2026 Belgian GP Qualifying ReviewThe Late Braking F1 Podcast · Jul 18, 2026
Annotations will appear as you listen
0:00
36:29
Person
Isakhajar
Isakhajar is getting penalties that mean he can’t start near the front. In Formula 1, penalties usually push a driver to the back of the starting order.
Pole position means starting first on the grid. It’s earned by being fastest in qualifying, and it usually gives the driver an easier path into the race.
Kimi Antageli is the driver the hosts are praising for an excellent qualifying. They say his car felt better and he was able to put in a lap that clearly separated him from the others.
A red flag means the race or session is stopped immediately for safety. It usually happens after an accident or danger on the track, and it interrupts practice or qualifying.
FP2 is the second practice session before qualifying. If there’s a red flag, cars can’t run normally, so teams lose valuable track time.
Term
Q2
Q2 is the second qualifying segment in the F1 qualifying format (after Q1 and before Q3). The hosts use Q2 timing spread—“less than a tenth”—to show how tightly packed the cars were before the final shootout.
Q3 is the final qualifying segment where the fastest cars fight for pole position. The hosts mention Antonelli’s mistake in Q3 and then discuss the resulting time gaps, emphasizing how small errors can swing the top positions.
Term
temps gap
“Temps gap” is shorthand for the time gap between drivers (often expressed in tenths or thousandths of a second). The hosts use it to quantify how far Antonelli was ahead of Verstappen, Norris, and his teammate.
F1 tracks are split into a few timed sections called “sectors.” “Sector one” is the first chunk of the lap, and they’re saying that’s where the car seems to be best.
Term
rouge
“Rouge” refers to a specific corner at Spa-Francorchamps (the Rouge area), which is a key braking/turn-in point that can strongly influence sector timing. Mentioning it in the context of “sector one” suggests where the lap advantage is being created.
Kerbs are the raised edges at the side of the track. Drivers try to use them to stay on the fastest line, but you have to do it carefully because it can upset the car.
DNF stands for “did not finish.” It means the driver’s day ended early because of a crash or problem, and they’re asking whether Antonelli’s earlier behavior caused it.
Schumacher is mentioned as another example of a driver who can really drive the car aggressively. The point is that some drivers can force performance out of the car more than others.
Toe is how your wheels are angled relative to the direction the car goes. Changing toe can help the car feel more stable and can affect how the tires grip during a fast lap.
A 10 grid place penalty is a punishment that moves a driver back ten spots for the race start. So even if they qualify high, they can still start lower on the grid.
Lando Norris is an F1 driver referenced here because his 10 grid place penalty affects the starting order. The hosts use his penalty to explain why Russell’s qualifying position doesn’t match his race start position.
Antonelli is a Formula 1 driver. The point here is that he’s doing better at getting speed out of corners, so he can be faster when the track opens up into straights.
Momentum is basically how much speed the car keeps when it comes out of a turn. If you keep more momentum, you reach the straight faster and lose less time.
A corner exit is the moment you’re leaving the turn and starting to accelerate. If you get out of the corner well, you can pick up speed faster for the next straight.
A heavy braking zone is where the track forces you to slow down a lot. How well you brake and set up the next corner can make you faster—or cost you time.
Slipstream is when you drive close behind another car and the air resistance is lower. That can make you faster on the straight, which matters a lot in qualifying.
In F1, the battery stores energy from the hybrid system and helps the car add power when needed. A new battery can change how the car feels and performs during qualifying laps.
Track evolution means the track gets better (or sometimes worse) as more cars drive on it. More cars can lay down rubber, which usually makes the surface grip more, so later laps can be faster.
The power unit is the whole F1 hybrid engine package, not just the engine itself. It includes the energy system that stores and reuses power, and swapping parts can lead to penalties.
“Sectors” are the divided sections of an F1 track used to measure lap performance. Comparing sector gaps helps explain where a driver is gaining or losing time—like the speaker praising Norris’ handling in the second sector.
The “middle sector” is the middle timed section of the lap. If a team is best there, it suggests their car is set up to handle that section really well.
The “front row” is the very front of the starting grid—first and second. Starting there usually gives you the best chance to lead early and avoid traffic.
“Set up” is how the team configures the car for the session. Qualifying and the race can need different settings, so the car might be quick for one lap but not as strong over race distance.
A “10 place group penalty” means the driver gets pushed back on the starting grid by ten spots. Because it’s applied to a group of cars, the exact starting position can vary depending on who else is penalized.
“Straight line speed” is how fast the car goes when the track is mostly straight. If the car isn’t as strong on the straights, it can be harder to pass other cars.
Term
mid-speed corner
A mid-speed corner is a turn where you’re not going super slow and you’re not going flat-out either. It’s the kind of corner where the car’s balance and grip really decide how fast you can be.
Race pace is how quickly the car can go for a longer stretch in the race, not just for one fast lap. It includes how the tires and the car behave as the run continues.
An undercut is when a driver pits earlier than another car to get fresh tires. With the newer tires, they can usually drive faster and sometimes pass the other car when both have to pit.
An overcut means you delay your pit stop compared to another car. If you can keep going fast on older tires, you can come out ahead after the other car pits.
Spa is a famous Formula 1 race track in Belgium. It has lots of twists and elevation changes, and the weather there can change quickly, which can affect how cars and strategies perform.
Clean air means the car isn’t being affected by the disturbed airflow from other cars. With clean air, the car tends to grip better and feel more predictable.
Ferrari is one of the biggest Formula 1 teams. In this segment, the hosts are basically saying Ferrari may struggle on this track and that other teams (like Mercedes and Red Bull) look stronger.
A "powertrack" is a track where speed and acceleration matter a lot. The hosts are saying Ferrari might struggle there because other teams are better at putting power down.
The "batteriet" here means the energy storage in the F1 car. The hosts are saying McLaren’s battery is better, which can help the car be faster when it needs extra energy.
In F1 qualifying, there’s a rule that says you have to be close enough to the fastest car. If your best lap is more than 7% slower than the pole lap, you might not be allowed to start the race.
Pole time is the fastest lap from qualifying—the one that earns the driver the pole position. Everyone else’s qualifying laps are compared to it.
LIVE
Jag heter Kjärnan Maldonado och är grundare av Yaui.
En presentbutik med fokus på konstnärer och handjorda föremål.
Jag valde Shopify eftersom den när jag testade andra plattformar.
Definitivt var en av de mest använda vändliga.
Det var viktigt för mig att fundera över var vi skulle befinna oss i framtiden.
Alla verktyg du behöver för att följa upp dina försäljningssiffror, till exempel lagerplanering,
finns samlade på din instrumentpanel.
Börja din kostnadsfria provperiod på Shopify.com.
Lagerplanering F1-podcast.
Behandla dig om nya episodes varje tredje och varje sannolik.
Välkomna till Lagerplanering F1-podcast, presenterat av Sam Sage och mig, Ben Hawking,
behandla dig om belgen-gp-kvalificering.
En kvalificering av Kimi Antonelli av Mercedes.
Det är inte första gången i år.
Vi har kunnat säga att det är en kvalificering.
Vi har varit med på framtiden med redbull av Max Verstappen.
Alltså lite tre tämst tillbaka.
Jag tror inte att det är en massiv upplevelse,
för det är den längsta cirka på kalenderan.
Det är den största polmargin vi hade i 2026.
Det är inte första gången, ännu första gången,
men budet förra, före torget och parsley,
... men var jag inte med i avslutningen?
Det var en färdighet,
I det här sesien, of course Russell taking the other four.
They are dominant and I'm not surprised that the Sadies have stretched their legs here at Spa, the longest track.
But wasn't without a fight being put up. It's quite fascinating the way that Red Bull approached this.
I'm glad they did approach it in quite a different way.
Of course, Isakhajar taking a whole host of penalties due to some parts being put on the car going on to the weekend,
which means he's got to start at the back of the grid.
But it didn't mean we saw this interesting tow dynamic, which we've not seen for a little while from a top team.
When they really tried to go at it for a pole position.
But Kimi Antageli, the confidence that he exudes in that Mercedes, the way he's flicking the steering into every corner and the car just sticks for him.
He's on another level of them, like another plane of racing at this point. It's so natural to him.
He came over the radio one of the sessions to Bono and this was the tell. The balance felt much better at that point.
1.2 seconds was the difference between Q1 and Q2. He is astronomically good right now.
He was 2 seconds clear in Q3 versus his Q1 time, like that is.
And a lot of the other drivers had similar, but the track involvement was quite high today.
But from Antonelli's side in particular, it was really quite astonishing.
It's not the first time we've seen as well when it comes to Antonelli.
He looks very dominant through the practice sessions, particularly as we got into the final part of practice.
He didn't really set a good lap when the conditions were at their best in P3, but was still clear.
And then we get to qualifying, at least the first part of qualifying, and it looks like it's all come back together a little bit more of the field.
And then Antonelli late on delivers this wonderful lap.
Again, I know this is the longest circuit on the calendar, but being three temps clear of your opposition, being half a second clear of your teammate,
that deserves a lot of respect.
And I think not that we've got a great idea on race pace around this track because there's so much focus on on one lap runs in practice.
We also had a red flag in FP2, which didn't help that based on what we've seen so far this year.
There's every chance he will hold on to that and go on to another victory, but we'll have to wait until tomorrow to see if that comes true.
Yeah, very impressive.
We saw Mercedes, I think, quite quick in the first sector all the way throughout.
And we were quickly mentioning this before we hit record, the fascination between different sectors and who's strong where.
Mercedes definitely seemed to have a grip on that first sector.
For me, the pole has been one here based on Antonelli carrying that through to the second and third sectors in a way that maybe he didn't do or Mercedes didn't do earlier in the session.
Yeah, the most impressive thing about Antonelli's time is we did see earlier wrong in the session that you can have much closer times together.
We saw in Q2 how it was kind of less than a tenth, we're separating kind of 12 and three, and it was only a couple of temps back from four and five.
So really compact and close together.
So the fact that he is stretched out a three temp gap over Max Verstappen, a four temp gap to Norris, of course, makes the mistake in Q3 and a five temp gap to his teammate is mighty impressive.
And you're writing how he's doing that.
It looks like sector one is where they're most comfortable.
The car is so strong going through a rouge and down they come, but it looks like he's able to carry the speed so well that through the first few corners of sector two.
It's only when you start to get to, you know, no name, X, whatever you want to call it.
That's when Verstappen in the Red Bull starts to pick the pace back up and actually challenge the Mercedes.
Puolong seems like a really red bull focused corner.
Those mid to high speed corners are doing wonders for Red Bull.
There's just enough of top speed high speed corners where I think that Mercedes is able to carry that momentum through.
And the way that Antonelli's riding the kerbs, he seems to have such trust, such faith in the car that he's able to make it stick over.
He's really high kerbs around Spa.
And that's where I think he's also making up the time.
We saw Krukshagen doing a great side by side between Russell and Antonelli in one of the outbreaks that we had.
Russell just isn't extending the track in the same way as Antonelli.
He's just not running the car out as wide and getting back over as quickly.
He's far more central to the racing line, whereas Antonelli is almost diagonalizing every single line bouncing.
Do you know what's really telling about that?
Is the reason for the DNF at Silverstone was Antonelli doing just that?
Sägs a lot about his mentality that he's back here, the next competitive session.
It's not even a consideration.
Like he's still, I think that's very encouraging from his side.
I think he is one of those no fair racers at this point.
And he's cut from a very different cloth to someone like George Russell.
This was brought up in comms that, you know, Russell is maybe more the Ilker Button, which is far smoother, silkier,
driving style, more measured, very conservative in the way they can manage the car, manage the tires, manage the battery.
And that's great in a racer.
That is fantastic.
But there are some drivers that can just wrestle the car.
Antonelli will throw the car from one side of the racetrack to the other to get the most out of it.
And we see that in Verstappen, in Hamilton, in Sänga, in Schumacher.
The way that they would make the car their own and they would deliver it from one side to the other.
We saw that today with Antonelli.
Every time there is half a tent to find, he is in the right place to find it.
And we saw the challenge that Red Bull put up there with that toe.
Even on my team, Axel Staffel, with the toe of Isaac Hadjard, and I think they gained about a tent and a half with that toe in the final run.
It shows you just how good this lap is from Antonelli.
It does.
It does.
We have to see how Antonelli versus his teammate goes.
Russell, of course, qualifying fourth, but will start third in this Grand Prix, thanks to Lando Norris' 10 grid place penalty.
Russell just not quite on it again versus his teammate.
We heard him over Team Radio say that he seems to be losing on the straights.
And whilst, again, we're recording this directly after the session, so we haven't got all of the answers on this yet.
But it might just be a repeated pattern with George Russell, where it's not the straights themselves.
It seems to be he's struggling on corner exits going on to these really important straights, where Antonelli is then able to carry a lot more momentum.
And then it seems like in a straight line he's quicker, but that's kind of the reality.
It's the corner beforehand.
And I don't know whether that's happening again in the final sectors, because Russell and Antonelli were very well matched through the first sector of their fastest laps at the end of Q3, but then just not able to carry that through for the rest of the lap.
Yeah, I mean that run through Blomchamon all the way down to the bus stop in the final corner is pivotal to getting the most out of this lap.
It's pure flat-out all the way down to the heavy braking zone of the penultimate last corner, where that pit entry is.
And if you don't maximise the exit from, god, I don't remember what turn number it is, because it's so many calls around this track.
But you know what I'm talking about, right at the end of the lap there, you don't get that spring all the way through the likes of Blomchamon, then you will just lose handfuls of time all the way down to the heavy braking zone.
Max Verstappen, P2, as mentioned, using a bit of slipstream to his benefit on both of his runs in Q3.
Perhaps a little bit more effectively, I thought, on the second go round, because they were noticeably quite, quite a lot closer in that final sector, Hadja and Verstappen, than they were the first time around.
I thought they might go it wrong. I thought it might have been too close, and actually Verstappen might have had to bail out of it slightly too soon.
And if Hadja was maybe extra 50 metres up the racetrack, he could have closed right up to just before the braking zone and then gone out of the way.
It looked like there was a chance that Verstappen might have had to have just blipped off the throttle, and that might have cost him a tenth or two.
But with the gap that Kimmy does have over Max, I don't think that even if that was a mistake with the way that Hadja and Max rang it, it felt very positive anyway, that it would have made up the difference.
So it looks like it's just the car just isn't there, even with Max Verstappen having everything go his way.
Yeah, I'm afraid so. Verstappen showed up very well in this session.
He was great.
He's obviously clear of everyone not named Kimmy Antonelli, so he's done quite well, but yeah, the final sector, even with them quite effectively using slipstream.
As soon as he crossed the line and he went just over a tenth faster than Lando Norris, and it was quite close up until that point.
I was like, okay, here we go.
And then Antonelli crosses the line not long after that, and I just went.
Yeah, never mind.
Okay, that's ridiculous.
Don't think I'll be troubling that one.
Yeah, the gap was huge.
I actually thought Max had it when he crossed the line.
Yeah, I thought he was going to be close.
Yeah, and actually it's turned out that I think he's kind of lucky that Lando Norris is unable to improve, because the new battery in Lando Norris' car is seemingly absolutely throwing him down the racetrack.
He was so quick up until he goes off, of course, in his final run of Q3.
Yeah, and I think we saw, again, track evolution quite prevalent throughout all three qualifying sessions.
But what often happens is that track evolution gets less and less as we go through, and by the time we get to the third part of qualifying, it doesn't matter all that much.
I wonder if the red flag break we actually had in Q3 helped that track evolution go on even more, because there was quite a bit of time separating the first and the second runs.
Because we saw Antonelli in the step and improved quite considerably second time around.
And I won the light Q with Lando Norris, who, again, qualified third, but will start 10 places worse off than that.
I wonder if he's able to hook that lap together, whether he's got, I don't think he's touching Antonelli, but I think he's getting second place.
I don't know. I don't think it's impossible that Lando Norris could have got pole.
The update that the car has been brought with and the fact that he's able to take that penalty, of course, Q2 part of the power unit being changed.
I think it's given that car a little bit of extra oomf, and he's locked in this weekend.
It looks like Norris was really quick for the first part of Q1, Q2, felt really on it.
And you can see the gap between himself and Piastri.
I mean, whilst I do think that a new power unit is helping the overall pace, I think there's a little bit of Norris magic in there as well.
Two and a bit of temps in the end.
Yeah, I mean, respectable, far better than the gap between Kimme Antonelli and George Russell, of course.
But I wouldn't be surprised if a good tent of that is maybe the new battery that Norris has on board.
I give Lando Norris a lot of credit for the way in which he was handling that second sector.
Because he was, the gap actually came down a little bit as we got towards the end of qualifying.
But I think practice three earlier today.
He was about three temps clear of everyone in that middle sector.
And I just, I'm constantly, I'm in love with the way that spa qualifying and the different sectors work out.
It's a bit of a dream for someone who enjoys data because we turn up at some circuits.
The differences between the three sectors will be quite minimal.
We get to spa and you get this driver's three temps faster in sector one.
This driver's three temps faster in sector two.
Just to give a couple of things that illustrate that.
The fastest driver overall today in sector one was Arvid Lindblad.
No one was faster than him.
In Q1 specifically, Lando Norris had the fastest time in Q1.
Alex Alban, who of course was knocked out in the Williams in Q1, was faster in the first sector than Norris.
But it's the middle sector that McLaren have clearly worked hard to get that right and think that's the way to go about it.
A bit of an opposite strategy maybe to Mercedes.
And Lando Norris is absolutely blisteringly quick through there.
Not quite enough to get on the front row even if it would have been provisional with the penalty.
But still a very good effort and more than what we've seen from McLaren recently, I think.
Yeah, you have to learn where to cut your losses around spa, I think.
You have to maximise a key area. Know your strength and maximise them.
The problem is the set up for a qualifying car around here and a race car around here can be massively different.
And it can be quite impactful on the result that you can get.
We know that Lando Norris is of course taking a 10 place group penalty.
I think he will start P13, P12, depending on how they've got the places back.
Yeah, I'm not sure what comes first if it's the had-job penalty or the Norris penalty.
Isn't that region?
Anyway, with the way they've shut the car up, being blisteringly quick in that middle sector,
there's a risk that once he gets back to that top eight, which you know, it's quite likely that he will,
overtaking might become quite difficult because they might have sacrificed a lot of straight line speed
to make sure they can really maximise the mid-speed corner through sector two.
So it would be fascinating to see how far Norris can progress, where seemingly on one lap pace,
he's blisteringly quick, but can that transfer into race pace?
I wonder if they have an idea, McLaren, that Lando Norris, if he's to make positions up inside the top eight,
it won't be on track and it will be via an undercut or maybe even overcut.
I think that's quite rare around Spa, so maybe the undercut is more likely.
But yeah, it seems to be so quick in the middle sector that maybe they're hoping that if he can get some clean air
and properly use that pace, then maybe they can make something work on the strategy.
Because yeah, again, based on the straight line speed in that first sector,
it doesn't seem to be a match for Red Bull or, well, it doesn't seem to be a match for Mercedes.
It looks fairly similar to Red Bull, in which case maybe that's not where the overtakes are going to happen for him.
But we'll have to wait and see.
Before we move on, we're obviously at risk of losing Spa.
We're going to start alternating pretty soon.
When it's a dry racetrack and we're not getting it rained off,
it's just such a wonderful place to see cars go racing.
The fact that we're at a lap time, I've nearly won 145, pushing 150 in practice and pre-raised conditions,
I just miss these longer, more intricate, tricky racetracks where it's so dynamic.
Formula One is at a risk of losing this.
Just really want to make sure that we enjoy this weekend because it is such a brilliant experience.
And honestly, 2021 and the disaster that was that three-minute race,
I'm happy to call that a weird one-off freak.
What's happening in so many countries?
It being delayed last year, that's not a fault of Spa.
And I think generally, the weather we do often get and seemingly won't get this weekend at Spa,
I don't think that's a failure.
I think that's a good thing about this track rather than a failing.
How F1 is able to cope with that with the wet weather tyres they bring
or the regulations as they are at the moment.
That's not a Spa thing.
That's not a circuit specific thing.
I'm with you.
It will be weird to see this one only alternating in the future.
Let's take a quick break.
On the other side, let's get into Ferrari 5th and 6th.
Back again, my old friends.
We have returned.
Sam, as you know, I have a big birthday coming up very soon.
The good news is I'm dealing with it really, really well
and not having an existential crisis in any way, shape or form.
I'm completely fine with the realisation that there are now more drivers
on the F1 grid younger than me than older than me.
Yeah, I don't believe you.
That is fair, but I have at least found something that helps
and that's Blueprint's longevity mix.
Blueprint came from a simple idea.
If you're going to build a daily longevity routine,
it should be based on research, careful formulation
and ingredients chosen for a reason.
What I really like is how simple it is.
It's just one scoop mixed into water and get this.
It's designed to support things like energy, cognitive performance,
mood, focus, sleep and cellular resilience.
Cellular resilience, surely not.
It's true, I promise you.
But don't just take my word for it.
Blueprint 3rd party tested supplements for purity and contaminants
and they published those results so you can see exactly what's in them.
Sight spats, precision toast, no BS.
For a limited time only, new customers get 20% off
and free shipping at blueprint.bronjonsen.com
by using code late at checkout.
That's code late at blueprint.bronjonsen.com
for 20% off.
After you purchase, they'll ask you where you heard about them.
Please support our show and tell them our show sent you.
Välkomna!
Vi har diskussit två Mercedes. Vi diskussit en McLaren och Red Bull.
Ferrari kan ha en fjolbästa.
Ja, jag sa i början att det skulle vara svårt för Ferrari.
Det är en powertrack.
Vi vet att både Mercedes och Red Bull är bättre än Ferrari.
Vi vet att batteriet som finns i McLaren är bättre-
–och vad Ferrari kan ha. Det är också svårt för dem.
Så även med att uppgradera att Ferrari har bråd–
–och även med att diffuserna är återhållade–
–och Ferrari har mer hos förhållning–
–så ska det inte vara lätt att överhålla det.
Särskilt när du försöker vara snabbt i den middelsen–
–då de har en balans till aerogen–
–och växelsen för att sätta upp chassan.
Det är klart att se att du får det rätt.
Den gapen av 2 000 till en sekund mellan två världskollegor–
–säger du exakt vad du behöver.
Ferrari är bättre än en femma och sista plats.
Det kanske är i en grånpris.
Jag tror inte att Ferrari har en chanserad kväll.
Även om de är de flesta när det kommer till poäng–
–med konstruktionen, Lewis Hamilton–
–och bara 12-50 poäng från Rosso–
–och ett talare på toppen.
Är det så klart?
Jag tror att det är mer av gränsen–
–då relabilitet och konsistens av Ferrari.
Men när det kommer till en trapp som här–
–så är det inte så klart.
Men det är intressant att Norris–
–och särskilt kan skriva överhållande för Ferrari.
Ja, jag trodde att det skulle bli bättre–
–än jag trodde att det skulle bli bättre för Ferrari.
Men det var inte bättre än jag trodde att det skulle bli–
–och det var ganska bäst.
Det var i de medium till högst kvällskollegorna.
Jag frågade om de hade att sätta upp chassan–
–och sätta upp chassan på ett sätt–
–för att säkerställa att de inte skulle vinna i den första sektorn–
–där de har kastat sig en liten nedgång–
–för att kunna ta med de medium till högst kvällskollegorna.
Det har varit en vridig weekend för dem så fort.
De har varit väldigt kväll vs de andra team.
Vi vet att Lewis Hamilton hade en krasch i förhållande förhållande–
–som tackar till den Ferrari-team för att kunna ta det i tiden.
Men det var absolut missen från den här bilen.
Det var där du rebuldade den.
–Det var också förhållande för att ta tre kvällskollegorna.
–Ja, Gasly gjorde det som tidigare.
Men Alpine hade tidigare tid att fixa sina saker än idag.
Ferrari hade två timmar att jobba med.
De kunde inte bara ta det i tiden för att kolla–
–men i början av att kolla.
–Det är bara så bra att de är så bra som de andra team.
–Det är en kredit för Ferrari.
–Det var en bra avsnitt.
Den är förstås okej i alla sider, men han var inte i någon tid havet.
Det var lite kaputt för den första parta som kvällskollegorna.
Men jag tror att de andra kan bygga, den ena Angelin och Verstappen.
Lecler är där här, jag tror, efter den första parten.
–Lägg att bygga där på, snarare.
Det wasn't that extra gear.
No, you almost needed to do what Red Bull did and actually just say, right after the first run, Leclerc, you're in front, Hamilton, we're going to sacrifice you on this run to try and get a car on the front row or a pole, you will give Charlotte Clairoteau.
You'll go out first, Leclerc will be behind you. If you improve, Lewis, fair enough, but you're there to give Leclerc a toe.
I do wonder if they will really have lost out anything at that point. I feel like Hamilton will still be in fifth place, he will still move forward due to the Norris penalty and actually there's a chance that maybe Leclerc have jumped up a couple of places.
Leclerc är obviously less than a tenth away from Lando Norris' time.
I wasn't surprised by this result, it always looked like Norris had the upper hand.
Limblad har bara en tändt väg från Piacerie.
i säschen. Jag vet att Lindblad är runga i uppgränsen för att röda ballen och ljusen är inte.
Och det är därför du ser ett sådant gap mellan dem.
Men det är fattat Lindblad, det är färdigt klart av det Audi av Gaby Bortoletto, men
bara ett tjänst av Piaschery, vilket är fullt av att fungera i McLaren.
Det är inget bra med det i McLaren.
Jag är bäst att Gaby är så klart.
Ja, Lindblad hade en väldigt bra kvalificering från start till finish.
Han var siktig i den första kvalificeringen,
och byggt på en halv sekund för den andra kvalificeringen, och byggt på en annan halv sekund
i den fina kvalificeringen.
Och här är han tre kvarters av en sekund bakom Tansen eller Poletime.
Och cruxiellt bara några tjänster från den
gruppen av kvinnorna, including Norris, Russell, Leclerc, Hamilton.
Han är inte långsiktig.
Och som du säger, han är runga i uppgränsen för att röda ballen den här veckan.
Och Larsson inte än, vilket, påverkade sig det om han inte kallade det.
De gjorde en skjuta i Silverstone kvalificeringen.
De visste att vem som kallar den högest för den brudda GP
kommer att ge uppgränsen först, vilket vi behöver mer av.
Jag älskar det.
Det är bra.
Jag älskar det.
Det är de kallade kvinnorna.
De kan både gå och älskar Lindblad.
Det vinstar ut i dag och Larsson sker upp i hunger.
Så det har inte så mycket att lösa.
Ja, exakt.
Ja, en riktigt bra säsong.
Jag tänkte på Lindblad för att gå in i mixen.
Ja, han kommer att vara färmlig i topp 10 för att börja imorgon.
Jag har en hunk att han kan vinnas, Rookie, i år.
Jag vet att det är nästan hos honom, men jag räcker att han kan bara göra det.
Vad odd är det du gillar mig att han inte vinner?
1000-1.
Jag tar det!
Hahaha, bra.
Vad är det om Bortolato, också att göra det frutat, Q3?
Bitt odd att se en sån gap mellan honom och Holkenberg.
Det känns ganska konsistent.
Jag har en notare här för min Q2 notare som jag har skrivit här.
Jag har Gaby 6 cent faster än Holk, men jag har också Hydraulic Leak
att blöda.
Jag vet inte om det är möjligt att han hade att avtrycka kvinnorna i Lindblad efter.
Det kanske bara plötsade lite på tid, för de var nyk och nyk Q1.
Q1 var ungefär två, nästan tre cent.
Det är bära, är det?
Ja, det är bättre än sex.
Ja, en par cent är fem, men sex är astronomiskt stor.
Det är bara en annan team som har en stor gap, tror jag, och det var de sista.
Så jag vet inte om det är lite
reliabilitet fokuserat.
Men nonetheless, Gaby har gjort det väldigt bra att få sig i Q3.
Holk har bara gjort det så fort, jag tror att Gaby har gjort det twice.
Så han börjar verkligen ta det runt.
Och Odie, på en track där jag tror att de kanske kan ställa,
särskilt i den första och tredje sektorer, har han gjort det bra att sätta en karr
tillsammans som ser kompetent.
Ja, det ser ganska bra ut.
En stor gap mellan sig och Lindblad i den fina delen av kvalificeringen, men
än denna, en ganska falsk dag från Bortoletto, och
han har haft det avstående över Holkenberg, jag tror, fortfarande den här veckan.
Det är inte till den 6 cent, vilket kan stå till ditt
färg att vara korrekt, men han har säkert varit ett par
tämstfaster än Holkenberg konsistentat förut, och det har hänt förut
till den första kvalificeringen.
Ja, jag tror att han blir ganska glada med det och igen, han kommer att
ta åtminstone en spot starta i morgon.
Så, ja, en chans för honom att bygga på Odie's points tally, vilket
inte är vad det ska vara, men i alla fall de sätter sig i
positions till skolan igen.
Ja, jag tror att de har egentligen fått planer för att bygga på
den här momenten, så att de kan starta att sätta vandrörelser.
Vi får se om det kommer att bli trött.
Väldigt snabbt i den middelsen också, Odie, vilket kanske inte är en
förväntning, baserat på Chassie.
Det är där kvalificeringen ska vänta.
Vi vet att vi vet att det är svårt.
Ja, men han klarar att han inte lovar
enough i den första och fina delen av lapen för att
se om de inte får en Q3.
Alpine, 12 och 13.
Jag tror att det var bara snabbare än alla behind dem.
Inte så snabbare än Odie eller Racing Bulls.
De är i den middelsen.
Ja, Alpine har fallit tillbaka till den middelsen, men de
är leda i den middelsen.
För den första 5 eller 6 Grand Prix, den här säsongen,
uppgräns till...
Racing Bulls, i speciellt, men också till Odie, har
börjat se dem klocka tillbaka för att bli
den ordna pointskorten.
Vi sa att för den första, jag tror att det var 5 Grand Prix,
Gatsley var inte ute på points.
Jag fick upp den poängen.
Vi har ganska blivit i den sända platsen.
Det var bara 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Gatsley, 8, 9, 10.
Och nu har vi rärdigt sett dem kvalificera
i den här sända platsen, för att de inte har
uppgränser för att de har all de
uppgränser som de har.
Så det är inte en uppgränsning.
De är både rätt för henne,
Colopinter gör det rätt igen, för att bli
rätt för behind Pierre Gatsley.
Det är inte så bra, är det?
Jag kan inte följa dem, som skrivare.
Klockan är lite bra uppgränsning.
Ja, jag tror att 12 och 13 är väldigt
reflektivt på vad den här Alpine är i moment.
Jag är inte bäst av att konterna med
racingballs och Audi, men samtidigt
är jag möjligare för att skriva
alla andra behind dem.
Rätt komfort.
Det ser ut att bli väldigt snabbt
när finalsektorn gjorde Alpine.
Så jag frågade om deras strategi
var att hålla på med deras batteri
lite mer än de andra teamarna
när vi går in till Leica de Blanche.
Vi har sett att Gatsley...
Perfektivt, eller?
Ja, jag tror att han kanske har
hållit på den här sända platsen
i den här sända platsen i kvalificeringen.
Förlåt, i den här sända platsen i lapen.
Och jag tror att Colopinter var
lite annorlunda snabbt i
den här sända platsen tidigare än idag.
Så, ja, det ser ut att
vara där de frar.
Men inte så länge för resten av
lapen att verkligen svåra Q3.
Well, du har already mentioned
det största gap som vi har sett
mellan teamarna idag till
de två nivåerna av sämre
tjänster av en sekund
mellan Estaban Okon och Olli Bergman.
Det bra news för Estaban Okon är att det
bara kvar till två positioner på track
för Bergman börjar 16.
Och Olli Bergman börjar 18.
Men det där ser ut att det är för
en mycket fler läns än vad det
faktiskt är, tror jag.
Jag tror också att det är allt som jag kan säga
att det är klart för Olli Bergman
är att Bergman har bara skrapt
på nåt i Q1.
Och det är inte så
som Bergman har sett där i P10
och har haft en bra tid.
Han var kvar för sin liv för att
få ut denna elimination.
Så även om Olli Bergman
har ökat de sämsta tjänster, han
kanske är ut i Q1, som det är.
Så jag kommer inte att komma
ner så svårt på andra kompetitioner.
Men du måste vara kvar till
sin tjänster, gärna.
Det är en track som han vet.
Han har skrivit på många gånger.
Han har mycket erfarenhet på det.
Du går tillbaka till det poäng
där jag minns att han racing
på Sergio Perrens
i den första
tjänster på racen, där de
gillar att hitta henne.
Ja.
Den går ner till Aruge.
De har varit här för lång tid
nu, Olli Bergman.
Det är väldigt erfarenhet.
7.10 av en gärna som är
den tredje tjänsten av
formula 1 är
förlöshållande.
Det är väl vad du kan.
Ja, det är en tjänst.
Ja, ja, ja.
Det är så jag är blivit bäst.
Jag sa att han var här några år sedan och han var.
Ja, Oconn har verkligen
fått de läggarna när det kommer
till racen, men Bergman
är bara att oblitera
när det kommer till absolut stöd.
Vi har sett Oconn på poängen
och i Q3 här mycket gånger
tidigare.
Men ja, det är
missen av denna tjänsten
och vad det inte går rätt för Oconn
fortsätter.
Många av det här lättaren
har han lossat i den
middelsen.
Det har bara inte huggit upp
nån nere på samma sätt
som Bergman var.
Och ja, det är fattat
att det inte kostar dem så mycket
i terms av gritt position.
Det här är fortfarande
att följa med Williams
verkligen för
9 och 8 bäst.
Det är rubbish.
Det är både rubbish.
Jag menar om Williams.
Det kanske ser lite bättre
här än det har gjort
i den senaste gången.
Grämpare, men det är inte bra.
Vad jag hittat mest var att
signs och Albin var
väldigt klart.
Väldigt klart.
Det är en tjänst mellan dem.
Och jag tror att Albin är
bäst att vara på den andra
sidan av en eliminering.
Det är vad jag betyder med
Oconn och Bergman
som realistiskt är en
tjänst och en av dem
är kanske att bli eliminerad.
Men det är exakt vad
har hänt med Williams.
Albin kommer att bli
väldigt frustrerad.
Jag tror att från en
konfidensspånd, en
mentalitetspånd, det
fattar att scientist
har bara hittat dem igen.
Det starts to roll
all into one big ball
of frustration
when you're in a car
that isn't working.
You're not realising the
dreams that you thought
you might have going
to a new era.
Teammate joins is only
his second season
in the team with you.
He's beating you regularly
now.
You know, even just
that 10th difference
will have made Albin
feel much better
about his weekend
if the roles were switched.
Even if Albin starts
15th and it's Sight 17th.
It's just a little notch
against your teammate.
But it's again
something that Sight has gone.
I've got that over you.
And Albin just can't seem
to get the better of Carlos Sight,
especially in qualifying.
Yeah, and the frustration
is going to mostly be,
I think, with Alex Albin.
The early on in this weekend,
it was looking far better
on his side of the garage
versus Carlos Sines.
James Vowels over
Skysports sort of chats
with chats with him.
James Vowels was saying
we haven't got it quite right
on Carlos's car yet.
And that's why there's such
a gap between him and Alex.
And we get to qualifying
and that gap is completely gone
and they are very well
matched. And it's Carlos Sines
that's on the better side
of that duel.
But much closer,
which is good news for Alex Albin.
But yeah, unfortunately,
he's the one that's knocked out
in Q1.
But look, if you if you fix the car
and you end up fighting for Q3
and the drivers are that close again,
you've got a perfect line up.
That's exactly what you're all about,
you drivers, right?
Yeah, yeah.
Aston Martin,
could we quickly just mention
them before we finish?
The last race in theory
before they get this upgrade
which also might not actually all come,
by the way.
Wow.
Just now rumours it might not arrive.
Yeah, we'll see on that.
21st and 22nd,
no surprise there.
Alonso 4.1 seconds away
from the fastest time.
Lansstroll 4.3.
I have to admit,
throughout practice,
I was thinking that number
might start with a five.
They've actually improved
on what I thought they would do.
I mean, you're right.
I fully agree with you that I
actually thought they might have
to basically be told.
Why don't you just sit this out
for a bit,
because you're really not very good.
The good news for them is
because it's such a long lap.
The 107% rule,
which we haven't needed to use
in qualifying for many years now,
that would be like seven seconds
off the pace of the pole time.
So I think they were always
safe of that.
But I mean,
five is pretty embarrassing.
So to be slightly closer to four.
Well, I mean, well done.
Kagalack, comfortably better
than the pair of them.
I saw, I think this was relating
to practice time rather than
qualifying time,
because we've just had that session.
But it might well still be true.
They might be closer to the F2
pole time than the F1 pole time.
If that is the case,
that's a very, very sad sign
for Eskild Martin.
If it's not true,
it's very close to being true.
So, but it was definitely true
of practice times, I think.
Yeah, not great.
And what on Alonso?
Can't even make it any more.
Can't even like go on about it.
It's just sad.
Alonso, unfortunately,
a devastating grid penalty for him.
We'll see him go for 21st, 22nd.
It's tough, tough life in.
Driver of the session,
to see us off, Sam.
I'm going to go with the guy
that got pole by over
three tenths of a second.
You know what, fair.
And I agree with you.
I'll do something just to be varied,
because, you know, it's nice
to say very, I'm going to go in blood.
I think to be only a tenth away
from that fight with McLaren's
and Ferrari's is fantastic.
But Antoni,
he really has done a fantastic job there.
Yeah, they were the two in my mind,
no doubt about that.
Any prediction as to what we're
going to get tomorrow?
It's typically a track
that's quite tough on on tyres.
Looks like it's going to be a dry one.
That thinks we might see a collision
at turn one.
Wouldn't be the first time.
No, it's such an awkward turn.
Cars like to either chuck it up
the inside, go round me outside.
We see multiple pile ups here.
Most famously, I think we're
Grosjean picked up his bang
because he went straight over
the top of Lewis Hamilton.
At one point, you know,
we do see a lot of accidents
at this turn one.
It's a little part,
but I think there could be
of the Stappen and Singeli
coming together.
Well, if there is a bit of variety
and sort of how quick
they are off the line
as we are often seeing this year,
that could be very interesting
because it could be a short run.
It could be five wide
coming to the breaking zone.
We should be silly, but, you know,
anyone I think of from Hamilton
up could end up first
going into Lakeham.
Well, that's it.
It's not just the run to turn one.
It's everything after that, really,
as you go all the way down,
like you say, to Lakeham up,
up Oruj, up Radion.
The momentum is so important.
So that almost the exit of T1
rather than where you are
in the entry is more important, I think.
So it would be fascinating to see
how that front five or six
really managed that.
Yeah, we'll have to see on that.
We'll, of course, be back
to review that race
this time tomorrow,
but until then, Sam,
if you wouldn't mind
getting us out of here.
Folks, jump in the discord
if you're thinking
I want to be involved more.
It's how you get your moment
of the race involved,
which will get played out
on the review tomorrow.
And that's how you submit it in the disco.
Also, we chat
the whole way through the Grand Prix.
If you want to come into the race chat,
have a laugh with the local people
enjoying F1, do get involved.
Also, follow us on social media
and late breaking F1
where you can kind of see
question of the week.
You can get involved
with some of the silliness
that goes on in the show as well.
And patron is available
because we do power rankings
after every race we can.
So that way you can come in here.
What we rank every single drive,
we break their Grand Prix
down individually.
And also you get to say
there's a form
that you can fill out
that allows you to do your rating
till we get an average
patron rating as well,
which is lovely to hear
from the community.
It means a lot to us.
So we will see you tomorrow.
Make sure you join us.
Hope you enjoy the race
and make sure you feedback
to us. What are your thoughts?
Let us know what you're thinking.
In the meantime,
I've been Samuel Soge.
And I've been Ben Hocking.
And remember,
keep breaking late.
About this episode
Belgian GP qualifying gets dissected through sector-by-sector pace, track evolution, and the knock-on effects of red flags and penalties. The hosts highlight how Antonelli’s lap management, high kerb use, and aggressive line choices helped him carry momentum to the pole, while Verstappen’s Q3 pace leaned on slipstream. McLaren’s middle-sector work and Norris’s battery/penalty shape the grid and strategy outlook, with clean air and undercut/overcut framed as key. They also touch on wet-weather coping, the 107% rule, and why turn one chaos matters.
Spa delivered plenty of drama in qualifying, and Ben and Sam are here to break it all down! They discuss a remarkable pole position that saw the largest qualifying margin of the season so far, Verstappen and Red Bull's clever tow tactics, and Lindblad shining for Racing Bulls once again.
