Max Verstappen won the sprint race and is chasing down the Ferrari driver.
The Dutchman, however, has been hit with a five-point grid penalty as Formula One pitches up at Spa-Francorchamps this weekened for its final race before the summer break – and it should be a wet one.
A sprint weekend will close out the first half of the 2023 F1 season which has been utterly dominated by Red Bull and Verstappen.
The reigning world champion is targeting an eighth consecutive victory at the Belgian Grand Prix , a feat that would land him just one away from Sebastian Vettel’s all-time record.
In recent weeks, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris have shown improved speed in their bid to halt Verstappen’s march while Sergio Perez bagged a welcome podium in Hungary a week ago.
F1 fans can expect a different flavour to this weekend with the adjusted sprint-race format shaking up the schedule.
When is the Belgian Grand Prix?
The Belgian Grand Prix takes place this weekend with the race scheduled for Sunday, July 30, 2023.
Belgian Grand Prix full schedule
The full weekend schedule is as follows (all times BST):
- First practice: Friday, 12.30pm
- Race qualifying: Friday, 4pm
- Sprint shootout: Saturday, 11am
- Sprint race: Saturday, 3.30pm
- Grand prix: Sunday, 2pm
F1 sprint race explained
The sprint race has been turned into a standalone feature in the 2023 season. The official grand prix itself will only get one practice session, at Friday lunchtime before the traditional race qualifying later that day.
Saturday is now entirely dedicated to the sprint, with a special ‘shootout’ qualifying early on featuring shorter times for each of the three sessions and mandated tyre compounds.
That decides the grid for the sprint race, which otherwise is as you were. The top eight will earn points in the usual half-hour event. The grid for Sunday’s grand prix will, unlike previous years, not be affected by the result.
Who is on pole?
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix from pole position after Red Bull’s dominant Formula One leader Verstappen qualified comfortably faster but dropped five places for a gearbox change.
Verstappen, who is chasing his eighth win in a row, will start in sixth place at a favourite circuit where last year he romped to victory from 14th on the starting grid after engine penalties.
How to watch the Belgian Grand Prix
TV channel: In the UK, the entire weekend of racing is being broadcast on Sky Sports F1. Free highlights of the race will air on Channel 4 at 6.30pm BST.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers able to watch on the Sky Go app.
Live blog: You can follow all the action from Spa with Standard Sport’s live blog.
Belgian Grand Prix weather forecast
As the weekend approaches, Spa looks set to be the victim to the miserable weather that has dominated northern Europe in recent weeks. There have already been plenty of delays all weekend.
That means rain is strongly predicted on Friday and Saturday with a high chance of a wet race on Sunday, too.
