F1 Driver Form: Belgian Grand Prix

Verstappen has won the last three Spa races, 2022 ended a seven-year run of podiums in Belgium for Hamilton and seven drivers have a 100% finish rate at the track. 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 has won the Belgian Grand Prix in all of the last three seasons – despite starting in the top five only once in that time.

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

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

🇲🇽 Sergio PEREZ

Sergio Perez recorded his first podium result at the Belgian Grand Prix in 2022, finishing as runner-up to his team-mate. He finished as runner-up, again to his team-mate, once more in the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix.

Perez crashed on his way to the grid at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix and would have recorded a DNS if not for the extensive rain delay. He was allowed to start from the pit lane and finished the ‘race’ in 19^th place.

2021 is one of five occasions that Perez has not scored on his 13 appearances at the Belgian Grand Prix. Three of those occasions have been due to retirements – his most recent being in 2017.

2013 and 2014 are the only years that Perez has not qualified in the top ten at Spa. His best qualifying result at the circuit is third in both 2022 and 2023; though he started from the front row as the result of a grid penalty for his team-mate in both of those seasons.

SERGIO PEREZ’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇬🇧 Lewis HAMILTON

Lewis Hamilton has won the Belgian Grand Prix four times and has finished on the podium in all seven seasons between 2015 and 2021. 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 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.

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

🇬🇧 George RUSSELL

George 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, having finished 15^th 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 since 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 15^th at the circuit. He qualified eighth in each of the last two seasons, with Lewis Hamilton becoming his first team-mate to out-qualify him at the track.

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

🇲🇨 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.

Leclerc has scored here 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 14^th in 2020.

Leclerc took pole position in 2019 – but that was the only time he reached 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 at the track and qualified second fastest in 2023. As a result of a grid penalty for Max Verstappen, Leclerc started the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix 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

🇪🇸 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.

Sainz’s only other finish here is 11^th 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.

CARLOS SAINZ’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇬🇧 Lando NORRIS

Lando Norris scored 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, making 2023 only the second time that he has scored at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. In addition, Norris finished 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 14^th in the rain-shortened race. Norris has reached Q3 in all of the last four years. After qualifying tenth in all three years between 2020 and 2022, Norris qualified seventh in 2023, recording his best qualifying result to date at the track. It was also only his second top ten start at the circuit: grid drops meant that he started 15^th in 2021 and 17^th 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

🇦🇺 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 last year’s 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.

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

🇪🇸 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 less 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 last year.

Alonso has never taken pole nor started from the front row at Spa. His best grid slot 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

🇨🇦 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.

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

🇫🇷 Esteban OCON

Esteban Ocon made his Formula 1 debut with Manor at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix. From his seven 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.

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 time five qualifying result at the track in 2022.

ESTEBAN OCON’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇫🇷 Pierre GASLY

Finishing in 11^th place in 2023, Pierre Gasly lost his 100% points-scoring record at the Belgian Grand Prix. In 2022 he had become the first driver in F1 history to score on all of his first five appearances at Spa-Francorchamps. His 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 is the only season in which Gasly has been out-qualified by a team-mate here. He has qualified 12^th at Spa in three of the last four 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

🇹🇭 Alex ALBON

The 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, in which he finished 14^th, 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 17^th that year due to a grid penalty. He finished sixth in 2020 and tenth in 2022.

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.

ALEX ALBON’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇺🇸 Logan SARGEANT

Logan Sargeant finished 17^th on his first Belgian Grand Prix appearance last year, having set the 18^th fastest time in qualifying.

For the Saturday Sprint race, Sargeant reached SQ2, qualifying one position behind his team-mate in a session during which neither Williams driver set a lap time. Sargeant finished 14^th on the road but a time penalty for speeding in the pit lane dropped him to 16^th in the final order.

Sargeant has previously won at Spa, winning the 2020 Formula 3 Sprint Race at the circuit. He has secured further podium finishes here in F3 and Formula Renault Eurocup. In Formula 2 last year, Sargeant retired from the Sprint Race and finished fifth in the Feature Race.

LOGAN SARGEANT’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇯🇵 Yuki TSUNODA

After exiting in Q1 and lining up 16^th on the grid, Yuki Tsunoda finished 15^th 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 13^th place.

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 11^th, 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.

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

🇦🇺 Daniel RICCIARDO

Daniel Ricciardo claimed the second victory of his Formula 1 career at the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix. The 2014 race winner went on to secure a further two podium finishes at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in 2016 and 2017.

Ricciardo has recorded two top four finishes here in the last four years, with fourth places in 2020 and 2021. Ricciardo has also experienced bad luck here, recording three retirements from his 13 appearances. He has finished outside of the top 14 in the last two years. 2019 and 2022 are the only years in which Ricciardo has finished in a worse position than where he started at Spa.

2022 was the first time that Ricciardo failed to qualify in the top ten at the Belgian Grand Prix since 2013. In both 2020 and 2021, Ricciardo qualified fourth, which is his best Saturday result at the track. He exited in Q1 at the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix – his first Q1 exit here in a decade.

DANIEL RICCIARDO’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇫🇮 Valtteri BOTTAS

Valtteri Bottas is yet to win the Belgian Grand Prix, but has finished on the podium three times. Bottas held a 100% finish rate at the track until 2022, when he collided with Nicholas Latifi on the second lap. He has failed to score in any of his last three visits to the circuit.

His maiden outing here in 2013 with Williams, when he finished 15^th, and 2021, when he finished 12^th, are the only other times that the Finn has failed to score at the circuit, having scored points for seven consecutive visits between 2014 and 2020.

Bottas qualified last in 2022, marking the first time since 2013 that Bottas missed out on Q3 at the circuit. He was out in Q2 last year. 2020 is the only season in which he has started from the front row at Spa. 2023 was the first time he out-qualified his team-mate at the circuit since 2016.

Bottas has only ever led one lap at Spa. That was with Williams back in 2014.

VALTTERI BOTTAS’ BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇨🇳 ZHOU Guanyu

Zhou Guanyu made his Belgian Grand Prix debut in 2022, finishing in 14^th place. He out-qualified his team-mate, progressing to Q2 and qualifying 13^th. A grid penalty dropped him to 18^th for the start on Sunday, meaning he made up four positions over the course of the race.

Zhou recorded his best Belgian Grand Prix result to date in 2023 with 13^th place – one position better than in his maiden season. He failed to out-qualify his team-mate last year, exiting in Q1 and lining up 17^th on the grid.

Prior to Formula 1, Zhou’s most recent experience at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps came in Formula 2 in 2020. Zhou finished seventh in the Feature Race and on the podium, in third place, in the Sprint Race.

ZHOU GUANYU’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇩🇰 Kevin MAGNUSSEN

Kevin Magnussen has scored only once from eight previous appearances at the Belgian Grand Prix. He picked up four points with eighth place in 2018. From his other six starts, the Dane has failed to finish only once. That was in 2016, when he suffered a huge crash at the top of the hill.

Magnussen has qualified in the top ten here three times, with a best qualifying result of seventh in 2014. He recorded his first Q1 exit at the track in 2020 and was out in Q1 again in 2022.

KEVIN MAGNUSSEN’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇩🇪 Nico HULKENBERG

From ten 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.

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 and 2023 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 three occasions.

NICO HULKENBERG’S BELGIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY