The wet conditions at the Belgian Grand Prix made their first victim, with one driver being pushed out of the race before it even started.
Welcome to our live coverage of the Belgian Grand Prix, where Daniel Ricciardo is chasing his best result of the season so far.
The Australian will start from the second row of the grid after showing his best qualifying performance with McLaren and being fourth fastest in the field with his outstanding lap.
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Ricciardo’s fifth place at the British Grand Prix last month was his best ever result with McLaren and he will try to improve that result again in Belgium.
He will contest his 200th Grand Prix in Belgium, making him only the 20th driver to reach the milestone.
Time is running out to hold the race
There is still no indication of when the Grand Prix could start as it continues to rain heavily in Belgium.
And time for the race is running out after it was confirmed that the race clock had started as the grid did an introductory lap behind the safety car.
There are only about 90 minutes left for the race to take place and the rain is a sign that it is over.
With the F1 teams having to transport all of their equipment to the Netherlands for the Dutch Grand Prix next weekend, any postponement of the race would be a logistical nightmare.
There is no F1 precedent for running a race on a Monday.
Meanwhile, race stewards have confirmed that Sergio Perez could start the race from the pit lane if Red Bull’s mechanics are able to work a miracle and fix his car in time for the race to restart.
He was initially believed to have been disqualified from the race after crashing into the barricades on a warm-up lap.
Race start delayed due to heavy rain
The Belgian Grand Prix is still pending as it is raining heavily on the Spa track.
Several motorists have reported aquaplaning and extremely poor visibility from the water that shot from the rear of the cars in front.
The drivers drove behind the safety car on an introductory lap, but conditions deteriorated.
The race management has ordered a red flag and all drivers have returned to the pit lane.
“That’s the right call,” said Ricciardo over the team radio.
“I really can’t see anything behind it,” said Lewis Hamilton.
It is unclear when the race will start and the possibility exists that it will be rescheduled and held on another day if conditions are drier.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez out of the race before it even starts
The wet conditions at Spa claimed their first victim, with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez being excluded from the race after damaging the front of his car in the warm-up laps.
He couldn’t control the car on the slippery track and hit the guardrails at slow speed on the way to the starting grid.
Sky Sports commentator Natalie Pinkham described the crash as “an absolute shocker for Sergio Perez”.
It’s a heavy blow for Red Bull, which needs every point it can get in the fight with Mercedes for the constructors’ championship.
Ricciardo looking for the best result ever with McLaren
Ricciardo will have his best chance of finishing ahead of teammate Lando Norris, who was hospitalized after a serious crash on the Eau Rouge corner during qualifying three.
The young Briton has been cleared for the race but will start from 14th place after McLaren received a five-place penalty for replacing his gearbox damaged in the accident.
The Spa-Francorchamps circuit will again be wet and Ricciardo believes the circuit may need to be modified to prevent similar accidents in the future.
“As exciting as Eau Rouge is, there are major accidents almost every year,” he told Autosport.
“If it’s not in F1, it will be in another category where there are big ones. I think it’s a little too much.
“I think the curve will be scary and exciting even if you push the barrier a few meters back, because the cars will then jump back onto the track.
“It’s kind of a security realignment. I don’t think it changes the pure character of the corner. I think it just removes any unnecessary danger. With history and this side of it, nobody benefits if the danger points in this direction. “
“I’m still happy to drive here. I think if they’re trying to tweak the track and just make it a little safer then we all want to come here and we’re definitely not trying to get them off the calendar.
“But if we can help keep it on the calendar by adjusting some of these areas, of course we will because it’s a mega-track.”
The Grand Pix starts at 11 p.m. (AEST).
Starting grid for the Belgian Grand Prix
Front row: Max Verstappen (NED / Red Bull-Honda), George Russell (GBR / Williams-Mercedes)
2nd row: Lewis Hamilton (GBR / Mercedes), Daniel Ricciardo (AUS / McLaren-Mercedes)
3rd row: Sebastian Vettel (GER / Aston Martin-Mercedes), Pierre Gasly (FRA / AlphaTauri-Honda)
4th row: Sergio Perez (MEX / Red Bull-Honda), Esteban Ocon (FRA / Alpine-Renault)
5th row: Lando Norris (GBR / McLaren-Mercedes), Charles Leclerc (MON / Ferrari)
6th row: Carlos Sainz (ESP / Ferrari), Nicholas Latifi (CAN / Williams-Mercedes)
7th row: Valtteri Bottas (FIN / Mercedes), Fernando Alonso (ESP / Alpine-Renault)
8th row: Antonio Giovinazzi (ITA / Alfa Romeo-Ferrari), Yuki Tsunoda (JPN / AlphaTauri-Honda)
9th row: Mick Schumacher (GER / Haas-Ferrari), Kimi Räikkönen (FIN / Alfa Romeo-Ferrari)
10th row: Nikita Mazepin (RUS / Haas-Ferrari), Lance Stroll (CAN / Aston Martin-Mercedes)
Note: Bottas and Stroll each penalized five starting positions after accidents
Originally published live as the Belgian F1 Grand Prix: races postponed due to heavy rain
The post Belgian F1 Grand Prix Live Blog, Daniel Ricciardo, Lando Norris, McLaren, F1 News first appeared on monter-une-startup.
