BarcelonaThe future of Formula 1 is already here. On a rainy day at the Belgian circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, George Russell (Williams) reappeared to give even more arguments in favor of his signing by Mercedes as a teammate of Lewis Hamilton for next season. Russell managed to climb to second place in the standings with a time completely out of reach of a Williams, if not for the British driver. The pole it was for Max Verstappen (Red Bull) in a very bumpy session due to the showers, which did not stop for the more than two hours that the qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix lasted (3pm, DAZN).
The turning point came in Q3 when Lando Norris (McLaren) lost control of his car and ended up bumping and spinning on himself, an accident that left the car completely shattered. The rider, who came out on his own though disoriented, will run in the race this Sunday after receiving the race direction approval and medical services from the circuit. With the red flag waving on the circuit, all the riders returned to the pits, waiting for them marshalls they would condition the track again. With the restart, Russell seized the opportunity.
As it rained heavily, the Briton squeezed all the speed he could into his Williams and improved the times of his next teammate and World Cup leader Lewis Hamilton. The two Britons, who are destined to get along when they share boxing next season, congratulated each other by punching each other in the closed park after the session.
Hamilton is reluctant to change team. The work of Valtteri Bottas, who will be eighth, has always been that of a faithful squire for Stevenage. Always in the shadow of the seven-time world champion, the Finn has never claimed a leading role in the team led by Toto Wolff. Now Russell does not arrive with the same intention. The Williams driver hopes to make the big leap that the Formula 1 paddock sees more than clear since last season he starred in a great race behind the wheel of Hamilton’s Mercedes, when it was infected with coronavirus. Again, George Russell doesn’t plan to miss the opportunity to put more arguments on the table to be the new Mercedes driver.
.
