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F1 Drivers Go Through Tricky Qualifying Session in Belgium

Formula 1 is back in full effect with this weekend's race at Spa-Francorchamps. Things are heating up in the fight for the title. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton will once again be in the spotlight, but they aren't the only ones going all out on the track.
F1 Drivers Go Through Tricky Qualifying Session in Belgium 30 photos
Photo: Daimler AG
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With rain coming down all weekend, everyone is still trying to find the right setup for today's race. Valtteri Bottas was off to an excellent start on Friday, as he managed to set the fastest lap around Spa in FP1, with a time of 1:45.199.

Lewis Hamilton found his rhythm starting with FP2. He finished the session in P3, right behind his teammate, who had continued to increase his pace.

After another free practice session on Friday, it was time for the drivers to move on to the qualifying session. With rain falling, everyone was much slower than on Friday.

I'm talking about 15 seconds slower throughout the whole track. Valtteri Bottas finished P8 after three qualifying sessions, with a fast lap of 2:02.502. Due to his penalty from the Hungarian GP, he will be starting today's race from P13.

Lewis Hamilton was slightly faster, setting a pace of 2:00.099, which was enough to secure him P3. Unsurprisingly, Max Verstappen is the poleman once again. But it was nice to see George Russel coming up right behind him in P2.

Lando Norris lost control of his McLaren Mercedes as he spun out at Raidillon. That looked like a pretty serious crash but he was fortunate enough not to come to an immediate stop. This crash reminds us how difficult that section of the track can be, especially if grip levels aren't ideal.

According to the weather report, it might rain again today, which means the start of the race is going to be a very tricky moment for everyone involved. Let's just hope we aren't going to see another messy crash like the one in Hungary. You can watch the race live starting at 4 PM Central European Time.
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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
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The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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