Spa Francorchamps is the next F1 race on the menu. It seems that there won’t be any spectacular differences when compared to the previous contests, because Lewis Hamilton looks pretty confident and dominant. The Brit once again won the pole position, only this time, he was far ahead of all the competition.
Preview
The Brit was virtually untouchable throughout the entire qualifications, setting best times from lap to lap. Like so many times before, Mercedes prepared his vehicle perfectly, and it, to be honest, Hamilton looked as if he recorded this time without exceeding 75% of his power. In the end, he reached the fifth pole this year and the 93rd overall.
Valtteri Bottas was behind him, half a second slower, and the Fin had a huge battle with Max Verstappen, who saw slower for just 0.012 than the second Silver Arrow. These two brought some tension into today’s qualifying session.
Daniel Ricciardo will take place no.5 at the starting grid, which is a solid success for his Reanult. The Italian was the last driver to be within one second of Hamilton’s time. The other Red Bull, Alexander Albon in fifth, and two Bulls are sandwiching Renault, which promises an entertaining start.
Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz Jr, Sergio Perez, Lance Stroll, and Lando Norris complete the first 10 at the start.
Ferrari once again suffered a meltdown. The four-time world champion, Sebastian Vettel, was 14th, and Charles Leclerc 13th. Just to remind you that the latter one won here last year. Both of the Prancing Horse driers barely reached the second part of the qualifications.
Previous Races
The first race took place in 1925, and so far, there were 75 events. The last winner was Leclerc, as we said already. Michael Schumacher has six wins, the most, while Kimi Raikkonen has the most of all the active drivers – four. Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel had three each. Interestingly, Ferrari posted two consecutive triumphs here, which is a rarity in the last couple of years.
The Italian manufacturer has 18 wins at this circuit, but just those two in the previous decade. McLaren has 14, Lotus 8, and Mercedes 6.
Prediction
Hamilton has no worthy rivals, and that is clear by now. The reigning champion is after another title, and as said so many times before, is competing with history. He was routine today, which suggests that the has room for additional improvement during the race.
Bottas will have to keep an eye on Verstappen, who will be very aggressive to take him down in the first few laps. All this will open the possibility for the champ to ride on his own, with an open road ahead of him, and without any pressure from behind. The odds on the Brit to win are 0.36 at BetXChange, but we have an even more tempting bet.
Hamilton (or any driver) to win with over 8 seconds of advantage is 0.86. Now, this circuit is fast, and if Lewis manages to pull away at the start, the chances to see this bet becoming a winning one would be pretty realistic.
The only thing that might interrupt all the plans of all teams is rain, but even with harsh weather involved, Hamilton’s win is not even questionable.
