The Spanish Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), double world champion of Formula Onehad to retire this Saturday in the fourth of the eleven laps of the sprint test of the Belgian Grand Prix, the twelfth in the World Cup. A sprint that was initially planned to have 15 laps and in which four laps occurred behind the safety car, due to the rain.
Alonso, who turns 42 this Saturday, spun in the eleventh of the 19 corners of the mythical Belgian circuit, going off the line, getting stuck in the gravel and causing the ‘safety car’ to enter the track again.
Fortunately, the Asturian double world champion’s save was, again, great and he did not suffer any personal damage. In a sprint that started half an hour late and behind the safety car due to the rain.
The victory in the sprint test went to max verstappen, Piastri was second and Gasly third. Carlos Sainz entered fourth. No delays, no rain, no safety car, no dangerous asphalt, nothing and no one stops an imposing Max.
Starting grid for the Belgian Grand Prix
On Saturday morning, the qualification for the sprint was disputed and a serious strategy error by Aston Martin -it deflates by leaps and bounds in each new Grand Prix- deprived the Asturian of qualifying for Q3, so the sprint began in a discreet 15th position. Something better went for him in qualifying on Friday, so this Sunday he will start from the 9th position. Alonso also finds no good news in a classification that records the sad reality of Aston Martin.
Max Verstappen, who took first position, will have to start from 6th position due to a penalty for replacing his gearbox. In addition, after the ‘qualy’ Race Direction decided to penalize Kevin Magnussen with 3 places for hindering Charles Leclerc.
For all this, the starting grid of the Belgian GP is as follows: Charles Leclerc will start from pole ahead of Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez and a second row with Hamilton (3rd) and Carlos Sainz (4th). Verstappen will start 6th after Oscar Piastri and Fernando Alonso in the aforementioned 9th position.
