F1 Belgian Grand Prix qualifying predictions and free Formula 1 tips

Free F1 tips, best bets and analysis for Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix practice and qualifying on Saturday.

Where to watch

Practice three
Sky Sports F1, midday Saturday
Qualifying
Sky Sports Mix, 3.30pm Saturday

Best bet

Max Verstappen fastest in practice three
2pts Evs bet365

Preview

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have between them started ten of this season’s 13 races from pole position, but neither will be doing so in Belgium on Sunday.

The championship top two are among six drivers to have been handed grid penalties for exceeding their yearly allocation of various engine parts. Lando Norris, Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas and Mick Schumacher are the other four who will start the race behind the non-penalised drivers.

Because of the way such penalties are applied there may yet be more to come and it’s not clear in what order the penalised competitors will be starting the race.

Spa-Francorchamps is a circuit where overtaking a slower car is relatively easy, and with Verstappen having won from tenth on the grid in Hungary last time, the Dutch world champion will not have given up on winning the race. In Friday practice Verstappen was eight-tenths of a second faster than anyone else.

It’s common for drivers carrying a penalty not to compete in all the segments of qualifying. Leclerc in Canada sat out the top-ten shootout when the Ferrari star was due to start from the back, and it’s guesswork as to whether he and Verstappen will try to set the fastest time in qualifying.

So from a punting perspective it may be best to leave qualifying alone and look at the morning practice hour.

Championship leader Verstappen has been quickest in the last three dry Saturday morning practices and given the size of his advantage on Friday, the Red Bull ace looks a decent bet at evens.

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