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      Lewis Hamilton turns heads after turning up to Belgium Grand Prix wearing knitted ‘tea cosy’ pink balaclava

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      SIR LEWIS HAMILTON took fashion to a new extreme at the Belgium Grand Prix – even by his standards.The Mercedes star, 37, wore a pink knitted balaclava on Saturday as he turned up to take a look at the Spa track.
      Sir Lewis Hamilton dressed in pink and wore a knitted balaclava as he turned up at Spa on SaturdayCredit: Rex
      Some fans mocked Hamilton for the unusual accessoryCredit: Rex
      The headgear was adorned with knitted daisies and covered up most of Hamilton’s face – showing only his eyes and nose.
      Hamilton matched the balaclave with a pink cardigan and jumper, as well as purple cargo pants.
      But it was his interesting knitted garment that drew fans’ attention on social media.
      One fan remarked: “I dont care what everyone says. This is not fashion, this is ridiculous.”
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      Another jokingly added: “Me nan wants her tea cosy back…”
      And a third said: “It’s like his nan knitted it specifically for this event so he had to promise to wear it.”
      Hamilton had a weekend to forget in Belgium as he crashed out in the first lap of the Grand Prix.
      The seven-time champion went over the top of Fernando Alonso after colliding with the Alpine ace in the second corner of the Spa race.
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      Hamilton soared through the air but miraculously didn’t harm the Spaniard and continued driving until his team told him to stop.
      After the race the Brit admitted he was at fault for the crash.
      He said: “Looking back he was in my blind spot, I didn’t give him enough space. It is my fault.
      “I could not see him. I am sorry to the team and I need to recuperate and get back on the treadmill.” More

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      F1 Belgian Grand Prix LIVE RESULT: Verstappen WINS from 14th as Hamilton crashes into Alonso – reaction

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      LEWIS HAMILTON has thrown away a massive opportunity to secure a first race win of the season.The Brit crashed into Fernando Alonso on the opening lap, which led to him retiring from the race.
      And that has led current world champion Max Verstappen to storm to another victory, despite starting down in 14th..

      TV channel: Sky Sports F1
      Live stream: NowTV
      Sunday, August 28: Belgian Grand Prix race 2pm

      Stay up to date with all the latest from Spa-Francorchamps…
      Alonso taking no prisoners
      Following the crash which lead to the end of Lewis Hamilton’s race, Alonso said over the radio:
      “Yeah, what an idiot! Closing the door from the outside. I mean, we had a mega start but this guy only knows how to drive and start in first.”
      Promise for Williams
      The speed of Alex Albon in particular will have impressed many today, with him bringing another point home for Williams.
      After starting as high as P6 yesterday, it could be promising signs for the team currently last on the grid.
      Verstappen driver of the day
      Perhaps the easiest choice of the season since… well the last race.

      Plenty of points for Alpine
      Despite starting third on the grid, Alpine will surely be happy with finishing P5 and P7 this afternoon.
      Even more so when considering Ocon began the race at the rear following an grid penalty.
      Questions for Ferrari
      Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will be sat there wondering again why they were so far away from the Red Bulls today.
      It’s another poor weekend for them.
      Heartbreak for Hamilton
      Certainly not how the Mercedes man wanted his afternoon to go

      Verstappen: “We want more”
      The World Championship leader told SkySports:
      “It was a hectic first lap to stay out of trouble.
      “This whole weekend has been incredible.
      “We want more of them, we keep working hard.”
      Perez: I hoped for more
      Speaking to Sky Sports, Sergio Perez said:
      “Max was flying, he was untouchable
      “It was a bit of chaos on lap one, I had a really poor start.
      Leclerc penalised
      Uh oh. A five second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane will see the Ferrari man finish sixth, behind Fernando Alonso.
      Good performance from Russell
      The Mercedes man was threatening taking the final podium place, but fourth is still a great result for the Englishman.
      Statement drive from Verstappen
      Wow. From 14th on the grid to one of the more dominant wins of the season.
      Leclerc also failed to take the fastest lap off him on the last race of the season.
      Red Bull 1-2
      Sergio Perez follows his teammate over the line, with Sainz holding on to the final podium place.
      VERSTAPPEN WINS!
      MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE BELGIAN GRAND PRIX!
      Oh no Ferrari
      Leclerc’s been overtaken by Alonso on the second last lap, with him now down in 6th.
      They do love to make things difficult for themselves.
      Leclerc pits late
      Clearly pushing for a fastest lap point, with Alonso pushing to take 5th away from him.
      Crucial Russell error
      The Mercedes man went wide a few laps ago, which has probably left him too much to do with two laps to go.
      Tsunoda overtakes Zhou to move into 13th.
      Verstappen coasting home
      17.1 seconds is the lead for the man who started 14th today.
      He’s unmatched right about now.
      Four laps to go
      Sainz has reacted well to the pressure of Russell, now extending his lead on fourth.
      Norris struggling
      The McLaren man has been told it’s too late for ‘Plan G’, with him claiming he’s struggling in 12th.
      Battle for 10th hotting up
      Albon, Stroll, Norris and Zhou are all scrapping for the final points place, with the Williams under pressure from the chasing pack.
      Russell taking chunks out of Sainz’s times
      Russell is driving brilliantly today, as he sits about 2.3 seconds behind Sainz for the final podium place.
      Vintage Vettel
      A lovely little exchange in the midfield, with Vettel overtaking Gasly before Ocon speeds past them both in a thrilling battle.
      Scary dominance from Red Bull
      Verstappen leads his teammate Perez by over 13 seconds, who in himself leads third by 9.4.
      Staggering stuff.
      Ferrari in trouble
      Russell is again gaining on Sainz, who has reiterated to his engineers that he’s doing everything he can.
      Hamilton: “It was my fault”
      A disconsolate Lewis Hamilton told Sky Sports:
      “Looking back at the footage, he was in blind spot and I just didn’t see it.
      “It was my fault.”
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      ‘What an idiot’ – Lewis Hamilton OUT after crashing into F1 rival Fernando Alonso on first lap of dramatic Belgium GP

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      SIR LEWIS HAMILTON was forced to retire in the first round of the Belgian Grand Prix after a dramatic crash in the opening lap.The Stevenage speedster went over the top of Fernando Alonso after colliding with the Apline ace in the second corner of the Spa race.

      Lewis Hamilton went over the top of Fernando Alonso in the opening lap of the Belgian Grand PrixCredit: GETTY
      Hamilton’s Mercedes was badly damaged from the crashCredit: Getty
      Hamilton soared through the air but miraculously didn’t harm the Spaniard and was able to continue driving – albeit not very well.
      After the collision, Mercedes chiefs told the Brit: “Stop, stop, stop!”
      The seven-time champion begrudgingly listened to their advice, bringing his race to a premature end.
      A furious Alonso raged on the Apline team radio: “Yeah. What an idiot!
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      “Closing the door from the outside. I mean, we had a mega start.
      “But this guy only knows how to drive and start in first.”
      F1 fans were quick to react to the dramatic opening lap, with one saying: “All on Lewis there, anyway who says otherwise doesn’t watch F1.”
      Another said: “Lu lu can only drive at the front with a fast car.”
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      And another said: “As Fernando, said he only knows how to drive from 1st in the fastest car, complete fraud.”
      One remarked: “Alonso just turned in on him.”
      Another chimed in: “How’s that happened then?”
      Mercedes superstar Hamilton was confident of picking up his first win of the season ahead of this afternoon’s race.
      Sir Lewis Hamilton has yet to taste victory this seasonCredit: AP
      He said: “We’ve been improving, we’ve had this consistency of the recent races and great progress that the team is making, everyone pulling together and continuing to push.
      “The car is becoming more of a racing car, which is not particularly what it was at the start of the year!
      “It’s more like a normal racing car in terms of its characteristics so that’s positive.
      “The last race was the best showing we’ve had so far. That for us was a huge boost, that we can close that gap.
      Read More on The Sun
      “It’s naturally going to be tough, we’ll keep our heads down.
      “The other guys are doing an amazing job but I do believe we can close the gap.”
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      Carlos Sainz to start Belgian Grand Prix on pole despite NOT finishing fastest with Lewis Hamilton fourth on grid

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      CARLOS SAINZ will start on pole in Spa tomorrow after penalties saw the starting grid reshuffled.Championship leader Max Verstappen set the pace in qualifying for tomorrow’s Belgian GP – but will line up for the start down in 15th place after taking on a new engine.
      Carlos Sainz is on pole for tomorrow’s Belgian GPCredit: AP
      Max Verstappen was quickest in qualifying but a penalty means he will not be on poleCredit: AP
      Lewis Hamilton will start fourth on the gridCredit: AP
      The Dutchman is one of SEVEN drivers carrying engine and gearbox-related grid drops.
      But Verstappen was the fastest out on the track and could still force his way into contention tomorrow.
      The reigning world champion himself said it would be “a shame” to not be on the podium by the time he takes the chequered flag.
      Verstappen set a fastest time of one minute 43.665 seconds to beat second fastest Sainz by a comfortable 0.632 seconds.
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      He will still start ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, his closest title rival, who was fourth fastest.
      Leclerc is another who has taken a penalty for adding new power units – and drops to 16th as a result.
      Sergio Perez was third quickest for Red Bull and will move up to the front row alongside Sainz with Alpines Fernando Alonso behind on the second row.
      Lewis Hamilton could only set the seventh-fastest time in Spa but the penalties mean will start the raced in fourth.
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      His Mercedes team mate George Russell is one place behind in fifth.
      Speaking after qualifying, Verstappen said: “We need to move forward, especially with a car like this it would be a shame not to be on the podium.”
      The 24-year-old leads Leclerc by a whopping 80 points in the standings with just nine races to go.
      Sainz, starting from pole for the second time in his Formula One career, was keen to seize on the opportunity to take a second win but wary of Red Bulls speed.
      He said: “Happy to be starting on pole but obviously not so happy to see the gap to Max this weekend and the gap that Red Bull has on us.”
      Alex Albon will start an impressive sixth for Williams ahead of McLarens Daniel Ricciardo, AlphaTauris Pierre Gasly and Aston Martins Lance Stroll.
      His team mate Sebastian Vettel will start 10th. More

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      F1 Belgian Grand Prix LIVE: Verstappen QUICKEST at qualifying but NOT on pole after penalty, Hamilton 4th – updates

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      LEWIS HAMILTON has been handed a huge boost in his chances of securing a first place finish at the Belgian GP with Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc facing back of grid penalties.Leclerc and Verstappen are two of six drivers who have been penalised for using more engine parts than required.
      However, Hamilton hasn’t done himself any favours having finished 12th in Practice Three
      But the seven-time champion will get another chance to secure a good grid position for tomorrow’s GP in qualifying this afternoon.

      TV channel: Sky Sports F1
      Live stream: NowTV
      Saturday, August 27: Qualifying 3pm
      Sunday, August 28: Belgian Grand Prix race 2pm

      Stay up to date with all the latest from Spa-Francorchamps…
      Top 10 on the grid
      With the penalties applied it is:
      Sainz, Perez, Alonso, Hamilton, Russell, Albon, Ricciardo, Gasly, Stroll and Vettel.
      Verstappen tops the timesheets
      It is Verstappen, Sainz, Perez, Leclerc, Ocon, Alonso, Hamilton, Russell, Albon and Norris.
      Verstappen looks done for the day
      Hardly unlikely anyone will beat that lap time, but with his engine and gearbox penalties, he will start in 15th place.
      Sainz is second quickest
      The Ferrari man is a whopping 0.632 seconds behind the Red Bull. Perez in P3 and Leclerc in P4.
      Verstappen has blasted his way to P1
      The Red Bull man is unstoppable and rifles in the quickest lap of the day. – He’s got penalties looming though…
      Ferrari mistake!
      “Wait! What are these tyres?” asks Leclerc over the radio to his team.
      “Sorry, that’s our mistake”, replies his engineer.
      Q3 is go
      Grid penalties mean we are still waiting to see who will line up in 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th in the race.
      Albon assured at least a sixth place start.
      Albon is through
      Ricciardo is given the boot from Q2 at the expense of the Williams.
      Schumacher, Stroll, Zhou, Gasly are joining him.
      Final seconds of Q2
      Hamilton is dangerously close to being eliminated here.
      Scrappy stuff from Leclerc
      The Ferrari man is pushing hard and nearly loses the rear of his Ferrari. He is not happy with the set-up of his car. he is currently in P6.
      Q2 is go
      We are off again at Spa and the battle to reach the top 10. Hamilton and Russell are already out on track.
      Eliminated from Q1
      Vettel, Latifi, Magnussen, Tsunoda and Bottas are all eliminated at the first hurdle.
      Great stuff from Albon
      The Williams man has got into Q2 with a fine final lap. He pushes Vettel into the drop zone.
      Mercedes are struggling
      Russell is in 10th and Hamilton is in 11th, but their car is all over the place. Big problems right now.
      Red Bull set the pace
      Early indication that Red Bull have the pace as Verstappen goes half a second quicker than Sainz after his first flying lap.
      Perez in P3 and Leclerc in P4.
      We are underway at Spa
      After the delay, there is a green light in the pitlane.
      Qualifying will start in 15 minutes
      Finally, we are due to get underway here at Spa. Barrier has been repaired and it is declared safe.
      Delay to qualifying
      There was damage to a crash barrier during the Porsche Supercup, which has forced a delay to qualifying.
      The repairs have now been completed and we are waiting for a time for when this session will start.
      Leclerc was in the gravel.
      Charles Leclerc spun off of the track in FP3, but managed to avoid a big crash with the barriers.
      The man from Monaco also had an interesting chat via the radio with his team, as he said:
      “Can we take off the noises that go with the toggles because they are a bit weird, when I hear it I think it is the engine all the time.”
      Ferrari’s engine troubles have been well documented so far this season, and that is clearly taking its toll on their drivers.
      Leclerc was in the gravel in FP3 today.Credit: Getty
      Qualifying just an hour away
      The Qualifying for the Spa GP will begin in just under an hours time.
      Sergio Perez set the fastest time in FP3, after teammate Max Verstappen appeared to have the faster car in FP1 and FP2.
      After the red flag period ended, Perez posted the quickest lap of the session so far. An even more impressive feat considering light rain was creeping in…
      Disappointing for Hamilton.
      Lewis Hamilton ended the final practice in 12th place today, ahead of qualifying.
      This is not good news for the Brit, who will be hoping for a better performance in qualifying ahead of tomorrow’s Grand Prix in Spa.
      This was expected to be a big race for Lewis, with many of his usual competitors starting from the back of the grid due to penalties.
      Perez tops the session
      The Red Bull man finishes as the quickest driver in the final practice ahead of Verstappen, who could face a further penalty for ignoring yellow flags.
      Sainz, Norris, Alonso, Russell, Leclerc, Vettel, Ocon and Gasly make up the top 10.
      Hamilton? He’s down in 12th place.
      Leclerc spins – Red flag
      The Ferrari man was pushing too hard and spins. He bounces his car off the tyre wall.
      The race director has already red flagged the session. The clock is still counting down. We have just over six minutes to go.
      Perez leads Sainz
      Finally, the big teams are getting their quick laps in. Red Bull and Ferrari both showing their hands.
      Verstappen could be in trouble here
      He’s failed to slow down for yellow flags. Maybe a penalty incoming….
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      Lewis Hamilton releases new +44 clothing range based on lucky number ahead of Belgium GP as he chases first F1 win

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      SIR Lewis Hamilton has launched his own clothing brand after finally breaking his Instagram following duck – and it involves his lucky number.Fans of the F1 superstar went into a frenzy after he recently followed +44 on the social media app.
      Sir Lewis Hamilton has long used the number 44Credit: GETTY
      And he’s launched a clothing brand with the numberCredit: PLUS 44
      And the account has since revealed it’ll be selling merchandise designed by the seven-time champion.
      Hamilton shared a picture of himself donning a white top with the logo on his Twitter on Friday night.
      His accompanying caption read: “Eye of the storm.”
      Plus 44 is currently selling short and long-sleeved t-shirts and a fluorescent yellow poncho.
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      Forty-four, of course, is Hamilton’s race number – which he’s used since F1 drivers were allowed to have them in 2014.
      But the Stevenage speedster didn’t randomly choose the number.
      He said: “Of course, each year I start, basically it’s a new fresh start for everyone.
      “I always start with the number 44 because that’s the number that I had on my go-kart when I was eight years old.
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      “It was my dad’s car registration number, F44, so each year it’s just a new chance to rise to the challenge.”
      Mercedes superstar Hamilton has yet to taste victory this season, although he’s confident of picking up his first win.
      Speaking ahead of Saturday’s Belgian Grand Prix, he said: “We’ve been improving, we’ve had this consistency of the recent races and great progress that the team is making, everyone pulling together and continuing to push.
      “The car is becoming more of a racing car, which is not particularly what it was at the start of the year!
      “It’s more like a normal racing car in terms of its characteristics so that’s positive.
      “The last race was the best showing we’ve had so far. That for us was a huge boost, that we can close that gap.
      Read More on The Sun
      “It’s naturally going to be tough, we’ll keep our heads down.
      “The other guys are doing an amazing job but I do believe we can close the gap.”
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      F1 Belgian Grand Prix LIVE: Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc to start from BACK of grid, SIX drivers penalised

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      THE Formula One season gets back underway and Lewis Hamilton is looking to salvage his season with a fresh start at the Belgian Grand Prix.The seven-time F1 world champion has been on a trip to Africa to unwind during the mid-season break and has come back refreshed and raring to go.
      Max Verstappen currently leads the standings on 258 points ahead of Charles Leclerc on 178pts and Sergio Perez on 173.
      So there remains a lot to play for in the second half of the season – get set to see how it unfolds as the F1 calendar rolls on once more.

      TV channel: Sky Sports F1
      Live stream: Now
      Friday, August 26: Practice One 1pm, Practice Two 4pm
      Saturday, August 27: Practice Three 12pm, Qualifying 3pm
      Sunday, August 28: Belgian Grand Prix race 2pm

      Stay up to date with all the latest from Spa-Francorchamps…
      Leclerc reacts to Verstappen’s lap time
      He’s told the Dutchman is 0.862 seconds ahead of his best time. “Wow…that is quick”, he says over the radio.
      Verstappen setting the pace
      The world champion is top of the timesheets in an otherwise dull session so far.
      Only Vettel has notched double-figures in the way of laps and he is in 18th.
      FP2 is go
      Second session underway in Spa. The track is damp and we have a 40 percent chance of rain in this sesion.
      Verstappen latest
      McLaren’s Lando Norris, Alpine’s Eseban Ocon, Alfa Romeo’s Valterri Bottas and Haas’ Mick Schumacher are the other four drivers who will start from the back.
      Verstappen to start from BACK of grid
      Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc will start from the BACK of the grid at the Belgian Grand Prix.
      The Red Bull and Ferrari aces are two of six drivers to be penalised for using too many engine parts.
      FP1 is done – Ferrari set the pace
      Sainz and Leclerc top the session in Spa, the two are separated by just 0.069 seconds.
      Verstappen is third quickest 0.217 seconds off Sainz’s best time and Russell is fourth.
      Hamilton down in 9th place and Norris in 13th.
      It is raining
      A wet end to the session at Spa meaning lap times will not improve. Under three minutes to go and it is Sainz, Leclerc, Verstappen, Russell as the top four.
      Green light
      We are going again after a lengthy delay to recover the Haas. Eight minutes on the clock remain in FP1.
      Red flag – Magnussen stops on track
      He has a mechanical problem – says “his engine is out”, and is told to stop the car.
      This session has been stopped for the time being as they recover his car.
      No penalty for Williams
      Pretty mad that Williams have been let off there. Looked a slam dunk penalty to me.
      Ocon has a problem
      He radios his Alpine team to inform them and the ask him to bring the car in to the pits for them to check it over. He was eighth quickest.
      Near miss!
      Verstappen almost wipes out Latifi in the pitlane. What were Williams doing calling him out into the pitlane with the Red Bull man approaching at such speed.
      That’s likely to be a fine for the Williams team due to an unsafe release.
      Green light in the pit lane
      We are go for the Belgium GP – the season is back after the summer break.
      Lots of new parts on these cars, so expect of running – despite the wet conditions.
      New engines on the way for a number of drivers – details to follow once confirmed with the FIA – but the grid on Sunday could see a number of top drivers starting at the back of the grid.
      Lew close to a win
      Lewis Hamilton believes he is finally closing in on his first win of the year as he goes into this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.
      Hamilton is on the longest winless run of his F1 career – a streak that stretches back to the Saudi race in December.
      But the 37-year-old, who has won at least one race every year he has been in F1, is confident of breaking his 2022 duck.
      Brit Hamilton, who was second in Hungary last time out, said: “We’ve been improving, some great progress, everyone pulling together.
      “The car is becoming more of a racing car, which is not particularly what it was at the start!
      “The last race was the best showing we’ve had so far. It was a huge boost, that we can close the gap.
      “It’s naturally going to be tough, we’ll keep our heads down now.”
      First practice is minutes away
      Expect the cars to roll out of the pits at 1pm UK time, which is 2pm CET.
      Credit: Reuters
      Max Verstappen is in the building
      The world champ is looking relaxed and even has his knees out in the Belgian sunshine.
      And of course it’s not far for his loyal oranje army of supporters to follow him in Spa.
      Credit: Rex
      Hello and welcome to Spa!
      The F1 season is finally BACK and there are new car upgrades and the drivers have been able to put their feet up.
      Now, Lewis Hamilton is looking to eat into Max Verstappen’s huge lead at the top of the F1 title standings.
      But it would be some challenge, even more so than last season, when he nearly pipped the Dutchman at the post for the title.
      And we all remember what happened in Abu Dhabi.
      Those wounds have clearly taken time to heal for Hamilton – and that is hardly surprising.
      But he will be hoping his garage have their act together and a car that can challenge the dominance of Red Bull and Ferrari so far this year.
      Either way, expect chat about what porpoising is, plenty of aerodynamic talk – but hopefully some great racing.
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      Lewis Hamilton handed huge Belgian Grand Prix boost with Leclerc and Verstappen set to be demoted to back of grid

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      LEWIS HAMILTON has been handed a huge boost ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix with title leaders Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen set to be demoted to the back of the grid. The Brit driver is still looking for his first win of the season and will likely not get a better chance this season with both frontrunners having to fight through the pack.
      Charles Leclerc is looking to turn his fortunes around after Ferrari’s form fell off a cliff in the last few racesCredit: Rex
      Max Verstappen has an 80 point lead in the Driver’s ChampionshipCredit: Rex
      Lewis Hamilton has not won an F1 race since December’s Saudi Arabian Grand PrixCredit: Rex
      Leclerc and Verstappen are just two of SIX drivers set to take penalties, with several teams choosing to take new power units and having to start from the back of the grid as a result.
      McLaren’s Lando Norris, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas of Alfa Romeo and Haas’ Mick Schumacher are the other drivers set to be penalised.
      The penalties have been confirmed by the governing body the FIA after the first practice session.
      Teams are believed to be taking the penalties at this race as it is easier in to overtake in Belgium and make up places than other tracks.
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      It will throw the cat among the pigeons as F1 returns from its mid-season break at the legendary Spa circuit.
      Leclerc and Verstappen have won all but two races between them this season but their low starting positions could open the door to other drivers.

      Lewis Hamilton finished 2nd at the Hungarian Grand Prix and was very competitive at last month’s chaotic British Grand Prix.
      The seven-time World Champion is also on a run of five podiums on the bounce as Mercedes gradually close the gap to Ferrari and Red Bull.
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      His team-mate George Russell may also now believe his first victory is within reach with the Brit snatching his first ever pole at Hungary in the last race.
      Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, both with only a sole win so far this season, may also think their team-mates’ penalties could open opportunities for the race victory.
      After his early season struggles, Hamilton is feeling increasingly positive about his Mercedes car.
      He told the Belgian Grand Prix press conference that the Merc was becoming “more of a racing car” after its uncompetitive showing in the early races.
      The 37-year-old also had an active summer break as he toured Africa to explore his roots. More