Charles Leclerc Frustrated After Qualifying in Silverstone: 'I Can Only Blame Myself'
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Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc finished behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton in qualifying for the British Grand Prix.
Leclerc qualified in sixth - one spot lower than Hamilton, who finished in fifth.
Both Leclerc and Hamilton showed impressive pace throughout the weekend but failed to put together a clean lap in Q3.
Hamilton ended up closest to pole and appeared on track to secure the top spot until he lost time during sector three.
Ferrari's Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc in the garage during the third practice session ahead of the Formula One British Grand Prix at the Silverstone motor racing circuit in Silverstone, central England, on July 5, 2025.
Ferrari's Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc in the garage during the third practice session ahead of the Formula One British Grand Prix at the Silverstone motor racing circuit in Silverstone, central England, on July 5, 2025.
Photo byAfter the session, Leclerc shared his disappointment with the end result - feeling like he left some speed on the board.
"I haven't been good enough, and unfortunately it has been more qualifying than not that I find myself here saying that it could have been, it should have been," Leclerc told reporters after the session.
"But at the end of the day, if I don't do the job inside the car and I don't put all my corners, my best corners together, then I ended up P6 instead of being on the front row.
"So I can only blame myself; I'm very disappointed because quality used to be one of my strengths.
"I feel like, generally, since quite a bit now I'm performing very well in races, but in qualifying, I'm missing something."
While Leclerc didn't maximize the result, the Ferrari SF25 showed some impressive pace that is capable of fighting for a race win.
Since Leclerc does well in terms of race pace, he should fare well on Sunday and while he is starting on the back foot for a win, a podium could be on the cards.
Hamilton, on the other hand, could still win the race from P5, though it will be a massive challenge.
Regardless of the result, Ferrari's floor upgrade is delivering the team a boost in performance and bodes well for its hopes in the second half of the season.
More F1 news: How Lewis Hamilton Made the F1 Movie Production More Expensive
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Lewis Hamilton Reveals New Race Engineer Added to Spa Belgian GP Struggle
Ferrari Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton has credited the overnight changes to his SF-25 F1 car for helping him secure P7 at the Belgian Grand Prix. Hamilton started the race from pit lane after adjustments were made to his car in parc ferme, but he recovered positions swiftly during the race to score points. Revealing he also had a new race engineer for the weekend, this only added to a difficult weekend. Ferrari entered Spa with an upgrade package, but Hamilton faced issues in the sprint race and qualifying. However, he sounded positive about his car after the Belgian GP that saw him charge his way through the pack in the early stages of the race on intermediate tires. The race start was delayed by nearly an hour due to rain. Despite a wet Spa-Francorchamps, the seven-time world champion's confidence and experience propelled him forward. Ferrari also made a quick call to pit him first after the racing line began to dry, switching to medium tires before the other drivers, which gave him an extra edge. Hamilton started the race in the pit lane after Ferrari breached parc ferme conditions following the qualifying session to fit his car with a new internal combustion engine, MGU-H, MGU-K, energy store, turbocharger, control electronics, and exhaust. Speaking on starting at the back after making overnight changes to his SF-25, the Briton said: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari on the drivers parade prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 06, 2025 in Northampton, England. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari on the drivers parade prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 06, 2025 in Northampton, England."Obviously, massively challenging being all the way back there, but I made some changes overnight. So much in the build-up to this week, obviously with the upgrade that we have — there's basically two elements to it, and one of those elements we had to test back in Montreal, but I didn't end up testing it. "Charles ended up testing it and ended up using it for part of it for a couple of races, so he's definitely — he did a great job today and he's feeling more acclimatized. For me, it was the first time using it, and that spin that we had caught me out [in sprint qualifying] because we also had a change of engineer, so we were both in the deep end basically, and I think we did a really good job overnight to rectify some of those, tweak it, fine-tune it, and the car was so much better today to drive. So I had a lot of fun trying to make my way through." The previous round at Silverstone saw Hamilton point out the danger involved while racing under reduced visibility due to the spray from the rain. Addressing the delayed race start at Spa, Hamilton explained that the FIA was too cautious about it this time. He said: "We obviously started the race a little bit too late, I would say. I kept shouting, like, "It's ready to go, it's ready to go," and they kept going round and round and around [during the safety car]. So I think they were probably overreacting from the last race where we asked them not to restart the race too early because the visibility was bad, and I think this weekend they just went a bit too much the other way because we didn't need a rolling start." Hamilton's teammate, Charles Leclerc, secured a podium finish in P3. Adding that the car had been improving, the 40-year-old driver said: "We outscored Mercedes some points, which was great. Charles did a great job. Clearly the car is improving because Charles was able to hold on to another podium, and so I'm still gonna work hard next week to try and get across."
New York Times
9 minutes ago
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Your views on Horner's Red Bull exit
McLaren grabs another 1-2, after Spa-Francorchamps hosted round 13 of the 2025 Formula One world championship Getty Images Oscar Piastri has won the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix, despite a delayed start of 80 minutes due to rain at Spa-Francorchamps. Lando Norris qualified on pole but the race began with a rolling start behind the safety car due to the wet conditions. Then on the first visit to Les Combes once the safety car had come in, Piastri produced a brilliant move to grab a race lead he held to the checkered flag. Norris was in hot pursuit in the final laps, hoping his hard tires would get him within striking distance. But the Brit made one too many mistakes, never getting close enough to challenge his McLaren teammate for victory. As for further down the order, Lewis Hamilton made great progress to finish P7 after a disastrous qualifying saw him start in 18th. You can follow all the live reaction below. Result: 1 PIA, 2 NOR, 3 LEC, 4 VER, 5 RUS Join the conversation: live@ GO FURTHER Belgian Grand Prix briefing: Piastri wins, Hamilton impresses after chaotic start Getty Images Christian Horner's sacking was the biggest story by a distance, heading into this Belgian Grand Prix weekend. Here are some of your views on the news… 💬 Ben G: 'Scenes! Probably overdue if this is the fallout from the scandal. Otherwise, maybe feels a bit kneejerk if it's related to this year's performance.' 💬 Christian V: 'This either Max Verstappen's (and Jos') condition to remain in Red Bull, or a consequence of Max already leaving for Mercedes. Funny how this came out of nowhere and not after months of rumors and speculation like with the drivers.' 💬 Arin S: 'Horner has always been a divisive figure, even more so than Toto and Zack. He still clearly cared for his drivers. Something seemed off with RB since Newey left. A good amount of people clearly didn't want to be in such a political environment.' 💬 Annie M: 'Epic reign, epic fall. Not sure F1 is better off without him.' 💬 Crk J: 'With all sincerity, the very best of luck to Laurent Mekies. Hopefully he is given adequate opportunity and proper operational control. As long as Helmut Marko remains connected to the team, RBR will never truly have moved on from whatever ails them.' 💬 Dominic A: 'They should install Horner as Racing Bulls team principal and, if he does well, maybe he gets another chance at the big team.' Remember, you can add your thoughts with an email whenever you wish. That address again: live@ Getty Images Christian Horner's sudden dismissal as team principal sent shockwaves through Red Bull Racing. As the team navigates its first race weekend without the only boss it has ever known, our own Luke Smith examines how Horner's replacement — Laurent Mekies — is trying to unite the squad and keep Max Verstappen committed. This is all eyes on Red Bull, and its first weekend in F1 without the man who had been its prominent leader… GO FURTHER How Red Bull adjusts to F1 life after Christian Horner: 'It was a shock to me' Christian Horner led Red Bull Racing from obscurity to F1 dominance over 20 years. He became the face of the team for fans of 'Drive To Survive.' Then just three days after the British Grand Prix and to much surprise — following scandal, poor form and a lengthy power struggle at the top of the team — Horner was sacked. This is the first F1 weekend featuring a Horner-less Red Bull since the team arrived in the sport. Our F1 correspondent Luke Smith dissected what happened, and you can take it all in below. GO FURTHER Why Red Bull sacked Christian Horner now, after a year that never stopped spiraling Luke Smith UPDATE: It's raining now... I'm down on the grid and happy to report no rain right now. But it's meant to heave it down in about 20-30 minutes. The teams have got their wet weather tires ready on the grid as the cars head over to their starting spots. Sign up to The Athletic If you're a Formula One fan — and you love a plethora of other sports too — there is no better place to follow all your other favourite teams, leagues and players than on The Athletic . In soccer we've got the final of Euro 2025 later today between England and Spain, while U.S. Open tennis and Ryder Cup golf are both coming into view. Throw in the MLB season hitting its straps and NFL preseason hitting the radar, and there is plenty to follow. We have the lot covered and much more besides, so make sure you're fully informed with access to our full experience. And you're in luck — you can subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here. Getty Images Heading into this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, there was reason for Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari to feel optimistic. Hamilton has been building momentum after a rollercoaster start to life with Ferrari and there was a set of upgrades for Spa that Ferrari hoped would boost its performance, including a new rear suspension. Charles Leclerc grabbed third on the grid for today's race, outqualifying sprint race winner Max Verstappen. But Hamilton languished in a lowly 16th as his miserable Spa weekend continued, having already been eliminated in the first stage of sprint race qualifying. Hamilton told reporters: 💬 'Everyone does that, takes that curb. But I'm out, so… From my side, another mistake. So I've really got to look internal. I've got to apologize to my team, because it's just unacceptable to be out in both Q1s. 'It's (a) very, very poor performance from myself.' Hamilton is a five-time winner of the Belgian GP, including last year when he inherited victory after George Russell's disqualification. You have to go back to his debut season in 2007 for the last time he finished the race but failed to stand on the podium, crossing the line in fourth place. It's a track he loves and where he flourishes. Barring something remarkable — and it looks like we're getting a wet race — this will go down as another dip in this fluctuating first season with Ferrari. GO FURTHER How Lewis Hamilton's Belgium GP weekend unraveled despite Ferrari upgrades Getty Images With those pit lane starts, here is how the starting grid will look at Spa… 1: LANDO NORRIS (MCL) LANDO NORRIS (MCL) > 2: Oscar Piastri (MCL) Oscar Piastri (MCL) 3: Charles Leclerc (FER) Charles Leclerc (FER) > 4: Max Verstappen (RBR) Max Verstappen (RBR) 5: Alex Albon (WIL) Alex Albon (WIL) > 6: George Russell (MER) George Russell (MER) 7: Yuki Tsunoda (RBR) Yuki Tsunoda (RBR) > 8: Isack Hadjar (RB) Isack Hadjar (RB) 9: Liam Lawson (RB) Liam Lawson (RB) > 10: Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU) Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU) 11: Ocon (HAS) / 12: Bearman (HAS) 13: Gasly (ALP) / 14: Hülkenberg (SAU) 15: Sainz (WIL) / 16: Colapinto (ALP) 17: Stroll (AST) Then in the pit lane, they will line up in the order of Lewis Hamilton (FER), Kimi Antonelli (MER) and Fernando Alonso (AST). Getty Images A reminder here that Lewis Hamilton will start today's Belgian Grand Prix from the pit lane, as reported by our F1 correspondent Luke Smith earlier today. Ferrari opted to take a number of new power unit elements for Hamilton's car ahead of the race, after Hamilton qualified a lowly 16th yesterday. As Luke explained: 📝 'It's very normal for teams who have drivers at the rear of the field to opt for a pit lane start, as it also means they can make changes to the car setup outside of parc ferme. 'That could be especially useful today for Ferrari with Hamilton as in theory, it could bank on a very wet race where a higher downforce setup would pay off — rather than what he (and everyone else) ran in qualifying.' Kimi Antonelli and Fernando Alonso will also start from the pit lane, after their respective (P18 and P19) qualifying performances yesterday. Getty Images And let's bring you this too. This is the 2025 season's pole position tallies and average qualifying positions (AQP) for the field. It's now four poles each for the top three drivers, following Lando Norris' excellent qualifying yesterday… 1: OSCAR PIASTRI (MCL) — 4 poles / 2.15 AQP — / 2: Max Verstappen (RBR) — 4 poles / 3.15 3: Lando Norris (MCL) — 4 poles / 3.31 4: George Russell (MER) — 1 pole / 4.46 As for those without a pole so far in 2025… 5: Charles Leclerc (FER) — 5.46 6: Lewis Hamilton (FER) — 7.69 7: Kimi Antonelli (MER) — 8.77 8: Alex Albon (WIL) — 9.77 9: Isack Hadjar (RB) — 9.92 10: Fernando Alonso (AST) — 11.38 Getty Images Did any 2025 qualifying patterns snap at Spa yesterday? You bet they did… Ferrari was one of only two teams to avoid a Q1 exit this season — but its record was ended with that Lewis Hamilton Q1 failure, leaving McLaren out on its own. Likewise for Hamilton, who suffered a Q1 and SQ1 exit in consecutive days here. The joys of a sprint race weekend, right Lewis? The good news for Alex Albon, George Russell and Isack Hadjar was that they remained clear of a Q1 exit this season. And sadly for Nico Hülkenberg, he remains the only driver to tackle all 13 qualifying sessions this season and not make it into Q3 at least once. Getty Images How did yesterday's Belgian Grand Prix qualifying shake up the intra-team battles over the course of this year? The tallies are below — with the Spa victor underlined… Aston Martin: ALONSO 13-0 Stroll 13-0 Stroll Mercedes: RUSSELL 12-1 Antonelli 12-1 Antonelli Red Bull: VERSTAPPEN 11-0 Tsunoda 11-0 Tsunoda Ferrari: LECLERC 9-4 Hamilton 9-4 Hamilton Racing Bulls: HADJAR 9-2 Lawson 9-2 Lawson Williams: ALBON 8-5 Sainz 8-5 Sainz McLaren: PIASTRI 7-6 Norris 7-6 Haas: OCON 7-6 Bearman 7-6 Bearman Sauber: Hülkenberg 6-7 BORTOLETO Hülkenberg 6-7 Alpine: GASLY 6-1 Colapinto 6-1 Colapinto Alpine: GASLY 5-1 Doohan * * Red Bull: VERSTAPPEN 2-0 Lawson * * Racing Bulls: Tsunoda 1-1 Hadjar * It was hard not to smile at Fernando Alonso making it 13 out of 13 against Lance Stroll, even when the Aston Martin didn't finish ahead of another car in its double Q1 exit. * Inactive teammate pairing Getty Images Here is how the cars finished following yesterday's qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix today — although the grid will look a little different at the back… 1: LANDO NORRIS (MCL) > 2: Oscar Piastri (MCL) Oscar Piastri (MCL) 3: Charles Leclerc (FER) Charles Leclerc (FER) > 4: Max Verstappen (RBR) Max Verstappen (RBR) 5: Alex Albon (WIL) Alex Albon (WIL) > 6: George Russell (MER) George Russell (MER) 7: Yuki Tsunoda (RBR) Yuki Tsunoda (RBR) > 8: Isack Hadjar (RB) Isack Hadjar (RB) 9: Liam Lawson (RB) Liam Lawson (RB) > 10: Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU) Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU) 11: Ocon (HAS) / 12: Bearman (HAS) 13: Gasly (ALP) / 14: Hülkenberg (SAU) 15: Sainz (WIL) / 16: Hamilton (FER) 17: Colapinto (ALP) / 18: Antonelli (MER) 19: Alonso (AST) / 20: Stroll (AST) The perception was that Lando Norris had been playing second fiddle to Oscar Piastri this weekend — but that theory was put to bed by the Brit in grand prix qualifying yesterday. Norris looked on top of things in each session and then timed his final lap in Q3 to perfection, with a 1:40.562 that was enough to put his car on pole. The gap to his McLaren teammate was under 0.1s, while Charles Leclerc's P3 was a surprise to everyone — including the driver and his Ferrari team. Alex Albon (P5) and Yuki Tsunoda (P7 and finally in receipt of some Red Bull upgrades) also excelled. But for Lewis Hamilton, the qualifying nightmare at Spa continued. Just 24 hours after exiting sprint race quali at the first hurdle for a spin on his final run in SQ1, this time the Ferrari driver thought he'd nailed the lap time he needed to make Q2 — only to see it deleted for exceeding track limits. It was a tight call, but there were no arguments. Hamilton and Ferrari had suffered their first Q1 exit of the entire season. Ouch. Even without a sprint victory, McLaren still got to eke out a few more points towards its constructors' championship lead by finishing second and third. In truth, it doesn't take much looking over the standings to convince you McLaren already has the constructors' championship sewn up. It is something I called ahead of the British Grand Prix — so make a note of that in case I've cast a curse on Woking. The battle to finish fifth is definitely on over the second half of the season, especially when those teams will have to figure out a time to switch total development focus over to the significant regulation changes for 2026. Max Verstappen's sprint win improved Red Bull's position compared to Ferrari and Mercedes, while Haas closed the gap to the teams ahead... 1: 473 points — McLAREN — 2: 227 (-246 ) — Ferrari 3: 210 (-17) — Mercedes 4: 180 (-30) — Red Bull 5: 62 (-18) — Williams 6: 41 (-21) — Sauber 7: 37 (-4) — Racing Bulls 8: 36 (-1) — Aston Martin 9: 35 (-1) — Haas 10: 19 (-16) — Alpine It is nine points between the top two following Oscar Piastri's second in Saturday's sprint race — a place ahead of Lando Norris and behind victor Max Verstappen. You can see it's a tight championship battle, even if it is coming down to an intra-team fight. It's finely poised behind the McLarens too, although George Russell lost ground after a pointless sprint. Nico Hülkenberg sitting ninth is arguably the performance of the season so far, while Franco Colapinto's performance has been only marginally better than the driver he replaced at Alpine. They are the only two drivers this season not to score a point… 241 points — OSCAR PIASTRI (MCL) — 232 (-9) — Lando Norris (MCL) 173 (-59) — Max Verstappen (RBR) 147 (-26) — George Russell (MER) 124 (-23) — Charles Leclerc (FER) 103 (-21) — Lewis Hamilton (FER) 63 (-40) — Kimi Antonelli (MER) 46 (-17) — Alex Albon (WIL) 37 (-9) — Nico Hülkenberg (SAU) 27 (-10) — Esteban Ocon (HAS) 22 (-5) — Isack Hadjar (RB) 20 (-2) — Lance Stroll (AST) 19 (-1) — Pierre Gasly (ALP) 16 (-3) — Fernando Alonso (AST) 16 (0) — Carlos Sainz (WIL) 12 (-1) — Liam Lawson (RB) 10 (-2) — Yuki Tsunoda (RBR) 8 (-2) — Oliver Bearman (HAS) 4 (-4) — Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU) 0 (-4) — Franco Colapinto (ALP), Jack Doohan* (ALP) * Inactive driver The drivers are just arriving for their parade around Spa-Francorchamps — and it's fair to say it is WET out there… Getty Images Here is who picked up points from Saturday's sprint race around Spa on Saturday… 1: MAX VERSTAPPEN (RBR) — 8 points — 2: Oscar Piastri (MCL) — 7 3: Lando Norris (MCL) — 6 4: Charles Leclerc (FER) — 5 5: Esteban Ocon (HAS) — 4 6: Carlos Sainz (WIL) — 3 7: Oliver Bearman (HAS) — 2 8: Isack Hadjar (RB) — 1 Getty Images Oscar Piastri was happy to take that sprint race pole from Friday's qualifying, but also labelled it the worst pole position of the year given the minimal advantage from earning it. Maybe he was right too. Max Verstappen was able to pull off a fabulous overtake at Les Combes after Lap 1 of 15 in Saturday's sprint race and despite mounting pressure towards the end, that was job done. Lando Norris came home third as the top three finished within 1.5 seconds of each other, while a double-points finish for Haas also caught the eye in a sprint that didn't muster much by way of overtaking action.
New York Times
10 minutes ago
- New York Times
F1 Belgian Grand Prix live updates: Follow reaction as Oscar Piastri beats Lando Norris to victory
McLaren grabs another 1-2, after Spa-Francorchamps hosted round 13 of the 2025 Formula One world championship Getty Images Oscar Piastri has won the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix, despite a delayed start of 80 minutes due to rain at Spa-Francorchamps. Lando Norris qualified on pole but the race began with a rolling start behind the safety car due to the wet conditions. Then on the first visit to Les Combes once the safety car had come in, Piastri produced a brilliant move to grab a race lead he held to the checkered flag. Norris was in hot pursuit in the final laps, hoping his hard tires would get him within striking distance. But the Brit made one too many mistakes, never getting close enough to challenge his McLaren teammate for victory. As for further down the order, Lewis Hamilton made great progress to finish P7 after a disastrous qualifying saw him start in 18th. You can follow all the live reaction below. Result: 1 PIA, 2 NOR, 3 LEC, 4 VER, 5 RUS Join the conversation: live@ GO FURTHER Belgian Grand Prix briefing: Piastri wins, Hamilton impresses after chaotic start A note from race control pops up… 💬 'Risk of rain for F1 race is 100%' Quite. It also confirms the formation lap will be started from behind the safety car… We have FIVE minutes to go until lights out at the Belgian Grand Prix. So, go press play below and LET'S GO… I have to say, we've seen some of the cockpit footage as the cars drove around to the grid earlier, and the rain started to fall. That visibility is nasty. We may yet get a delayed start too — and it's probably worth noting that the race will be limited to two hours of running if there are delays once it is underway. I've come back from the grid a bit early because it's raining that heavily. Less than 15 minutes to go until we're due to start. X/F1 This is a really interesting graphic from F1, showing how the performance of the respective teams has altered compared to McLaren at the front. Those in green show teams that have caught up. Those in red are the teams that have lost further ground. That said, it's only two tracks — the change in performance from the opening round in Australia, compared to the previous round in Britain — and for that reason, none of us should make too many concrete conclusions. With a wet race ahead here in Spa too, it won't just be car performance that delivers our final result either. Getty Images How do things stand right now? As Kimi Antonelli said during Thursday's FIA news conference: 'That's the one million-dollar question.' Lewis Hamilton, who was sat next to the Mercedes rookie, added: 'I can help you with the contract. I know how to work Toto (Wolff).' Speculation has continued to circle about Mercedes' driver lineup for 2026. With 12 race weekends done and just one more to go after today before the summer break, nothing has been officially announced from Mercedes about the future of Antonelli or his teammate, George Russell. Both contracts are up at the end of the season and Russell has faced continued questions regarding it, particularly as rumors grew over whether Max Verstappen could make a move to Mercedes. But Antonelli said he's never been worried about his racing future: 💬 'I know the situation. I know what the team wants, especially looking at the future. Also, Toto has been clear recently, so that's good to see. 'Me and George are working well together. We're trying to help the team to find performance again. I think we're doing a good job, and there's a really good atmosphere. 'I'm sure the team knows what's best, especially for next year, and I'm pretty confident I'm in a good position.' Antonelli's weekend has been tough. He exited both sprint and grand prix qualifying in the opening session, finished the sprint race P17 and starts today from the pit lane. The pressure is on and the Italian needs a positive performance here, now… GO FURTHER Want Max Verstappen, Toto? Then make a blockbuster George Russell partnership work for F1 Getty Images Really interesting nugget from the legend that is Martin Brundle — as a fellow Norfolkian, I'm allowed to be biased — as he tackles his grid walk for Sky Sports' coverage. He points out some wet tires on a rack, noting that they are the only tires that are not allowed to be heated ahead of being put on a car. I guess it makes sense too. It really is raining now, and Lewis Hamilton has already had it confirmed to him that this level of rain will continue for another 30 minutes or so. A race start behind the safety car? It feels like it right now... Getty Images Max Verstappen has had a different voice on the other end of the radio this weekend at Spa with his regular race engineer, GianPiero Lambiase, missing due to personal reasons. Lambiase was also absent for the Austrian Grand Prix last month, also for personal reasons. He has been replaced again by Simon Rennie, who previously served as Daniel Ricciardo's race engineer at Red Bull before becoming the team's simulator chief in recent years. Verstappen and Lambiase, known by his nickname of GP, have struck up a close bond in their years working together. The only race since Verstappen's Red Bull debut at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix that Lambiase wasn't on the other end of the radio, was in Austria. And it clearly had little impact yesterday, as Verstappen raced to an excellent sprint victory. Same again today? Getty Images Christian Horner's sacking was the biggest story by a distance, heading into this Belgian Grand Prix weekend. Here are some of your views on the news… 💬 Ben G: 'Scenes! Probably overdue if this is the fallout from the scandal. Otherwise, maybe feels a bit kneejerk if it's related to this year's performance.' 💬 Christian V: 'This either Max Verstappen's (and Jos') condition to remain in Red Bull, or a consequence of Max already leaving for Mercedes. Funny how this came out of nowhere and not after months of rumors and speculation like with the drivers.' 💬 Arin S: 'Horner has always been a divisive figure, even more so than Toto and Zack. He still clearly cared for his drivers. Something seemed off with RB since Newey left. A good amount of people clearly didn't want to be in such a political environment.' 💬 Annie M: 'Epic reign, epic fall. Not sure F1 is better off without him.' 💬 Crk J: 'With all sincerity, the very best of luck to Laurent Mekies. Hopefully he is given adequate opportunity and proper operational control. As long as Helmut Marko remains connected to the team, RBR will never truly have moved on from whatever ails them.' 💬 Dominic A: 'They should install Horner as Racing Bulls team principal and, if he does well, maybe he gets another chance at the big team.' Remember, you can add your thoughts with an email whenever you wish. That address again: live@ Getty Images Christian Horner's sudden dismissal as team principal sent shockwaves through Red Bull Racing. As the team navigates its first race weekend without the only boss it has ever known, our own Luke Smith examines how Horner's replacement — Laurent Mekies — is trying to unite the squad and keep Max Verstappen committed. This is all eyes on Red Bull, and its first weekend in F1 without the man who had been its prominent leader… GO FURTHER How Red Bull adjusts to F1 life after Christian Horner: 'It was a shock to me' Christian Horner led Red Bull Racing from obscurity to F1 dominance over 20 years. He became the face of the team for fans of 'Drive To Survive.' Then just three days after the British Grand Prix and to much surprise — following scandal, poor form and a lengthy power struggle at the top of the team — Horner was sacked. This is the first F1 weekend featuring a Horner-less Red Bull since the team arrived in the sport. Our F1 correspondent Luke Smith dissected what happened, and you can take it all in below. GO FURTHER Why Red Bull sacked Christian Horner now, after a year that never stopped spiraling Luke Smith UPDATE: It's raining now... I'm down on the grid and happy to report no rain right now. But it's meant to heave it down in about 20-30 minutes. The teams have got their wet weather tires ready on the grid as the cars head over to their starting spots. Sign up to The Athletic If you're a Formula One fan — and you love a plethora of other sports too — there is no better place to follow all your other favourite teams, leagues and players than on The Athletic . In soccer we've got the final of Euro 2025 later today between England and Spain, while U.S. Open tennis and Ryder Cup golf are both coming into view. Throw in the MLB season hitting its straps and NFL preseason hitting the radar, and there is plenty to follow. We have the lot covered and much more besides, so make sure you're fully informed with access to our full experience. And you're in luck — you can subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here. Getty Images Heading into this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, there was reason for Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari to feel optimistic. Hamilton has been building momentum after a rollercoaster start to life with Ferrari and there was a set of upgrades for Spa that Ferrari hoped would boost its performance, including a new rear suspension. Charles Leclerc grabbed third on the grid for today's race, outqualifying sprint race winner Max Verstappen. But Hamilton languished in a lowly 16th as his miserable Spa weekend continued, having already been eliminated in the first stage of sprint race qualifying. Hamilton told reporters: 💬 'Everyone does that, takes that curb. But I'm out, so… From my side, another mistake. So I've really got to look internal. I've got to apologize to my team, because it's just unacceptable to be out in both Q1s. 'It's (a) very, very poor performance from myself.' Hamilton is a five-time winner of the Belgian GP, including last year when he inherited victory after George Russell's disqualification. You have to go back to his debut season in 2007 for the last time he finished the race but failed to stand on the podium, crossing the line in fourth place. It's a track he loves and where he flourishes. Barring something remarkable — and it looks like we're getting a wet race — this will go down as another dip in this fluctuating first season with Ferrari. GO FURTHER How Lewis Hamilton's Belgium GP weekend unraveled despite Ferrari upgrades Getty Images With those pit lane starts, here is how the starting grid will look at Spa… 1: LANDO NORRIS (MCL) LANDO NORRIS (MCL) > 2: Oscar Piastri (MCL) Oscar Piastri (MCL) 3: Charles Leclerc (FER) Charles Leclerc (FER) > 4: Max Verstappen (RBR) Max Verstappen (RBR) 5: Alex Albon (WIL) Alex Albon (WIL) > 6: George Russell (MER) George Russell (MER) 7: Yuki Tsunoda (RBR) Yuki Tsunoda (RBR) > 8: Isack Hadjar (RB) Isack Hadjar (RB) 9: Liam Lawson (RB) Liam Lawson (RB) > 10: Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU) Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU) 11: Ocon (HAS) / 12: Bearman (HAS) 13: Gasly (ALP) / 14: Hülkenberg (SAU) 15: Sainz (WIL) / 16: Colapinto (ALP) 17: Stroll (AST) Then in the pit lane, they will line up in the order of Lewis Hamilton (FER), Kimi Antonelli (MER) and Fernando Alonso (AST). Getty Images A reminder here that Lewis Hamilton will start today's Belgian Grand Prix from the pit lane, as reported by our F1 correspondent Luke Smith earlier today. Ferrari opted to take a number of new power unit elements for Hamilton's car ahead of the race, after Hamilton qualified a lowly 16th yesterday. As Luke explained: 📝 'It's very normal for teams who have drivers at the rear of the field to opt for a pit lane start, as it also means they can make changes to the car setup outside of parc ferme. 'That could be especially useful today for Ferrari with Hamilton as in theory, it could bank on a very wet race where a higher downforce setup would pay off — rather than what he (and everyone else) ran in qualifying.' Kimi Antonelli and Fernando Alonso will also start from the pit lane, after their respective (P18 and P19) qualifying performances yesterday. Getty Images And let's bring you this too. This is the 2025 season's pole position tallies and average qualifying positions (AQP) for the field. It's now four poles each for the top three drivers, following Lando Norris' excellent qualifying yesterday… 1: OSCAR PIASTRI (MCL) — 4 poles / 2.15 AQP — / 2: Max Verstappen (RBR) — 4 poles / 3.15 3: Lando Norris (MCL) — 4 poles / 3.31 4: George Russell (MER) — 1 pole / 4.46 As for those without a pole so far in 2025… 5: Charles Leclerc (FER) — 5.46 6: Lewis Hamilton (FER) — 7.69 7: Kimi Antonelli (MER) — 8.77 8: Alex Albon (WIL) — 9.77 9: Isack Hadjar (RB) — 9.92 10: Fernando Alonso (AST) — 11.38 Getty Images Did any 2025 qualifying patterns snap at Spa yesterday? You bet they did… Ferrari was one of only two teams to avoid a Q1 exit this season — but its record was ended with that Lewis Hamilton Q1 failure, leaving McLaren out on its own. Likewise for Hamilton, who suffered a Q1 and SQ1 exit in consecutive days here. The joys of a sprint race weekend, right Lewis? The good news for Alex Albon, George Russell and Isack Hadjar was that they remained clear of a Q1 exit this season. And sadly for Nico Hülkenberg, he remains the only driver to tackle all 13 qualifying sessions this season and not make it into Q3 at least once.
