Every F1 Driver’s History at the Belgian Grand Prix

Hamilton took his fifth Spa win in 2024, Verstappen won the three previous races at the track and five drivers have a 100% finish rate here. Here’s everything you need to know about each driver’s history at the Belgian Grand Prix!

🇳🇱 Max VERSTAPPEN

Until the Dutch Grand Prix joined the calendar in 2021, the Belgian Grand Prix was Max Verstappen’s de facto home race. Verstappen won the Belgian Grand Prix in all three seasons from 2021 to 2023 – despite starting in the top five only once in that time.

Verstappen set the fastest qualifying time in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 but has only one pole position at the track. Penalties dropped him to 14th on the gird in 2022, to sixth on the grid in 2023 and to 11th on the grid in 2024.

In addition to his three Grand Prix wins at the track, Verstappen also won the Saturday Sprint race from pole position over the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix weekend.

In nine appearances, Verstappen has scored five podium finishes in total, having finished third in both 2018 and 2020 in addition to his three wins. Verstappen has retired from the event twice: he suffered power unit problems after just seven laps in 2017 and crashed out on the opening lap in 2019 after making contact with Kimi Raikkonen.

2015 is the only year that Verstappen has not reached Q3 at Spa, as well as the only season that he has not out-qualified his team-mate. His 2021 pole was his second front row qualification; his first having come back in 2016.

MAX VERSTAPPEN’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

 
Quali Battle
Qualified
Grid
Finished
Pos Change
2015
LOST
15
18
8
10
2016
WON
2
2
11
-9
2017
WON
5
5
DNF
2018
WON
7
7
3
4
2019
WON
5
5
DNF
2020
WON
3
3
3
0
2021
WON
1
1
1
0
2022
WON
1
14
1
13
2023
WON
1
6
1
5
2024
WON
1
11
4
7

🇳🇿 Liam LAWSON

Liam Lawson has recorded podium finishes at Spa-Francorchamps in the Euroformula Open Championship, Formula 3 and Formula 2. He recorded a double podium result in F2 here in 2022, winning the Sprint Race and finishing third in the Feature Race. That was the same weekend that Lawson made his F1 weekend debut, partaking in Free Practice 1 with AlphaTauri.

🇬🇧 Lando NORRIS

Lando Norris scored points at the Belgian Grand Prix for the first time in 2020, finishing in seventh place. He finished seventh again in the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, before recording his best result to date at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in 2024, finishing fifth. In addition, Norris also scored points by finishing sixth in the Sprint event over the 2023 race weekend.

Norris was set for a strong result on his first appearance at the Belgian Grand Prix in 2019 but retired just before the finish line, seeing him classified outside the points.

In 2021, Norris was on course for a great qualifying result before crashing out in Q3. He finished only 14th in the rain-shortened race. Norris has reached Q3 in all of the last five years. After qualifying tenth in all three years between 2020 and 2022, Norris qualified seventh in 2023 and recorded his best qualifying result to date at the track in 2024 with fifth place – which became fourth on the final grid. He has had three tp ten starts at the track, as grid drops meant that he started 15th in 2021 and 17th in 2022.

Norris previously raced at Spa-Francorchamps in Formula 3 in 2017. He won two of the races that weekend, and recorded a DNF in the middle race. In 2018, Norris competed here in F2, taking fourth place in the feature race and finishing as runner-up in the Sprint Race. Also at the track in 2018, Norris made his first appearance at a Formula 1 weekend, when he participated in Free Practice 1 with McLaren.

LANDO NORRIS’ BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

 
Quali Battle
Qualified
Grid
Finished
Pos Change
2019
WON
12
11
DNF
2020
LOST
10
10
7
3
2021
LOST
10
15
14
1
2022
WON
10
17
12
5
2023
LOST
7
7
7
0
2024
WON
5
4
5
-1

🇦🇺 Oscar PIASTRI

Oscar Piastri secured a front row start for the Sprint at the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix and went on to lead the opening laps of the Saturday race, eventually finishing as runner-up to Max Verstappen.

Piastri out-qualified his team-mate in both qualifying sessions at the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, qualifying sixth for the Grand Prix – one position ahead of his team-mate. Piastri had less luck on Sunday, with his race all but over after a Turn 1 collision with Carlos Sainz. He made it no further than halfway around the opening lap.

Piastri had better fortune in 2024. After finishing third on the road, he moved up to second in the final order following a post-race penalty for original winner George Russell. Piastri had qualified sixth for the race again – this time one position behind his team-mate.

Prior to F1, Piastri last raced at Spa in 2020, where he recorded two top six finishes in Formula 3. He has previously won at the track, taking victory in Formula Renault Eurocup in 2019.

OSCAR PIASTRI’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

 
Quali Battle
Qualified
Grid
Finished
Pos Change
2023
WON
6
5
DNF
2024
LOST
6
5
2
3

🇬🇧 Lewis HAMILTON

Lewis Hamilton has won the Belgian Grand Prix five times, claiming his latest win at Spa in 2024 as a result of his team-mate’s disqualification. Hamilton’s win was his first visit to the podium here since 2021 – a race which ended a seven-year streak of podiums at the track.

Hamilton has recorded 11 podium finishes here. His first, in 2008, was a race in which he crossed the finish line first before being handed a controversial post-race penalty which dropped him to third in the final result.

Hamilton has had more retirements at Spa than at any other circuit in his career. He was out in 2022 following contact with Fernando Alonso at the same point at which contact with team-mate Nico Rosberg last ended Hamilton’s race at the track in 2014.

Aside from his five DNFs at the circuit and two fourth places in 2007 and 2023, Hamilton has finished on the podium on every other outing at Spa.

Hamilton has taken six poles at the Belgian Grand Prix, and 2009 and 2016 are the only times in 17 appearances that he has not reached Q3 at the circuit. In total, Hamilton has had nine front row starts at the track. 2012 and 2014 are the only years that Hamilton has been out-qualified by a team-mate at Spa on pure pace.

LEWIS HAMILTON’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

 
Quali Battle
Qualified
Grid
Finished
Pos Change
2007
LOST
4
4
4
0
2008
WON
1
1
3
-2
2009
WON
12
12
DNF
2010
WON
2
2
1
1
2011
WON
2
2
DNF
2012
LOST
8
7
DNF
2013
WON
1
1
3
-2
2014
LOST
2
2
DNF
2015
WON
1
1
1
0
2016
21
21
3
18
2017
WON
1
1
1
0
2018
WON
1
1
2
-1
2019
WON
3
3
2
1
2020
WON
1
1
1
0
2021
WON
3
3
3
0
2022
WON
7
4
DNF
2023
WON
4
3
4
-1
2024
WON
4
3
1
2

🇲🇨 Charles LECLERC

Charles Leclerc took his maiden Formula 1 victory at the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix. It would be four years before he returned to the podium at Spa-Francorchamps, doing so as a result of finishing third in the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix. He finished third again last year but did not stand on the podium as he was moved up into the top three following George Russell’s post-race disqualification.

Leclerc has scored points at Spa on two other occasions, finishing eighth in 2021 and sixth in 2022. He was eliminated at the first corner in the 2018 race, and finished only 14th in 2020.

Image: © Andrew Balfour

Leclerc took pole position in 2019 – but that was the only time he reached Q3 at the venue in his first four appearances. He qualified fourth in 2022, which was the first time he had been out-qualified by a team-mate. After qualifying second in the last two years, grid penalties for Max Verstappen on both occasions have seen the Ferrari driver start from pole position.

Leclerc has won at the track in F3, GP3 and F2, though he was stripped of his F2 Feature Race win in 2017 due to a technical infringement.

CHARLES LECLERC’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

 
Quali Battle
Qualified
Grid
Finished
Pos Change
2018
WON
13
12
DNF
2019
WON
1
1
1
0
2020
WON
13
13
14
-1
2021
WON
11
9
8
1
2022
LOST
4
15
6
9
2023
WON
2
1
3
-2
2024
WON
2
1
3
-2

🇬🇧 George RUSSELL

George Russell crossed the finish line first in the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix but a failed post-race scrutineering check saw him disqualified from the result. Russell recorded his first podium finish in Formula 1 with Williams at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.

He had never previously scored at the track prior to his 2021 podium, having finished 15th on his first Belgian Grand Prix appearance in 2019 and failing to finish in 2020, crashing as a result of another incident for Antonio Giovinazzi. Russell has scored on both appearances after his podium, finishing fourth in 2022 and sixth in 2023.

Russell qualified on the front row for the 2021 Spa race with Williams, marking the first time he’d qualified above 15th at the circuit. It remains the only time he has qualified in the top six here – though he started in the top six in both 2022 and 2024 as a result of grid penalties for other drivers. Lewis Hamilton is Russell’s first team-mate to out-qualify him at the track, having done so in all of the last three seasons.

Russell previously raced at Spa in F3, GP3 and F2, with the latter being the only junior category in which he failed to take a victory at the circuit. In 2018, Russell finished third in the F2 Feature Race at the track, and seventh in the Sprint Race.

GEORGE RUSSELL’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

 
Quali Battle
Qualified
Grid
Finished
Pos Change
2019
19
14
15
-1
2020
WON
15
15
DNF
2021
WON
2
2
2
0
2022
LOST
8
5
4
1
2023
LOST
8
8
6
2
2024
LOST
7
6
DSQ

🇮🇹 Kimi ANTONELLI

Kimi Antonelli won all three races at Spa-Francorchamps in the Italian F4 Championship in 2022. He also won the first two rounds of the ADAC Formula 4 Championship, which were held at the track that year too. Another win followed in 2023, where Antonelli won the second race of the Formula Regional European Championship meeting at Spa. He scored points in both F2 races at the track in 2024, finishing sixth in the Sprint and ninth in the Feature.

🇪🇸 Fernando ALONSO

Fernando Alonso has never won the Belgian Grand Prix – though he has had three podium finishes at Spa Francorchamps. He finished as runner-up in 2005 and 2013, and finished third in 2007.

Alonso has recorded no fewer than seven retirements at the track – notably being taken out in dramatic fashion at the first turn in both 2012 and 2018. In 2022, he finished fifth, scoring his first pints at the track since 2016. He finished fifth again in 2023 before picking up points for a third consecutive season with eighth place in 2024.

Alonso has never taken pole nor started from the front row at Spa. His best grid position here is third, which is where he started in 2004, 2007 and 2022. He qualified sixth in 2022, reaching Q3 at the track for the first time since 2014. As a result of grid penalties for other drivers, he moved up to third for the start of the race.

FERNANDO ALONSO’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

 
Quali Battle
Qualified
Grid
Finished
Pos Change
2001
WON
20
20
DNF
2004
LOST
3
3
DNF
2005
LOST
5
4
2
2
2007
WON
3
3
3
0
2008
WON
6
6
4
2
2009
WON
13
13
DNF
2010
LOST
10
10
DNF
2011
LOST
8
8
4
4
2012
WON
6
5
DNF
2013
WON
9
9
2
7
2014
WON
4
4
7
-3
2015
LOST
18
20
13
7
2016
LOST
22
22
7
15
2017
WON
11
10
DNF
2018
WON
17
14
DNF
2021
LOST
14
12
11
1
2022
LOST
6
3
5
-2
2023
WON
9
9
5
4
2024
WON
9
8
8
0

🇨🇦 Lance STROLL

Lance Stroll holds a 100% finish rate at the Belgian Grand Prix and has scored here three times. He recorded his best result so far at the circuit with ninth place in 2020; a result which he equalled in 2023.

Image: © Andrew Balfour

2020 also marked the first time that Stroll reached Q3 at the circuit, qualifying in ninth place. 2023 was the first time he reached Q3 here since then. He was eliminated in Q2 in both 2021 and 2022. 2022 was the first time that the Canadian out-qualified his team-mate at Spa-Francorchamps.

Stroll finished the 2021 rain-shortened race in last place after picking up a 10-second time penalty for an illegal rear wing change under the red flag.

LANCE STROLL’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

 
Quali Battle
Qualified
Grid
Finished
Pos Change
2017
LOST
18
15
11
4
2018
LOST
19
16
13
3
2019
LOST
13
16
10
6
2020
LOST
9
9
9
0
2021
LOST
15
19
20
-1
2022
WON
14
9
11
-2
2023
LOST
10
10
9
1
2024
LOST
15
15
11
4

🇫🇷 Pierre GASLY

Finishing in 11th place in 2023, Pierre Gasly lost his 100% points-scoring record at the Belgian Grand Prix. He failed to score again in 2024, recording his worst result to date at Spa with 13th place. In 2022 Gasly had become the first driver in F1 history to score on all of his first five appearances at Spa-Francorchamps.

Gasly’s best result to date at the track is sixth place in 2021. His other points finishes include three ninth places and eighth in 2020.

Although he did not score in the Grand Prix, Gasly did pick up points in the Sprint at the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, bringing home a third place finish in the Saturday race having started sixth on the grid.

Gasly reached Q3 at the circuit for the first time – and so far only time – in 2021, qualifying in sixth place. 2020 and 2024 are the only seasons in which Gasly has been out-qualified by a team-mate here. He has qualified 12th at Spa in four of the last five seasons.

Prior to F1, Gasly raced at Spa in Formula Renault 3.5 and GP2. He won the GP2 Feature Race at the track in 2016.

PIERRE GASLY’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

 
Quali Battle
Qualified
Grid
Finished
Pos Change
2018
WON
11
10
9
1
2019
WON
16
13
9
4
2020
LOST
12
12
8
4
2021
WON
6
6
6
0
2022
WON
12
PIT
9
11
2023
WON
12
12
11
1
2024
LOST
12
12
13
-1

🇦🇺 Jack DOOHAN

Jack Doohan has had plenty of past success at Spa-Francorchamps. In Formula 3 in 2021, he secured his maiden pole position in the series and won two races over the weekend – the second Sprint race and the Feature Race. One year later, he finished as runner-up in the F2 Sprint Race and won his first Feature Race in the series. Another Feature Race win followed in 2023, along with a fifth place finish in the Sprint.

🇫🇷 Esteban OCON

Esteban Ocon made his Formula 1 debut with Manor at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix. From his eight appearances at the track, that’s the only time that he has failed to score.

Ocon recorded his best result to date at the circuit in 2020, finishing in fifth place. After finishing seventh in both 2021 and 2022, Ocon came home eighth at the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix and ninth in 2024.

In 2023, Ocon was out in Q2. It marked the first time he failed to reach Q3 at the Belgian Grand Prix since his 2016 debut, on which he exited in Q1. Ocon recorded the best qualifying result of his career to date with third on the grid at the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix. He recorded his second top five qualifying result at the track in 2022.

ESTEBAN OCON’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

 
Quali Battle
Qualified
Grid
Finished
Pos Change
2016
LOST
18
17
16
1
2017
LOST
9
9
9
0
2018
WON
3
3
6
-3
2020
LOST
6
6
5
1
2021
WON
9
8
7
1
2022
WON
5
16
7
9
2023
LOST
15
14
8
6
2024
WON
10
9
9
0

🇬🇧 Ollie BEARMAN

Ollie Bearman competed at Spa-Francorchamps in both Formula 3 and Formula 2. In F3, he had a double podium finish in 2022, winning the Sprint Race and finishing third in the Feature Race. Bearman did not return to the podium in any of the four races he competed in here in F2, with a best result of seventh.

🇯🇵 Yuki TSUNODA

After exiting in Q1 and lining up 16th on the grid, Yuki Tsunoda finished 15th on his Belgian Grand Prix debut in 2021. He exited in Q1 again in 2022 and started the race from the pit lane. Gaining seven positions, Tsunoda finished the race in 13th place.

Image: © Andrew Balfour

Tsunoda scored a point at the Belgian Grand Prix for the first time in 2023, with a tenth place finish. Having reached Q2 for the first time at the track and started 11th, Tsunoda continued his record of gaining at least one position on every appearance to date in Belgium. He also out-qualified his team-mate for the first time.

In 2024, Tsunoda was out-qualified by Daniel Ricciardo and exited in Q1. From last on the grid, he made up four positions to finish 16th – his worst result to date at Spa.

Tsunoda has raced at Spa Francorchamps in F3 and F2. He has finished on the podium here twice, finishing in second place in the second F3 race in 2019 and winning the F2 Feature Race in 2020.

YUKI TSUNODA’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

 
Quali Battle
Qualified
Grid
Finished
Pos Change
2021
LOST
17
16
15
1
2022
LOST
19
PIT
13
7
2023
WON
11
11
10
1
2024
LOST
18
20
16
4

🇫🇷 Isack HADJAR

Isack Hadjar has previously raced at Spa-Francorchamps in French F4, Formula Regional, Formula 3 and Formula 2. He has stood on the top step here twice – in the French F4 Championship back in 2019 and on his most recent appearance at the track, in the F2 Feature Race in 2024.

🇪🇸 Carlos SAINZ

Carlos Sainz finished on the podium at the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix. It was the first time he finished in the top nine at Spa-Francorchamps. Prior to 2022, Sainz had scored just two points at the track, with tenth place finishes for Toro Rosso in 2017 and with Ferrari in 2021. He added more points to his tally with a sixth place finish in 2024.

Sainz’s only other finish here is 11th place with Renault in 2018, with all of his other four appearances (in 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2023) resulting in DNFs. He failed to even start the 2020 race, as an engine issue put him on the sidelines.

2020 marked the first time that Sainz has reached Q3 at Spa since his debut season. After being out in Q2 in 2021, he recorded his best qualifying result to date at the circuit in 2022 with second place and qualified in the top five again in 2023. As Max Verstappen had a grid penalty for the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix, Sainz inherited pole position. He has reached Q3 in all of the last three seasons.

CARLOS SAINZ’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

 
Quali Battle
Qualified
Grid
Finished
Pos Change
2015
WON
10
10
DNF
2016
WON
15
14
DNF
2017
WON
14
13
10
3
2018
LOST
16
19
11
8
2019
LOST
17
15
DNF
2020
WON
7
7
DNS
2021
LOST
13
11
10
1
2022
WON
2
1
3
-2
2023
LOST
5
4
DNF
2024
LOST
8
7
6
1

🇹🇭 Alex ALBON

The 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, in which he finished 14th, was the first time in four appearances at the Belgian Grand Prix that Alex Albon failed to pick up any points. His best result here is fifth, recorded on his debut outing with Red Bull in 2019. He started from 17th that year due to a grid penalty. He finished sixth in 2020 and tenth in 2022. He failed to score for a second season in a row in 2024, finishing 12th.

Albon reached Q3 at the circuit for the first time in 2020, qualifying in fifth place. He reached Q3 again in 2022, out-qualifying his team-mate at Spa for the first time. He recorded his first Q1 exit at the track in 2023 but still out-qualified his team-mate, before qualifying 11th in 2024.

ALEX ALBON’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

 
Quali Battle
Qualified
Grid
Finished
Pos Change
2019
LOST
14
17
5
12
2020
LOST
5
5
6
-1
2022
WON
9
6
10
-4
2023
WON
16
PIT
14
6
2024
WON
11
10
12
-2

🇩🇪 Nico HULKENBERG

From 11 previous Belgian Grand Prix appearances, Nico Hulkenberg has picked up points at the event on five occasions. His best result at the track is fourth, which he recorded in both 2012 and 2016. Hulkenberg has failed to finish the Belgian Grand Prix twice – in 2015, when he failed to even start, and in 2018, when he crashed out at Turn 1. He has finished 18th here in each of the last two seasons.

Image: © Andrew Balfour

Hulkenberg has reached the final part of qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix on four occasions. He qualified ninth in 2010 and recorded his best qualifying result of seventh three times – in 2016, 2017 and 2019.

2014, 2023 and 2024 are the only years in which Hulkenberg has been eliminated in Q1 at the Belgian Grand Prix. He has out-qualified his team-mate at the circuit on only four occasions.

NICO HULKENBERG’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

 
Quali Battle
Qualified
Grid
Finished
Pos Change
2010
LOST
9
9
14
-5
2012
LOST
12
11
4
7
2013
WON
11
11
13
-2
2014
LOST
18
18
10
8
2015
LOST
11
11
DNS
2016
LOST
7
7
4
3
2017
WON
7
7
6
1
2018
WON
15
18
DNF
2019
LOST
7
12
8
4
2023
LOST
20
PIT
18
2
2024
WON
16
16
18
-2

🇧🇷 Gabriel BORTOLETO

Gabriel Bortoleto won at Spa-Francorchamps in the Formula Regional European Championship in 2022. In the last two years, Bortoleto has raced here in Formula 3 and Formula 2. He finished as runner-up in the F2 Feature Race in 2024.

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