the qualification decides on the arrangement of the rear places. Nevertheless, experts were still discussing on Saturday how this would have to be handled in this case – depending on who had registered what, when and how much for the exchange, all at once or split up.
Verstappen drove best in qualifying, more than six tenths of a second ahead of his closest pursuer. Under normal circumstances he would have led the race ahead of Carlos Sainz, his teammate Sergio Perez and Leclerc. Schumacher would have started 15th ahead of Sebastian Vettel in the Aston Martin. But that was the order of the first places without the penal drivers: Sainz, Perez, Alpine pilot Fernando Alonso, behind them the two Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. “We have to get up front, especially in a car like this it would be a shame not to get on the podium,” said Verstappen in the afternoon.
The 24-year-old will start from 15th place in front of Leclerc, Ocon and Norris, Vettel will benefit from their penalties and start the race in tenth place. The latter is Schumacher. “I gave everything but unfortunately didn’t hit the last lap,” he said. Ironically, on the route that has a special meaning for his family. Mick won his first Formula 3 race in Spa, his father Michael, the seven-time world champion, made his Formula 1 debut here in 1991 – and celebrated his first victory 30 years ago.