Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire amid a dramatic opening lap at the Belgian Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver was unhappy with his car’s performance in qualifying but lined up in fourth after championship leader Max Verstappen and nearest rival Charles Leclerc were among seven drivers to receive grid penalties.
Carlos Sainz enjoyed a flying star from pole but carnage unfolded behind him and Hamilton’s car was lifted into the air after he made contact with Fernando Alonso as he tried to pass his former Mercedes teammate to get into second.
Hamilton kept his car on the road but had to come to a halt before a safety car was deployed due to a collision between Nicolas Latifi and Valtteri Bottas, with Ferrari’s Sainz leading from Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and George Russell in the remaining Mercedes.
The Sporting News is following the race and providing live updates.
F1 Belgian Grand Prix 2022 live updates, highlights from Spa
Lap 6: Albon is the next man to dart past Ricciardo, with the Williams showing some slippery speed. Verstappen negotiates Vettel, with Alonso next in his sights.
Lap 5: We are racing again, with Sainz keeping his lead ahead of Perez. After tangling with Hamilton, Alonso is now all over the back of Russell, but the remaining Mercedes driver keeps hold of third. At the bus stop chicane, Verstappen nips around Ricciardo and is up into sixth from 14th on the grid.
Lap 2: It’s all going off, Spa style. Bottas and Latifi come together and the former’s car is beached. That’s his race done too.
We’ll have a safety car, which means Sainz will have to do it all again after a flying start. The Ferrari driver leads from Perez and Russell. Meanwhile, Verstappen and Leclerc are up to eighth and ninth, with this pause giving them chance to take further chunks out of the field.
Lap 1: Hamilton is in trouble, is loosing pace and has been told to come to a halt by the Mercedes garage. His race is over. Wil we need a safety car?
LIGHTS OUT: Sainz gets into the first corner first, Alonso up to second and Perez has lost places. Sainz now striking clear, but there’s contact between Hamilton and Alonso. Hamilton’s Mercedes bounces up in the air. Both men carry on but what’s the damage?
2 mins to lights out: We’re off on the formation lap. It’s going to be intriguing to see how things pan out for those who have plumped for soft tires.
15 mins to lights out: Fresh from playing his part in Manchester City’s 4-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, Kevin De Bruyne is on the grid and hanging out with Verstappen’s team. Team chief Christian Horner says he can have a go in the Red Bull if he signs for Coventry City. It’s an audacious pitch with the transfer deadline approaching…
📸 @KevinDeBruyne taking a few shots on the grid#BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/yDagjkyHy2
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 28, 2022
20 mins to lights out: The slew of penalties have had the knock-on effect of former world champion Fernando Alonso sitting third on the grid in his Alpine. The veteran is loving life up there and told Sky Sports today is about having fun. He expects Mercedes’ race pace to make them a different proposition than during qualification and senses inevitable involvement around the podium places from Verstappen and Leclerc before long.
30 mins to lights out: The cars are out on the grid and the usual pre-race jamboree is unfolding. It’s a sweltering day at Spa, which is unexpected and it’ll be interesting to see what impact that has on tyre strategy.
50 mins to lights out: Everyone loves race weekend at Spa, especially in today’s atypical sunshine. So it’s great news the race will be back next year. Go on, roll out your own take on that Wolf of Wall Street gif. You know you want to.
BREAKING: The #BelgianGP will return in 2023 #F1 pic.twitter.com/zrJ0uKlUtV
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 28, 2022
1hr to lights out: Verstappen and Leclerc’s misfortune should have created an opportunity for Mercedes, who had George Russell on pole in Hungary. It still might but they have struggled this weekend. Lewis Hamilton is fourth on the grid, one place ahead of Russell, but was 1.8 seconds shy of Verstappen in qualifying and told Sky Sports it feels like he is driving “with a parachute” attached to the back of his car on straights. Hamilton and the Mercedes garage crew were apparently burning the midnight oil to try and find some solutions on the eve of the race, but the story of an unsatisfactory 2022 looks set to continue.
1hr 10 mins to lights out: Max Verstappen, as has been the case for much of the season, has been in a class of his own this weekend. However, a grid penalty for using too many engine parts – the reigning world champion is one of six drivers to have been punished – means he must start down in 14th. With Charles Leclerc 15th and Lando Norris 17th for similar reasons at a famously high-speed track, expect plenty of drama in a little over an hour from now.
1 hr 30 mins to lights out: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix from Spa.
F1 Belgian Grand Prix 2022 provisional starting grid
| Position | Driver |
| 1 | Carlos Sainz |
| 2 | Sergio Perez |
| 3 | Fernando Alonso |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton |
| 5 | George Russell |
| 6 | Alexander Albon |
| 7 | Daniel Ricciardo |
| 8 | Pierre Gasly |
| 9 | Lance Stroll |
| 10 | Sebastian Vettel |
| 11 | Nicholas Latifi |
| 12 | Kevin Magnussen |
| 13 | Valtteri Bottas* |
| 14 | Max Verstappen* |
| 15 | Charles Leclerc* |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon* |
| 17 | Lando Norris* |
| 18 | Zhou Guanyu* |
| 19 | Mick Schumacher* |
| 20 | Yuki Tsunoda* |
*Driver given a grid penalty
How to watch F1 in the United States
- Race: Belgian Grand Prix
- Date: Sunday, Aug. 28
- TV channel: ESPN
- Live stream: fuboTV
The ESPN family of networks will broadcast all 2022 F1 races in the United States using Sky Sports’ feed, with select races airing on ABC. You can also stream Formula 1 races live in the U.S. with fuboTV, which offers a free trial.
ESPN Deportes serves as the exclusive Spanish-language home for all 2022 F1 races in the U.S.
How to watch Formula 1 in Canada
- TV channel: TSN (English); RDS (French)
- Live stream: TSN Direct
For fans in Canada, TSN will carry the English-language telecast of races. For those looking for the French-language broadcast, RDS will have you covered.
Races can also be streamed via TSN’s streaming service, TSN Direct.
How to watch Formula 1 in the UK
- TV channel: Sky Sports F1
- Live stream: NOW TV
Viewers in the United Kingdom can catch all F1 action on Sky Sports F1, the dedicated F1 channel. For viewers planning to live stream F1 in 2022, you can purchase a Sky Sports Pass on NOW TV.
How to watch Formula 1 in Australia
- TV channel: Fox Sports; Channel 10
- Live stream: Kayo
Fox Sports will carry all races in Australia, with Channel 10 broadcasting the Australian GP.
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