Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton takes pole for 2018 Belgian Grand Prix

Mixed conditions at Spa-Francorchamps helped Lewis Hamilton to the first pole after the Formula 1 summer break. Will he win the race, too?

Qualifying 1

The session started with Formula 1 teams wary of a chance of rain and all but three drivers on supersoft tires. Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen used soft tires for Q1. Raikkonen’s lap at 1:42.585  was the quickest of the session.

While the top three battled it out on the soft tires, notable supersoft runs during the session cam from Sauber teammates Charles Leclerc and Marcus Ericsson, who finished the session in P8 and P10, respectively.

McLaren had a poor run in Q1, finishing in the elimination zone with Fernando Alonso in P17 and teammate Stoffel Vandoorne last in P20. McLaren-bound Carlos Sainz Jr. didn’t do much to separate himself either, as his qualifying run was delayed slightly. He finished in P16 and reported on the radio that he had poor grip throughout the session.

Both Williams drivers failed to escape Q1, although Sergey Sirotkin’s improved first and second sector times on his final lap moved him ahead of his Racing Point Force India-bound teammate Lance Stroll.

Valtteri Bottas, who will start at the back of the grid regardless of qualifying due to multiple engine component changes, started and finished his only flying lap in P2.

Eliminated in Q1: Sainz Jr., Alonso, Sirotkin, Stroll, and Vandoorne

Qualifying 2

The session saw a mix of weather watching and minor setup changes as teams informed drivers of impending rain and drivers tried out minor tweaks with their race set of tires.

In somewhat of a reverse from Q1, both Ferrari drivers and Hamilton took supersoft tires for Q2. Bottas took a run on soft tires before setting his final Q2 time on supersoft tires. The Finn has been punchy this weekend despite knowing what his grid position will be due to penalties.

Raikkonen took first blood in Q2 with a lap at 1:41.627  effort that was good enough to give him the unofficial track record. Vettel topped that for the lap record and the top spot in the session with a lap at 1:41.501.

Despite the chance of rain, few drivers took liberties with their race tires. As a result, other than the Ferrari drivers breaking the lap record, drivers fought more for position in the Q3 shootout as opposed to outright pace. Both Force India drivers made it into Q3, as did Haas teammates Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen.

All four Toro Rosso and Sauber drivers were eliminated.

Eliminated in Q2:  Pierre Gasly, Brendon Hartley, Leclerc, Ericsson and Nico Hulkenberg

Qualifying 3

The session started with a few drivers mentioning spots of rain. The rain came, causing problems for some drivers who were caught out on slick tires as it intensified. Among them were Bottas and Max Verstappen. They quickly came into the pits and put on intermediate tires before the first runs, while Force India gambled and started both Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez on timed laps on supersoft tires.

More from Formula One

• Formula 1: Top Red Bull threat identified for 2024
• Formula 1: Why the Max Verstappen retirement obsession?
• Formula 1: Williams ‘mistake’ hints Logan Sargeant’s future
• Formula 1 awaiting key confirmation for 2024 season
• Formula 1: The ‘championship’ Max Verstappen only leads by 3 points

With five minutes to go, teams finally let their drivers out on timed runs. Daniel Ricciardo set the first of the wet times with a lap at 2:04.986. The rain cleared the track of the rubber that had accumulated, so drivers had difficulty at La Source (turn eight) and the last two corners.

With three minutes remaining in the session, Raikkonen came into the pits with what appeared to be a lack of fuel. He is set to start in P6. On Hamilton’s penultimate lap of the session, he had to abandon his flyer after running wide somewhere in sector two. That opened the door for Vettel ,who took the provisional pole with a lap at 2:01.188.

However, the conditions played to Hamilton’s favor on his final lap of the session with purple times in the first and last sectors. He recorded an impressive lap at 1:58.179, which was good enough for the pole position. Force India’s drivers are set to start in P3 and P4 after their best qualifying efforts of the season so far.

Provisional Starting Grid for 2018 Belgian Grand Prix

* = Will start last due to multiple engine component changes

With Lewis Hamilton’s fifth pole position at Spa, he has passed Juan Manuel Fangio and Ayrton Senna for the most poles in Belgium. With the race expected to include rain, how will Mercedes protect their lead driver from his championship rival going into turn one, especially with his teammate out of position? Tune into ESPN2 at 9:05 a.m. ET tomorrow morning to find out.