2010 Belgian Grand Prix

Championship standings

Webber leads the Drivers’ Championship with 161 points after winning in Hungary, ahead of Hamilton on 157 and Vettel on 151. Button is fourth with 147 and Alonso fifth with 141. Red Bull lead the Constructors’ Championship with 312 points; McLaren are second with 304 — just eight points behind — and Ferrari third with 238.

Previous race

Webber won in Hungary by nearly twenty seconds after holding off Alonso for the lead during the safety car phase. Vettel received a drive-through penalty for exceeding the safety car delta time, costing him a likely victory and leaving him visibly furious. Hamilton retired from fourth with a gearbox failure. Petrov and Hülkenberg took career-best fifth and sixth-place finishes. Schumacher drew alongside Barrichello on the main straight in the closing laps and moved across, nearly forcing the Williams into the pit wall; Barrichello, who had already committed to the move, held his ground.

Between-race developments

Schumacher has been issued a ten-place grid penalty for this race for the dangerous driving incident on Barrichello at the Hungaroring. The stewards deemed his move to be a breach of the regulations.

This race follows the mandatory two-week summer shutdown for all teams. It is the first race since Spa in 2009 that the field arrives at with Red Bull’s lead reduced to a single point over McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship.

Car upgrades

Ferrari introduces a new low-downforce rear wing on Massa’s car for qualifying and the race, along with a modified diffuser and floor. Red Bull alters brake disc specifications for extra ballast. McLaren installs a new front wing on Button’s car to improve airflow and downforce. Renault debuts a version of McLaren’s F-duct activated by the driver’s left hand and directed at the main rear wing section, retaining it after being impressed during practice. Williams introduces new front and rear wings.

Track changes

The tarmac run-off area at Les Combes chicane has been expanded with three bumps to discourage drivers from cutting the corner. La Source has a larger artificial grass area and a new 50 mm kerb at the apex to deter drivers from transgressing track limits.

Practice

Heavy rain fell overnight before the first session. The track remained wet throughout, with some aquaplaning as rain briefly intensified and lightning struck approximately 50 minutes in. Alonso set the fastest lap at 2:00.797 late in the session. Hamilton, Kubica, Vettel, Sutil, Button, Webber, Kobayashi, Barrichello, and Schumacher followed in positions two through ten.

The second session began on a damp circuit that gradually dried, with drivers progressing from wet to dry tyres. Alonso again led with the day’s fastest lap of 1:49.032, ahead of Sutil and Hamilton. Liuzzi lost control under braking for Rivage and required a new front wing. Glock crashed sideways into the barrier at Liège corner on a white line. The session was stopped for ten minutes after children were observed climbing the catch fence on track grounds, requiring race director Whiting to inspect the circuit personally in the safety car. A malfunctioning red light then delayed the restart, requiring marshals to wave a green flag.

In Saturday’s session, overnight rain left the track damp but slick tyres were used after 20 minutes. Webber led with a 1:46.106, nearly three seconds quicker than Friday’s best, with Hamilton second and Vettel third. A downpour with 15 minutes remaining caught several drivers out. Vettel’s car became stuck in gear due to an air box fault and he was pushed into the pit lane by marshals.