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The 2021 Belgian GP wasn’t much of a race even using the most charitable definitions, but it did produce a set of results and award points.
And while drivers only had to do the bare minimum behind the wheel on Sunday, their overall weekend performances do merit discussion.
Given the unique circumstances of the Belgian Grand Prix, drivers are judged solely on their performance during practice and qualifying – except in the case of Sergio Perez, whose reconnaissance lap crash is factored in.
Unlike the grand prix itself, full points will be awarded in the ratings given the drivers’ performances in qualifying dictated their final results.
Most drivers do not include an entry for their race, except to explain those who lost positions.
Started: 3rd Finished: 3rd
Qualifying
In qualifying conditions that seemed made for him, Hamilton was disappointed not to do better than third.
But given both he and team-mate Bottas were struggling for grip, he felt that his final lap had been decent enough given the set-up that Mercedes had chosen.
VERDICT: For once, not the star of a wet qualifying session but still did a good job.
Started: 13th Finished: 12th
Qualifying
Struggled badly for grip in the wet conditions and ended up two seconds off Hamilton after a particularly difficult Q3. While he pointed to a set-up biased more towards dry than wet, the deficit to his team-mate showed how much he was struggling to find the grip. Given he also had a five-place grid penalty carried over from the Hungaroring, it added up to 13th on the grid.
VERDICT: Couldn’t find the grip his team-mate did and underachieved.
Started: 7th Finished: 19th
Qualifying
Perez blamed Q3 strategy, along with track positioning, for underperforming. Given he’d been much closer to Verstappen in Q1 (six tenths) and Q2 (just over two tenths) it’s a fair argument, especially given he wasn’t able to set his best time on the final lap as the tyres were past their best by this point. But even with a clear run, fourth was probably the best he’d have done.
Race
It all went disastrously wrong 34 minutes before the start of the formation lap as Perez overcooked it into Les Combes on a reconnaissance lap. He appeared to have gathered it up, but in the left-hand part the rear stepped out and sent him nose-first into the wall. That should have put him out of the race, but the delay meant the car was repaired.
VERDICT: A little unfortunate in qualifying, but while the conditions were awful his reconnaissance lap blunder was disastrous.
Started: 1st Finished: 1st
Qualifying
Had a quietly solid run through Q1 and Q2, but nailed it when it mattered on the final lap in the final stage of qualifying to deny unexpected challenger George Russell pole position.
Verstappen showed his usual wet-weather virtuosity using the classic karting wet lines, which left him with a healthy margin of three-and-a-half tenths.
VERDICT: While the win was gifted by the circumstances that he can’t be blamed for, Verstappen earned it through a superb pole lap and only misses a maximum as he didn’t have the chance to showcase his virtuosity in the race, as he likely would have done.
Started: 4th Finished: 4th
Qualifying
Ricciardo produced his best qualifying performance for McLaren, and since last year’s Belgian GP, with fourth-fastest in qualifying.
While the wet conditions certainly meant he was a little more at home in the car, and the result was a good one, there was no sign of the pace Norris appeared to have.
VERDICT: Did an effective and accomplished job, but was never the potential pole threat Norris was.
Started: 15th Finished: 14th
Qualifying
Looked mighty in the wet conditions and felt he would be a contender for pole position in Q3. But in correcting the rear stepping out, he fired the car into a spin and heavily into the barriers on the left at Raidillon. Fortunately, he was uninjured despite the size of the impact but did require a precautionary x-ray to the elbow.
The impact also damaged the gearbox and led to a precautionary change of engine to one previously used and relegated him to 15th the grid.
VERDICT: Stunningly quick in the wet qualifying but while the conditions were poor and mitigate the mistake, it was his error that caused the crash.
Started: 5th Finished: 5th
Qualifying
Vettel seemed at home in the wet conditions and breezed through to Q3, but he was disappointed to lose out to Ricciardo. And with good reason given he braked too late for the long Rivage right-hander and took to the run-off on his quickest lap.
While the lap was still legal despite the track limits violation, this cost him time. But even so, it was Vettel’s best qualifying performance for Aston Martin and a reminder of his wet-weather prowess.
VERDICT: Bang on form in the wet conditions, although his qualifying error cost fourth place.
Started: 19th Finished: 20th
Qualifying
Given Stroll usually thrives in these conditions, it was a surprise to see him eliminated as the slowest runner in Q2. This was down to a strategic error, with a switch to fresh intermediates leading to him not being able to get to the line in time to start the lap – having also lost a little time letting Vettel, on a flying lap, by on his out-lap. That said, he always looked to be struggling to match his team-mate’s pace, and was anyway due a five-place penalty for his Hungary error.
Race
Aston Martin opted to change his rear wing for a higher-downforce configuration during the race suspension. This was deemed illegal and earned him a 10-second penalty that dropped him to last.
VERDICT: Unlucky in Q2 but lacked his usual wet edge.
Started: 12th Finished: 11th
Qualifying
Struggled a little with the intermediates, but the big problem was the way the timing panned out in Q2. Having pitted for a fresh set, he left the pits needing both a fast out-lap and to keep Stroll behind. He achieved both goals, but had taken the best out of the tyres and ended up down in 14th. A Q3 place was achievable with a clean run.
VERDICT: Showed similar pace to Ocon but Q2 timings meant he couldn’t earn a points finish.
Started: 8th Finished: 7th
Qualifying
After a promising Friday, Ocon suffered from the same intermediate tyre struggles as Alonso and in the circumstances did a good job to make it through to Q3. But given the struggles to get the tyres working, he was slowest of the nine drivers who set a time Q3 by a second even though he produced a decent lap in the circumstances.
VERDICT: Did a very good job to make the most of a tricky car and earn a good result.
Started: 9th Finished: 8th
Qualifying
Leclerc missed out on a Q3 place by a little under four-tenths. While he complained vehemently over the radio about the strategy, he accepted that this was down to concerns about the rain returning before the end of Q2. In a difficult session, he wasn’t far off making the top 10, but wouldn’t have gone much further than 10th given Ferrari’s struggles.
VERDICT: Didn’t look great, but the Ferrari wasn’t working in the wet and he did outqualify Sainz.
Started: 11th Finished: 10th
Qualifying
In conditions Sainz usually relishes and that the Ferrari went well in at Imola, he was frustrated to struggle both for grip and braking feel during qualifying. That, combined with a strategy designed to avoid the rain late in the session that Ferrari feared but that arrived slightly later, added up to elimination in Q2.
VERDICT: Struggled a little more than Leclerc but just did enough for half a point.
Started: 6th Finished: 6th
Qualifying
On a day when the qualifying order was mixed up, Gasly did a good job to put himself where he usually ends up with the sixth-fastest time.
He did a decent job, but was a little disappointed by giving away a few tenths to Vettel in the middle sector thanks to running wide at Ickx (also known as the corner with no name).
VERDICT: A good weekend, but fourth was possible in qualifying and, as a consequence, the race.
Started: 16th Finished: 15th
Qualifying
The changeable conditions really didn’t help Tsunoda on his first F1 outing at Spa and it was no surprise to see the Japanese rookie falling in Q1. But had he not locked up the inside front and ruined his run through La Source, he might have had a shot at making it through to Q2 given that cost him a good half-second. But at best, he likely only could have been a couple of places higher.
VERDICT: Never looked on top of the car on a challenging weekend.
Started: 20th (Pits) Finished: 18th
Qualifying
A brake failure in FP3 meant he had no chance to acclimatise to conditions and was playing catch-up in Q1. His last lap on intermediates was his quickest, but he was still finding the grip and admitted that he was quicker through some corners on his in-lap thanks to finding alternative lines. He was also frustrated that the team left him out when he was keen to pit for fresh intermediates. It all added up to being just over two seconds slower than Giovinazzi.
Race
A change of rear-wing specification for a higher-downforce version meant a pitlane start for Raikkonen. Stroll’s penalty and Perez’s crash meant he gained more positions than any other driver in the ‘race’.
VERDICT: Pace was poor but with some mitigating factors.
Started: 14th Finished: 13th
Qualifying
Giovinazzi struggled in the wet conditions throughout Friday and missed out on a Q2 place by almost half-a-second. His Q1 was straightforward enough, but he struggled to find the grip some others did. That said, he did outpace his team-mate by two seconds, although that was little consolation for the missed opportunity.
VERDICT: Qualifying was a missed opportunity given the conditions.
Started: 18th Finished: 17th
Qualifying
Mazepin benefitted from a brand-new chassis that replaced the previous slightly overweight one. He was a little frustrated at switching from wets to inters slightly late in Q1, getting in one quick lap but locking up and sliding across the runoff at Les Combes on his next attempt.
He matched team-mate Schumacher’s best in the first sector on that lap prior to the off thanks to better wheelspin management off La Source and carrying more speed through Eau Rouge, but the pair ended up separated by 0.966s.
VERDICT: Kept it clean but seemed far less confident in the wet than his team-mate.
Started: 17th Finished: 16th
Qualifying
Schumacher said he “enjoyed every second” of qualifying. He ended up almost a second quicker than team-mate Mazepin and made the right calls both in terms of switching to intermediates and staying out and stringing together four push laps on his second run.
The result was his best lap on the third of those push laps and picking off the Alfa Romeo of Raikkonen.
VERDICT: Looked comfortable in the car in challenging conditions and did a good job.
Started: 10th Finished: 9th
Qualifying
Inevitably, Latifi was overshadowed by his team-mate’s heroics but he did turn in the best qualifying performance of his F1 career to set the 12th-fastest time despite feeling he has had precious little wet experience in F1.
While he didn’t have anything like Russell’s pace, he did have a shot at Q3 but after a change to fresh inters late in the session his final lap wasn’t good enough, with a few moments in the first sector – in particular running wide in the first right-hander at Stavelot and struggling to get the power down.
VERDICT: While qualifying could have been a little better, it was enough to earn another points finish.
Started: 2nd Finished: 2nd
Qualifying
Russell’s qualifying performance was nothing short of sensational. The team’s strategy and execution was perfect, with the first push lap on his Q3 run saving battery power for an all-out attack on the last lap.
Russell was quick from the off, driving with a smoothness and control that combined with an intelligent choice of lines and good-old-fashioned supreme confidence.
It all added up to one of the great F1 qualifying performances of the 21st century.
VERDICT: Given the machinery, it’s impossible not to award a maximum for this brilliant qualifying performance.
