The 14th round of the 2022 F1 season took place in Belgium. We outline the race in our report F1 Review Belgium 2022.

The Spa Franchorchamps racetrack in Belgium is a legendary street/road circuit that held its first race in 1925. It is one of the most demanding circuits, the highest and lowest points of the track being 102 metres apart. The first corner, the La Source hairpin, is taken at a mere 40 km/h. One then accelerates downhill towards the most intimidating switchback in motorsport lore: Eau Rouge.  

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It twists uphill and drivers strive to take the corner sequence as fast as possible. It was here where Jacques Villeneuve and teammate Ricardo Zonta famously destroyed their BAR-Supertec machines in qualifying in 1999. Villeneuve dared Zonta to take the complex flat out and both paid dearly for their daredevil exploits, however, emerging unscathed. Since then, there have been numerous accidents at Eau Rouge/Radillion, including the fatal accident of Anthoine Hubert in 2019. This led to the circuit being refurbished in this area to improve safety.

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Constant Threat

Spa is well known for its changeable weather conditions. A few Grands Prix were run in torrential rain over the years. Jackie Stewart had a huge accident in treacherous conditions in 1966. The Scot aquaplaned off the circuit, went through a woodcutter’s hut and hit a telephone pole. Stewart led a drivers’ boycott in 1969, due to the circuit’s poor safety at the time. This led to the race’s cancellation.

In 1998 Michael Schumacher cannoned his Ferrari into the back of David Coulthard’s touring McLaren in the teeming rain. This, after the race was initially stopped after 13 cars were involved in an accident due to the torrential rain. The race last season was called after three demonstration laps and there were fears that this would be the case this weekend. Thankfully, the weather stayed away.

Click here to read five facts about Spa.

Flying Dutchman

The background to this weekend’s event is extensive, because the race itself was nothing much to write home about. Reigning titleholder Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) was in a class of his own throughout the weekend. The Dutchman lapped the circuit almost one second a lap faster than his rivals in every practice session, including qualifying.

What was farcical were the number of penalties dished out due to power unit/spares replacements. No fewer than eight drivers were penalised for exceeding their allotment. These included Verstappen, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo-Ferrari), Esteban Ocon (Alpine), Mick Schumacher (Haas-Ferrari), Lando Norris (McLaren-Mercedes), Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) and Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri). To top it off, Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri) also had to start in pit lane with his teammate…

Verstappen may have started 14th, but he used his soft rubber to carve his way into the lead by Lap 12. The Dutchman ceded his lead four laps later when he pitted, but retook the lead on Lap 18. He dominated proceedings after that and took the chequered flag at a canter. Teammate Sergio Perez followed him home in second position, underlining Red Bull Racing’s dominance at Spa.

Second Best

Ferrari were a distant second best at Spa. Carlos Sainz took advantage of Verstappen’s penalty and started from pole position. He kept Perez at bay in the race’s early stages, but fell well behind later on. The Spaniard spent the final stages staving off George Russell (Mercedes) for the final podium position.

Charles Leclerc had a visor tear-off lodged in his machine’s brake duct and the Monegasque had to pit. He later carved his way through the field and tangled with Perez at Les Combes while vying for position. The two machines touched, which compromised the Ferrari’s pace for the remainder of the race. He trailed home to finish a lonely sixth after a late pit stop to attempt the fastest race lap.

Saving Face

Russell salvaged some pride for the Mercedes squad at Spa. The two drivers were a good 1.8 seconds off the pace in qualifying, one race after Russell claimed pole position. Lewis Hamilton got a good start and slipstreamed Fernando Alonso on the run to Les Combes. The Englishman swooped around the outside under braking and crowded his Spanish rival, resulting in contact. Hamilton’s car was launched into the air. The Mercedes landed hard and sustained damage which led to his retirement. The Mercedes pilot acknowledged responsibility, while Alonso was scathing in his criticism over the team radio. The Spaniard managed to continue and finish fifth.

Also-rans

Birthday boy, Valtteri Bottas, was the second retirement of the race. Nicolas Latifi (Williams-Mercedes) spun and the Finn tried to take avoiding action. The Alfa Romeo pilot spun and beached his car in the kitty litter, which brought out the safety car.

Ocon finished strongly in seventh position, ahead of Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) and Gasly. Six drivers contested hotly for the final points position in the final stages of the race. Alexander Albon (Williams-Mercedes) beat his rivals to take the final point on offer.

Verstappen leads the championship standings by a mammoth 93 points over teammate Perez. The Mexican heads Leclerc by five points, while Sainz lies fourth, 15 points behind his teammate. Russell is a mere one point behind Sainz.

Red Bull is dominating the constructors’ standings, 118 points clear of Ferrari. Mercedes lies third, 41 points behind the Italian marque. The German manufacturer is 201 points clear of Alpine in fourth position.

Dutch fans have less than a week to wait to cheer on their hero at Zandvoort, the Netherlands, for the next Grand Prix. Verstappen is riding a wave of success and his rivals will be hard pressed to beat him at home.