F1 Belgian Grand Prix LIVE: Sprint race results at Spa-Francorchamps

Max Verstappen will start on pole position for Saturday’s sprint race after beating McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to top spot by just 0.011 seconds.

Verstappen qualified fastest here on Friday for Sunday’s Grand Prix, but he will line up in sixth after serving a grid penalty for a gearbox change.

But for the 15-lap dash in the Ardennes, the Red Bull driver begins from the front after edging out the impressive Piastri in wet-dry conditions at Spa-Francorchamps.

Carlos Sainz finished third, just 0.025sec adrift of Verstappen, with Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc fourth.

Follow live reaction from the Belgian Grand Prix with The Independent

F1 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - SPRINT

• Max Verstappen wins the sprint race; Piastri 2nd; Gasly 3rd

• Click HERE for the top-8

• LAP 9/11: Lewis Hamilton receives penalty after Sergio Perez collision

• Lap 6/11: Max Verstappen regains the lead from Oscar Piastri

• Lap 4/11: CRASH! Fernando Alonso into the gravel

• Lap 2/11: Piastri leads after chaotic start with whole field pitting

• The sprint race started behind the safety car

• Charles Leclerc is on pole for Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix; Max Verstappen quickest in qualifying but has a grid drop

• Click HERE for the starting grid for Sunday’s grand prix

• Carlos Sainz interview: ‘All of us at Ferrari expected more – we haven’t done the best job’

Driver Standings (updated after sprint race)

17:54 , Kieran Jackson

1) Max Verstappen - 289 points

2) Sergio Perez - 171 points

3) Fernando Alonso - 139 points

4) Lewis Hamilton - 135 points

5) Carlos Sainz - 92 points

6) George Russell - 91 points

7) Charles Leclerc - 84 points

8) Lando Norris - 63 points

9) Lance Stroll - 45 points

10) Oscar Piastri - 34 points

11) Esteban Ocon - 31 points

12) Pierre Gasly - 22 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

Pierre Gasly:

17:42 , Kieran Jackson

“It feels amazing to finish in the top-three in Spa. It was very difficult conditions but I’m extremely happy. We pitted at the right time and held off Lewis until the end.

“I’m extremely pleased for the whole team. I must say I gave it everything. It wasn’t easy, gave it all and it paid off. Super happy.”

Oscar Piastri:

17:32 , Kieran Jackson

“Very, very happy. We tried our best. Led a few laps but we were no match for Max. Apart from Max, our pace was really strong. The last three weekends we’ve had have been pretty special.

“To lead my laps is a day I won’t forget. I couldn’t keep him behind on the straights but very happy to get the points. First top three in a sort of race.”

Max Verstappen:

17:25 , Kieran Jackson

“The car was quick. I need to pass a few cars tomorrow, biggest risk is lap one and turn one. As long as I stay out of trouble we’ll have a quick car.”

Lewis Hamilton drops to seventh

17:18 , Kieran Jackson

Lewis Hamilton crossed the line in fourth but drops to seventh with that five-second time penalty!

4-8: Sainz, Leclerc, Norris, Hamilton, Russell

Daniel Ricciardo cruelly misses out on his first points of the season in ninth.

Max Verstappen wins the Belgian GP sprint race

17:17 , Kieran Jackson

Business as usual for Max Verstappen! It wasn’t plain sailing - but the Dutchman wins the sprint in Spa!

Oscar Piastri comes home second for a brilliant seven points for the rookie Australian.

And a terrific third place for Alpine’s Pierre Gasly!

Lewis Hamilton heading for P7 with his penalty (Lap 11/11)

17:16 , Kieran Jackson

Final lap.

Lewis Hamilton can’t get past Pierre Gasly and is still in fourth - but he’d drop to seventh as it stands.

1-10: Verstappen, Piastri, Gasly, Hamilton, Sainz, Leclerc, Norris, Russell, Ricciardo, Ocon

George Russell overtakes Daniel Ricciardo (Lap 10/11)

17:13 , Kieran Jackson

George Russell takes eighth place and that final point from Daniel Ricciardo, with extra pace heading into the bus-stop chicane.

Two more laps - this has been so engrossing!

Lewis Hamilton receives a penalty (Lap 9/11)

17:12 , Kieran Jackson

Wow!

Lewis Hamilton receives a five-second time penalty for that collision with Sergio Perez!

That seems harsh, think we all assumed it was a racing incident!

That would put Hamilton down to P7 from P4 at the moment...

Sergio Perez retires (Lap 9/11)

17:11 , Kieran Jackson

Red Bull box Sergio Perez and retire the car - looks like he has sidepod damage from that collision with Lewis Hamilton.

And with three laps to go, George Russell gets up to ninth and Daniel Ricciardo is next in line in eighth!

Out in front, Max Verstappen has a 4.6 second lead to Oscar Piastri.

Sergio Perez goes off the track! (Lap 7/11)

17:09 , Kieran Jackson

Under pressure from Lando Norris in eighth, Sergio Perez loses control and goes onto the gravel!

He’s all the way down in P16 when he rejoins the race!

Top-10: Verstappen, Piastri, Gasly, Hamilton, Sainz, Leclerc, Norris, Ricciardo, Ocon, Russell

A reminder that only the top-eight score points, from eight down to one.

Hamilton passes Perez (Lap 7/11)

17:08 , Kieran Jackson

Sergio Perez is really struggling here, don’t know if he’s got some damage from that collision with Hamilton!

The Mercedes storms past after turn 1, while both Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc pass the Mexican too!

“I have no rear grip,” Perez says.

Max Verstappen overtakes Oscar Piastri (Lap 6/11)

17:07 , Kieran Jackson

That wasn’t too tough for Max Verstappen!

His Red Bull stays with Oscar Piastri as the sprint race resumes, and Verstappen storms past the McLaren on the Kemmel Striaght!

Further down the order, in a battle for fourth - Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez touch as the Mercedes tries to make the overtake!

Safety car coming in at the end of this lap (Lap 5/11)

17:02 , Kieran Jackson

So, the safety car is heading in with Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin in the gravel.

Big moment for rookie Oscar Piastri here...

TOP-10 behind the safety car

17:01 , Kieran Jackson

1) Oscar Piastri

2) Max Verstappen

3) Pierre Gasly

4) Sergio Perez

5) Lewis Hamilton

6) Carlos Sainz

7) Charles Leclerc

8) Lando Norris

9) Daniel Ricciardo

10) Esteban Ocon

George Russell down in P12!

Fernando Alonso into the gravel (Lap 4/11)

16:58 , Kieran Jackson

Fernando Alonso hits the wall in sector two! A nightmare for the birthday boy!

SAFETY CAR is coming back out here!

Alonso was trying to overtake the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg and he spins on the kerb, beeching his Aston Martin in the gravel.

Oscar Piastri leads the sprint race

16:55 , Kieran Jackson

It’s not quick enough from Red Bull!

Max Verstappen comes out but is 1.3 secs behind Oscar Piastri!

The McLaren leads the sprint!

Pierre Gasly has got himself up to third too from starting in sixth!

4-10: Perez, Hamilton, Sianz, Leclerc, Norris, Ricciardo, Ocon

Everyone has now pitted...

Max Verstappen pits

16:54 , Kieran Jackson

So exactly half the field pitted!

Max Verstappen will now pit after one lap to switch to inters! Will he get out ahead of Oscar Piastri?

Max Verstappen stays out but Oscar Piastri dives into the pits

16:52 , Kieran Jackson

Carnage at the start of the sprint!

Max Verstappen stays out but Oscar Piastri and exactly half the rest of the field dive into the pits to switch to intermediates!

Safety car in the pits this lap

16:49 , Kieran Jackson

Rolling start too. Racing coming right up at Spa!

One additional lap behind the safety car

16:47 , Kieran Jackson

So we’ll be behind the safety car for another extra lap - 5 in total - making it an 11-lap race now!

Safety clearly the top priority.

Max Verstappen:

16:46 , Kieran Jackson

“It’s drying quick. You could definitely drive already we have inters.”

UPDATE: Four laps behind the safety car

16:42 , Kieran Jackson

Plan is for four laps behind the safety car and then there’ll be a rolling start for the sprint race.

I do think these laps behind the safety car are technically race laps. So we’ll have a 12-lap race as opposed to 15 laps.

Another formation lap!

16:40 , Kieran Jackson

So that’s the formation lap done, but seemingly we’re having another formation lap before the OFFICIAL race start.

And George Russell has already been on the radio saying “it’s definitely inters.”

I think we may have a chaotically busy pit lane any moment now!

Formation lap starts!

16:37 , Kieran Jackson

So behind the safety car, we have the pack led by Max Verstappen around a very wet Spa-Francorchamps circuit for the formation lap.

All cars on full wet tyres. How many laps will we have behind the safety car?

A reminder that it’s a 15-lap race around this circuit, which is the longest on the F1 calendar.

F1 sprint race points

16:33 , Kieran Jackson

P1 - Eight points

P2 - Seven points

P3 - Six points

P4 - Five points

P5 - four points

P6 - three points

P7 - two points

P8 - one point

A reminder of the starting grid for the Saturday sprint

16:30 , Kieran Jackson

1) Max Verstappen

2) Oscar Piastri

3) Carlos Sainz

4) Charles Leclerc

5) Lando Norris

6) Pierre Gasly

7) Lewis Hamilton

8) Sergio Perez

9) Esteban Ocon

10) George Russell

11) Daniel Ricciardo

12) Logan Sargeant

13) Fernando Alonso

14) Alex Albon

15) Lance Stroll

16) Yuki Tsunoda

17) Valtteri Bottas

18) Kevin Magnussen

19) Zhou Guanyu

20) Nico Hulkenberg

BREAKING: Formation lap at 4:35pm (BST)

16:24 , Kieran Jackson

Confirmation from the FIA - just as the rain stops and the sun appears - that we will have a formation lap at 4:35pm (BST).

It will be behind the safety car on wet-weather tyres.

UPDATE: Rain expected for the next five minutes

16:19 , Kieran Jackson

This heavy rain is expected to stop after five minutes. Once the rain stops, there’ll be some time to drain the circuit and then we can get underway.

Hold on folks..

BREAKING: Formation lap delayed further to 4:15pm (BST) earliest

16:14 , Kieran Jackson

The rain is still hammering it down at Spa. This start time will keep being pushed back further...

UPDATE: Formation lap will start at 4:12pm (BST)

16:07 , Kieran Jackson

With the rain hammering down at Spa-Francorchamps, in chaotic and blustery conditions, the FIA have announced the formation lap will start at 4:12pm (BST).

We assume behind the safety car.

BREAKING: Start time has been delayed

16:04 , Kieran Jackson

With the rain just arriving, the start time of 4:05pm (BST) has been DELAYED - the FIA have just confirmed.

More to follow...

What is the starting grid for the Saturday sprint?

16:02 , Kieran Jackson

1) Max Verstappen

2) Oscar Piastri

3) Carlos Sainz

4) Charles Leclerc

5) Lando Norris

6) Pierre Gasly

7) Lewis Hamilton

8) Sergio Perez

9) Esteban Ocon

10) George Russell

11) Daniel Ricciardo

12) Logan Sargeant

13) Fernando Alonso

14) Alex Albon

15) Lance Stroll

16) Yuki Tsunoda

17) Valtteri Bottas

18) Kevin Magnussen

19) Zhou Guanyu

20) Nico Hulkenberg

F1 Belgian Grand Prix sprint

16:00 , Kieran Jackson

We’re five minutes from getting underway with the sprint race at Spa-Francorchamps!

Max Verstappen starts on pole for this 15-lap dash, with Oscar Piastri in second and both Ferraris behind them on the second row!

Can anyone challenge the Dutchman? And it’s just started raining!

Sprint race odds

15:57 , Kieran Jackson

Belgian Grand Prix Sprint Winner

Max Verstappen - 1/5

Oscar Piastri - 10/1

Sergio Perez - 17/1

Carlos Sainz - 20/1

Charles Leclerc - 20/1

Lewis Hamilton - 20/1

Lando Norris - 30/1

George Russell - 66/1

Pierre Gasly - 100/1

Esteban Ocon - 175/1

Fernando Alonso - 225/1

Odds provided by Sports Encyclopedia

What is a sprint race in F1 and how does new qualifying shootout work?

15:54 , Kieran Jackson

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.

NEW SPRINT WEEKEND FORMAT

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)

Sunday: Grand Prix

How many points are on offer?

P1 - Eight points

P2 - Seven points

P3 - Six points

P4 - Five points

P5 - four points

P6 - three points

P7 - two points

P8 - one point

Red Bull boss Christian Horner:

15:51 , Kieran Jackson

“There’s quite a bit of rain around. It can rain at this end of the circuit and be dry at the other - it’s all about reacting to what’s going on.

“McLaren have been quick the last few races. The downforce level should help them if it gets wetter. They’ll be a factor in this race.”

Driver Standings ahead of Belgian Grand Prix sprint

15:47 , Kieran Jackson

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

What is a sprint race in F1 and how does new qualifying shootout work?

15:09 , Kieran Jackson

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.

NEW SPRINT WEEKEND FORMAT

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)

Sunday: Grand Prix

How many points are on offer?

P1 - Eight points

P2 - Seven points

P3 - Six points

P4 - Five points

P5 - four points

P6 - three points

P7 - two points

P8 - one point

What is the starting grid for the Saturday sprint?

14:59 , Kieran Jackson

1) Max Verstappen

2) Oscar Piastri

3) Carlos Sainz

4) Charles Leclerc

5) Lando Norris

6) Pierre Gasly

7) Lewis Hamilton

8) Sergio Perez

9) Esteban Ocon

10) George Russell

11) Daniel Ricciardo

12) Logan Sargeant

13) Fernando Alonso

14) Alex Albon

15) Lance Stroll

16) Yuki Tsunoda

17) Valtteri Bottas

18) Kevin Magnussen

19) Zhou Guanyu

20) Nico Hulkenberg

Max Verstappen beats Oscar Piastri to sprint race pole in Belgium

14:41 , Kieran Jackson

Sprint shootout report

Max Verstappen will start on pole position for Saturday’s sprint race after beating McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to top spot by just 0.011 seconds.

Verstappen qualified fastest here on Friday for Sunday’s Grand Prix, but he will line up in sixth after serving a grid penalty for a gearbox change.

But for the 15-lap dash in the Ardennes, the Red Bull driver begins from the front after edging out the impressive Piastri in wet-dry conditions at Spa-Francorchamps.

Carlos Sainz finished third, just 0.025sec adrift of Verstappen, with Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc fourth.

Full report below:

Max Verstappen beats impressive Oscar Piastri to sprint race pole in Belgium

Driver Standings ahead of Belgian Grand Prix

14:23 , Kieran Jackson

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

What is a sprint race in F1 and how does new qualifying shootout work?

14:06 , Kieran Jackson

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.

NEW SPRINT WEEKEND FORMAT

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)

Sunday: Grand Prix

How many points are on offer?

P1 - Eight points

P2 - Seven points

P3 - Six points

P4 - Five points

P5 - four points

P6 - three points

P7 - two points

P8 - one point

Constructors’ Championship ahead of Belgian Grand Prix

13:51 , Kieran Jackson

1) Red Bull - 452 points

2) Mercedes - 223 points

3) Aston Martin - 184 points

4) Ferrari - 167 points

5) McLaren - 87 points

6) Alpine - 47 points

7) Williams - 11 points

8) Haas - 11 points

9) Alfa Romeo - 9 points

10) AlphaTauri - 2 points

Carlos Sainz interview: ‘All of us at Ferrari expected more – we haven’t done the best job’

13:33 , Kieran Jackson

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 150^th 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.

Carlos Sainz interview: ‘All of us expected more – we haven’t done the best job’

What is the starting grid for the Saturday sprint?

13:15 , Kieran Jackson

1) Max Verstappen

2) Oscar Piastri

3) Carlos Sainz

4) Charles Leclerc

5) Lando Norris

6) Pierre Gasly

7) Lewis Hamilton

8) Sergio Perez

9) Esteban Ocon

10) George Russell

11) Daniel Ricciardo

12) Logan Sargeant

13) Fernando Alonso

14) Alex Albon

15) Lance Stroll

16) Yuki Tsunoda

17) Valtteri Bottas

18) Kevin Magnussen

19) Zhou Guanyu

20) Nico Hulkenberg

Max Verstappen beats Oscar Piastri to sprint race pole in Belgium

13:04 , Kieran Jackson

Sprint shootout report

Max Verstappen will start on pole position for Saturday’s sprint race after beating McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to top spot by just 0.011 seconds.

Verstappen qualified fastest here on Friday for Sunday’s Grand Prix, but he will line up in sixth after serving a grid penalty for a gearbox change.

But for the 15-lap dash in the Ardennes, the Red Bull driver begins from the front after edging out the impressive Piastri in wet-dry conditions at Spa-Francorchamps.

Carlos Sainz finished third, just 0.025sec adrift of Verstappen, with Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc fourth.

Full report below:

Max Verstappen beats impressive Oscar Piastri to sprint race pole in Belgium

Lewis Hamilton on P7:

12:52 , Kieran Jackson

“Not happy about it. It was a really fun session. That lap was first after the first one. Honestly I think I could have been first or second on that last lap, communication was pretty poor.

“We got to the last corner and there were seven cars. We were led to believe we didn’t have any time left. I feel great in the car in all conditions. Slower than the bulls, middle sector, but none of us have driven on the heavy fuel.”

Interestingly, he didn’t want to comment on coming close together with his team-mate George Russell on the Kemmel Straight, which impacted his final lap.

Max Verstappen after securing pole for the sprint:

12:35 , Kieran Jackson

“We stayed calm, there was also no need to risk it all. Still on pole, that’s what counts.

“Let’s see in the afternoon if it will rain again. It’s good to have it clean through qualifying.”

Oscar Piastri:

12:28 , Kieran Jackson

“There wasn’t much left in that lap, but probably 11 milliseconds!”

Max Verstappen on pole for the sprint race

12:27 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen gets it done - by just 0..011 seconds to Oscar Piastri in second!

What a lap by the Australian!

Carlos Sainz is third, with Charles Leclerc fourth.

5-10: Norris, Gasly, Hamilton, Perez, Ocon, Russell

Max Verstappen makes it over the line to start his final lap

12:24 , Kieran Jackson

Only just! By a few seconds!

Here we go then...

Lewis Hamilton quickest out of the first runners

12:23 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen can’t quite beat Lewis Hamilton - a difference of a tenth of a second! Hamilton on provisional pole for the sprint!

Lando Norris in third, with Charles Leclerc in fourth.

5-10: Piastri, Sainz, Russell, Perez, Gasly, Ocon

They’ll all have another run though, barring an incident!

2:00 left

SQ3 underway!

12:19 , Kieran Jackson

All the drivers straight out on track for this final quickfire 8-minute session!

And they’re all on soft tyres! Who will be on pole for the sprint race later today?

10 drivers involved: Verstappen, Hamilton, Perez, Gasly, Leclerc, Piastri, Sainz, Norris, Ocon, Russell

Fernando Alonso out in SQ2

12:06 , Kieran Jackson

A disaster for Aston Martin as that has eliminated both drivers! Not a happy birthday for Alonso!

Bottom-five (11-15): Ricciardo, Albon, Sargeant, Stroll, Alonso

George Russell again sneaks through in P10!

Top-3: Verstappen, Hamilton, Perez

Lance Stroll into the barriers!

12:05 , Kieran Jackson

RED FLAG!

There wasn’t enough grip! Lance Stroll hits the barrier at the corner with no-name!

With 29 seconds, that’s a red flag - and SQ2 is done here!

Lewis Hamilton fastest out of first runners

12:03 , Kieran Jackson

Lewis Hamilton top of the standings with three minutes left, with Pierre Gasly second and Charles Leclerc third.

Lance Stroll has now gone brave and has switched to slick tyres right at the end here!

All of the bottom-five so far haven’t set a lap time.

Current bottom-five (11-15); Ricciardo, Sargeant, Alonso, Albon, Stroll

3:00 left

SQ2 is underway!

11:57 , Kieran Jackson

We’re now underway with sprint-qualifying-two, which is 10 minutes long to decide who will be in the top-10!

Logan Sargeant, Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris the first cars out on track at Spa-Francorchamps...

BREAKING: Change of time to sprint race

11:55 , Kieran Jackson

FIA says: “The gap between the start of sprint shootout and sprint is fixed at 4h30 so updated Sprint start time would be 17:05 local time (16:05 UK).”

So that would mean a delay of 35 minutes for the sprint race, originally set to start at 3:30pm (BST).

George Russell sneaks through in P15

11:51 , Kieran Jackson

By 0.009 seconds, George Russell sneaks through to SQ2!

And Nico Hulkenberg didn’t even set a lap in the end as he crossed the line just after the chequered flag!

Bottom-five and out of SQ1 (16-20): Tsunoda, Bottas, Magnussen, Zhou, Hulkenberg

Pressure is on Lando Norris!

11:47 , Kieran Jackson

Lando Norris has to get it done here! He’s currently P16 ahead of his final lap...

Current bottom-five (16-20): Norris, Stroll, Sargeant, Magnussen, Huleknberg

Both Haas drivers in 19th and 20th are yet to set a lap...

Lewis Hamilton noted by stewards for potentially impeding Max Verstappen

11:46 , Kieran Jackson

Stewards have noted an potential impediment of Max Verstappen’s hot lap from Lewis Hamilton at turn 8.

Does look a bit suspect... not that it affected Verstappen’s lap time too much...

Max Verstappen quickest in first six minutes

11:44 , Kieran Jackson

No surprises here - Max Verstappen quickest by half-a-second to George Russell in second, with Sergio Perez in third.

Current bottom-five (16-20): Zhou, Tsunoda, Magnussen, Hulkenberg, Alonso

Everyone now just getting their laps in...

6:00 left

SQ1 underway!

11:39 , Kieran Jackson

So a reminder, just 12 minutes for this opening qualifying session where we will lose the slowest five drivers..

Given we’re at the longest track on the F1 calendar - where an out-lap takes over two minutes - it will be a quick dash throughout the next half-an-hour of action or so!

And they’re all out on the green bended intermediate tyres to begin with!

UPDATE: The sprint shootout will start at 11:35am (BST)

11:25 , Kieran Jackson

We have a start time! Sprint qualifying 1 (SQ1) will start at 11:35am (BST). That’s around 10 minutes time.

To be honest, bit frustrating we’re going to have to wait that long. It’ll probably be intermediate tyres, as opposed to wet tyres.

But still, we have a countdown now!

The drivers patiently waiting in the Red Bull garage

11:19 , Kieran Jackson

UPDATE: If sprint shootout doesn’t take place....

11:15 , Kieran Jackson

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...

Happy birthday Fernando Alonso!

11:06 , Kieran Jackson

The two-time world champion turns 42 today!

And he’s still going strong!

BREAKING: F1 sprint shootout delayed

11:00 , Kieran Jackson

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...

What is a sprint race in F1 and how does new qualifying shootout work?

10:56 , Kieran Jackson

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.

NEW SPRINT WEEKEND FORMAT

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)

Sunday: Grand Prix

How many points are on offer?

P1 - Eight points

P2 - Seven points

P3 - Six points

P4 - Five points

P5 - four points

P6 - three points

P7 - two points

P8 - one point

Driver Standings ahead of Belgian Grand Prix

10:52 , Kieran Jackson

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

Sprint shootout odds:

10:47 , Kieran Jackson

Fancy a flutter?

Max Verstappen - 1/2

Lando Norris - 7/1

Sergio Perez - 11/1

Carlos Sainz - 16/1

Oscar Piastri - 16/1

Lewis Hamilton - 16/1

Charles Leclerc - 20/1

George Russell - 20/1

Fernando Alonso - 25/1

Odds provided by Betfair

Carlos Sainz interview: ‘All of us at Ferrari expected more – we haven’t done the best job’

10:45 , Kieran Jackson

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 150^th 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.

Carlos Sainz interview: ‘All of us expected more – we haven’t done the best job’

What is the starting grid for Sunday’s grand prix?

10:40 , Kieran Jackson

1) Charles Leclerc

2) Sergio Perez

3) Lewis Hamilton

4) Carlos Sainz

5) Oscar Piastri

6) Max Verstappen*

7) Lando Norris

8) George Russell

9) Fernando Alonso

10) Lance Stroll

11) Yuki Tsunoda

12) Pierre Gasly

13) Pierre Gasly

14) Valtteri Bottas

15) Esteban Ocon

16) Alex Albon

17) Zhou Guanyu

18) Logan Sargeant

19) Daniel Ricciardo

20) Nico Hulkenberg

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

Max Verstappen fastest in Belgian GP qualifying despite X-rated row with race engineer

10:35 , Kieran Jackson

Qualifying report

Max Verstappen took pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix despite an X-rated radio row with his race engineer.

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.

Full report below:

Verstappen launches X-rated rant as Leclerc takes Belgian GP pole

F1 Belgian Grand Prix - sprint shootout

10:33 , Kieran Jackson

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!