| Type: | F1 |
| Country: | Belgium |
| Grand Prix: | Belgian |
| Details Ref: | [1] |
| Previous Round: | 2018 Hungarian Grand Prix |
| Next Round: | 2018 Italian Grand Prix |
| Image-Size: | 250px |
| Date: | 26 August |
| Year: | 2018 |
| Official Name: | Formula 1 2018 Johnnie Walker Belgian Grand Prix |
| Race No: | 13 |
| Season No: | 21 |
| Location: | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps Stavelot, Belgium |
| Course: | Permanent racing facility |
| Course Mi: | 4.352 |
| Course Km: | 7.004 |
| Distance Laps: | 44 |
| Distance Mi: | 191.415 |
| Distance Km: | 308.052 |
| Weather: | Cloudy |
| Pole Driver: | Lewis Hamilton |
| Pole Team: | Mercedes |
| Pole Time: | 1:58.179 |
| Pole Country: | GBR |
| Fast Driver: | Valtteri Bottas |
| Fast Team: | Mercedes |
| Fast Time: | 1:46.286 |
| Fast Lap: | 32 |
| First Team: | Ferrari |
| Second Driver: | Lewis Hamilton |
| Second Team: | Mercedes |
| Second Country: | GBR |
The 2018 Belgian Grand Prix (formally the Formula 1 2018 Johnnie Walker Belgian Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 26 August 2018 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot, Belgium.[2] The race was the thirteenth round of the 2018 Formula One World Championship and marked the 74th running of the Belgian Grand Prix and the 61st time the race was held at Spa-Francorchamps and 51st time as a round of the World Championship.
The race was won by Scuderia Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel ahead of Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen. The victory moved Vettel ahead of Alain Prost in all-time career Formula One victories and would be his last win for over a year until the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix.
After going into administration during the weekend, Force India arrived in Belgium under new ownership. A consortium led by Lawrence Stroll purchased the racing assets and operations of Force India through a company named Racing Point UK Ltd.[3] The original team, Sahara Force India, was excluded from the Constructors' Championship due to their inability to participate in the remaining races, allowing the new team known as Racing Point Force India to apply for a late entry and start their participation in the championship in Belgium.[4]
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton entered the round with a 24-point lead over Sebastian Vettel in the Drivers' Championship. In the World Constructors' Championship, Mercedes led Ferrari by 10 points.[5]
McLaren reserve driver Lando Norris made his first appearance at a Grand Prix weekend, replacing Fernando Alonso during the first practice session.[6]
The race was won by Scuderia Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel ahead of Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen. With the win Vettel took his 52nd and overtook Alain Prost for third in the ranking of drivers with the most Formula One wins. The race featured a first lap crash involving Fernando Alonso, Nico Hülkenberg, and Charles Leclerc. Hülkenberg misjudged his braking before ramming into the back of Alonso, before flying over Leclerc's car and landing on the halo.[7]
After the first corner incidents, Vettel passed Hamilton on the Kemmel straight on lap 1. Hamilton tried to repass at the end of the straight, as did the two Racing Point cars of Ocon and Pérez, and they were four abreast in the braking zone, with Vettel staying ahead. Hamilton was not able to challenge Vettel again.[8]
| Driver | Constructor | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | ||||||
| 1 | 44 | data-sort-value="HAM" | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:42.977 | 1:41.553 | 1:58.179 | 1 |
| 2 | 5 | data-sort-value="VET" | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:43.035 | 1:41.501 | 1:58.905 | 2 |
| 3 | 31 | data-sort-value="OCO" | Esteban Ocon | Force India-Mercedes | 1:44.003 | 1:43.302 | 2:01.851 | 3 |
| 4 | 11 | data-sort-value="PER" | Sergio Pérez | Force India-Mercedes | 1:44.004 | 1:43.014 | 2:01.894 | 4 |
| 5 | 8 | data-sort-value="GRO" | Romain Grosjean | Haas-Ferrari | 1:43.597 | 1:43.042 | 2:02.122 | 5 |
| 6 | 7 | data-sort-value="RAI" | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:42.585 | 1:41.533 | 2:02.671 | 6 |
| 7 | 33 | data-sort-value="VER" | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer | 1:43.199 | 1:42.554 | 2:02.769 | 7 |
| 8 | 3 | data-sort-value="RIC" | Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer | 1:43.604 | 1:43.126 | 2:02.939 | 8 | |
| 9 | 20 | data-sort-value="MAG" | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | 1:43.834 | 1:43.320 | 2:04.933 | 9 |
| 10 | 77 | data-sort-value="BOT" | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:42.805 | 1:42.191 | No time | 17 |
| 11 | 10 | data-sort-value="GAS" | Pierre Gasly | 1:44.221 | 1:43.844 | 10 | ||
| 12 | 28 | data-sort-value="HAR" | Brendon Hartley | Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda | 1:44.153 | 1:43.865 | 11 | |
| 13 | 16 | data-sort-value="LEC" | Charles Leclerc | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:43.654 | 1:44.062 | 12 | |
| 14 | 9 | data-sort-value="ERI" | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:43.846 | 1:44.301 | 13 | |
| 15 | 27 | data-sort-value="HUL" | Nico Hülkenberg | Renault | 1:44.145 | No time | 18 | |
| 16 | 55 | data-sort-value="SAI" | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Renault | 1:44.489 | 19 | ||
| 17 | 14 | data-sort-value="ALO" | Fernando Alonso | McLaren-Renault | 1:44.917 | 14 | ||
| 18 | 35 | data-sort-value="SIR" | Sergey Sirotkin | Williams-Mercedes | 1:44.998 | 15 | ||
| 19 | 18 | data-sort-value="STR" | Lance Stroll | Williams-Mercedes | 1:45.134 | 16 | ||
| 20 | 2 | data-sort-value="VAN" | McLaren-Renault | 1:45.307 | 20 | |||
| 107% time 1:49.765 | ||||||||
| Source:[9] | ||||||||
| Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | data-sort-value="VET" | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 44 | 1:23:34.476 | 2 | 25 | |
| 2 | 44 | data-sort-value="HAM" | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 44 | +11.061 | 1 | 18 | |
| 3 | 33 | data-sort-value="VER" | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer | 44 | +31.372 | 7 | 15 | |
| 4 | 77 | data-sort-value="BOT" | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 44 | +1:08.605 | 17 | 12 | |
| 5 | 11 | data-sort-value="PER" | Sergio Pérez | Force India-Mercedes | 44 | +1:11.023 | 4 | 10 | |
| 6 | 31 | data-sort-value="OCO" | Esteban Ocon | Force India-Mercedes | 44 | +1:19.520 | 3 | 8 | |
| 7 | 8 | data-sort-value="GRO" | Romain Grosjean | Haas-Ferrari | 44 | +1:25.953 | 5 | 6 | |
| 8 | 20 | data-sort-value="MAG" | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | 44 | +1:27.639 | 9 | 4 | |
| 9 | 10 | data-sort-value="GAS" | Pierre Gasly | 44 | +1:45.892 | 10 | 2 | ||
| 10 | 9 | data-sort-value="ERI" | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber-Ferrari | 43 | +1 lap | 13 | 1 | |
| 11 | 55 | data-sort-value="SAI" | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Renault | 43 | +1 lap | 19 | ||
| 12 | 35 | data-sort-value="SIR" | Sergey Sirotkin | Williams-Mercedes | 43 | +1 lap | 15 | ||
| 13 | 18 | data-sort-value="STR" | Lance Stroll | Williams-Mercedes | 43 | +1 lap | 16 | ||
| 14 | 28 | data-sort-value="HAR" | Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda | 43 | +1 lap | 11 | |||
| 15 | 2 | data-sort-value="VAN" | McLaren-Renault | 43 | +1 lap | 20 | |||
| data-sort-value="16" | Ret | 3 | data-sort-value="RIC" | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer | 31 | 8 | ||
| data-sort-value="17" | Ret | 7 | data-sort-value="RAI" | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 9 | 6 | ||
| data-sort-value="18" | Ret | 16 | data-sort-value="LEC" | Charles Leclerc | Sauber-Ferrari | 0 | Collision | 12 | |
| data-sort-value="19" | Ret | 14 | data-sort-value="ALO" | Fernando Alonso | McLaren-Renault | 0 | Collision | 14 | |
| data-sort-value="20" | Ret | 27 | data-sort-value="HUL" | Nico Hülkenberg | Renault | 0 | Collision | 18 | |
| Source:[10] | |||||||||
| Driver | Points | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | data-sort-value="HAM" | Lewis Hamilton | 231 | |
| 2 | data-sort-value="VET" | Sebastian Vettel | 214 | |
| 3 | data-sort-value="RAI" | Kimi Räikkönen | 146 | |
| 4 | data-sort-value="BOT" | Valtteri Bottas | 144 | |
| 1 | 5 | data-sort-value="VER" | Max Verstappen | 120 |
| Source:[11] | ||||
| Constructor | Points | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 375 | ||
| 2 | Ferrari | 360 | ||
| 3 | Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer | 238 | ||
| 4 | Renault | 82 | ||
| 5 | Haas-Ferrari | 76 | ||
| Source: | ||||
