F1 Belgian Grand Prix LIVE: Sprint updates and times at Spa-Francorchamps

The starting grid for the sprint race this afternoon will be set by yesterday’s order in grand prix qualifying IF the sprint shootout this morning can’t take place.

However, it has stopped raining at Spa – and the safety car is now going out to test the track, where there are still areas of standing water. Touch wood, it shouldn’t be too long until we get some quickfire qualifying action…

The two-time world champion turns 42 today!

And he’s still going strong!

Due to the wet weather, the sprint shootout qualifying session has been DELAYED.

More info will follow from the FIA.

This Spa-Francorchamps track does drain quickly…

On Saturday, instead of what was seen as a generally pointless second practice session on Saturday, a new ‘sprint shootout’ will take place to form the starting grid for the sprint race later in the day.

It will follow the same Q1-Q2-Q3 format but the session times will be shorter than traditional qualifying: Q1 will be 12 minutes, Q2 will be 10 minutes and Q3 will be eight minutes.

Friday: Free Practice 1; qualifying (for Sunday’s Grand Prix)

Saturday: Sprint qualifying; sprint race (Top-eight receive points, finish order will have no impact on Grand Prix grid)

1) Max Verstappen – 281 points

2) Sergio Perez – 171 points

3) Fernando Alonso – 139 points

4) Lewis Hamilton – 133 points

5) George Russell – 90 points

6) Carlos Sainz – 87 points

7) Charles Leclerc – 80 points

8) Lando Norris – 60 points

9) Lance Stroll – 45 points

10) Esteban Ocon – 31 points

11) Oscar Piastri – 27 points

12) Pierre Gasly – 16 points

13) Alex Albon – 11 points

14) Nico Hulkenberg – 9 points

15) Valtteri Bottas – 5 points

16) Zhou Guanyu – 4 points

17) Yuki Tsunoda – 2 points

18) Kevin Magnussen – 2 points

19) Logan Sargeant – 0 points

20) Nyck de Vries – 0 points

21) Daniel Ricciardo – 0 points

Exclusive interview by Kieran Jackson

Silverstone, 2022. That was the moment a goal within touching distance for so long was finally grasped by Carlos Sainz. Fittingly, his first pole position of his career was duly followed by a first Formula 1 race win, in his 150th grand prix. Ferrari were back among the top contenders and Sainz, this time, was the leading man ahead of his team-mate Charles Leclerc. The Scuderia were a force at the front once more. Or so we thought.

Despite producing a race-winning car, Ferrari failed to capitalise last year amid strategy and reliability clangers. Red Bull leapfrogged the calamitous prancing horse – and have not looked back. Now, Ferrari have not won since Austria last year, just a week after Sainz’s inaugural triumph. They are fourth in the Constructors’ Championship at the halfway stage this season. Sainz has not even finished on the podium.

“I thought we’d be fighting for more podiums and wins but unfortunately it’s a very competitive team called Red Bull who are dominating,” Sainz tells The Independent.

*Max Verstappen receives a five-place grid drop for exceeding his gearbox allocation

Verstappen was embroiled in a squabble with Gianpiero Lambiase after he only just made it through to Q3 during a wet-dry session at Spa-Francorchamps.

But the championship leader regained his composure at the business end of qualifying to demolish the opposition, finishing eight tenths clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc with Sergio Perez third in the other Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton qualified fourth.

However, Verstappen will only start Sunday’s race from sixth position as he serves a five-place grid drop for exceeding his gearbox allocation.

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of ‘sprint day’ at the Belgian Grand Prix!

It’s the third sprint weekend of the season and for the first time in Formula 1, the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit plays host to the intense weekend of action on track.

Max Verstappen was fastest in Friday’s grand prix qualifying but Charles Leclerc will start on pole for tomorrow’s grand prix as a result of Verstappen’s five-place grid drop.

But none of that has any bearing on today, when the sprint shootout this morning will decide the order for the sprint race this afternoon!

The sprint shootout starts at 11am! And it’s once again raining in the Ardennes!