The Formula One season resumes this weekend with the Belgian Grand Prix at the ever-popular Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
Max Verstappen holds an 80-point lead over Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ championship, and Ferrari will want to lay down a marker in the first race following the mid-season break.
Verstappen won here from pole position in a rainy weekend in 2021, and he’ll take some stopping this year — although he will, of course, start from the back of the grid after taking on new engine parts.
The reigning world champion is one of six drivers to accept grid penalties this week.
MORE: David Coulthard talks final F1 2022 predictions, Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes struggles and Las Vegas racing
F1 Belgian Grand Prix qualifying live updates, highlights
END OF Q2: A 1:44:551 from Leclerc! That’s quite a statement. Hamilton and Russell rescue themselves with good final laps, and they’ll be joined in Q3 by Albon — the last remaining driver in 2022 who was yet to reach the final session of qualifying.
5 mins left of Q2: Verstappen and Perez lead the way in Q2, with Leclerc down in sixth. He’s complained of some “very, very strange” bouncing at certain corners (although that might be because he went right up on the kerb).
START OF Q2: Hamilton must be feeling good — he’s straight out for the start of Q2.
END OF Q1: Hamilton goes fifth-fastest with his last flying lap of the session — that was impressive. Vettel looked like he’d got himself out of trouble, but Albon’s final lap pushed the four-time world champion into the bottom five by just two thousandths of a second.
Eliminated from Q1:
Sebastian Vettel
Nicholas Latifi
Kevin Magnussen
Yuki Tsunoda
Valtteri Bottas
That ends Bottas’ incredible run of progressing to Q2 at every grand prix since Monaco in 2015!
5 mins left of Q1: Hamilton and Russell look to be trying to get some warmth into their tyres. Their latest flying laps left them 11th and 10th, respectively, and they look far from dead certs to reach Q3.
10 mins left of Q1: Sainz had just gone three-tenths of a second quicker than Perez, and Verstappen promptly became the first driver to go under 1:45:00. It’s Red Bull, Ferrari, Red Bull, Ferrari so far.
START OF Q1: Here we go! Nicholas Latifi is the first man out as the lights go green.
START DELAYED: We’re being told the new start time is 16:25 local time, so in around 10 minutes. Repairs to the barrier have been ongoing and look to be nearly finished. Some of the drivers are now in their cars, waiting.
The barrier was damaged during qualifying for Sunday’s Porsche Supercup race 👀 #BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/vRZLZfU0ah
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 27, 2022
5 mins to go: We’re ready for Q1 at Spa-Franchorchamps, a glorious forest setting. It’s a bit grey overhead, and fairly cool, so tyre temperatures could be tricky to build up.
We’re facing a slight delay to the start here, though, due to a crash in one of the earlier racing events that’s needed a bit of clearing-up (there’s a barrier that needs repairing).
30 mins to go: Perez clocked the quickest time in the final practice session, ahead of Verstappen and Carlos Sainz. Lewis Hamilton was 12th-fastest in his Mercedes.
FP3 CLASSIFICATION
The RB18 likes this Spa circuit 💪#BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/ygaj44YA09
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 27, 2022
45 mins to go: There are seven drivers for whom qualifying means a lot less than normal as they will all start from the back of the grid for using too many engine parts. Among them is championship leader Max Verstappen, who was comfortably the quickest in the second practice session ahead of teammate Sergio Perez.
Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Esteban Ocon, Alfa Romeo drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, and Mick Schumacher are the others who must start Sunday’s race from the back.
1 hour to go: F1 is back! The 2022 season resumes at Spa-Francorchamps, one of the most popular circuits in the sport, and we’ll be bringing you all the latest from qualifying.
What channel is the F1 race on?
- 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.
What time does the F1 race start?
- Date: Sunday, Aug. 28
- Start time: 9 a.m. ET (3 p.m. local time)
Sunday’s 2022 Belgian Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. local time. Lights out will likely take place just after 9 a.m. ET. ESPN’s prerace show typically airs in the hour before the start of the race.
Below is the complete TV schedule for the weekend’s F1 events at the Belgian Grand Prix. All times are Eastern.
| Date | Event | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Aug. 26 | Practice 1 | 8 a.m. | ESPNU |
| Friday, Aug. 26 | Practice 2 | 11 a.m. | ESPN2 |
| Saturday, Aug. 27 | Practice 3 | 7 a.m. | ESPN2 |
| Saturday, Aug. 27 | Qualifying | 10 a.m. | ESPN2 |
| Sunday, Aug. 28 | Race | 9 a.m. | ESPN |
Formula 1 live stream for Belgian Grand Prix
For those who don’t have a cable or satellite subscription, five major OTT TV streaming options carry the ESPN networks — fuboTV, Sling, Hulu, YouTubeTV and DirecTV Stream.
For those who do have a cable or satellite subscription but won’t be in front of a TV, Formula 1 races in 2022 can be streamed live via phones, tablets and other devices on the ESPN app with authentication.
Formula 1 schedule 2022
There are 22 scheduled events on the F1 docket for 2022, one race shy of tying the mark for longest F1 calendar.
The season started in Bahrain on March 20 and will end with the customary Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, although a bit earlier than usual, in November. If the schedule stands, this will be the earliest end of the Formula 1 season since it ended on Nov. 4 in 2013.
Returning to the 2022 F1 slate are the Canadian and Japanese Grand Prix, both of which were canceled in 2021 amid fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
The calendar also holds the maiden voyage for the Miami Grand Prix, the first of two races in the United States in 2022, with the customary United States GP taking place in October.
The Russian Grand Prix, originally scheduled for Sept. 25, was canceled because of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Here’s the latest schedule (subject to change):
| Date | Race | Track | Start time | TV channel | Winner (Team) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 20 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Bahrain International Circuit | 11 a.m. | ESPN | Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) |
| March 27 | Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | Jeddah Street Circuit | 1 p.m. | ESPN | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| April 10 | Australian Grand Prix | Albert Park Circuit | 1 a.m. | ESPN | Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) |
| April 24 | Emilia Romagna Grand Prix | Imola Circuit | 9 a.m. | ESPN | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| May 8 | Miami Grand Prix | Miami International Autodrome | 3:30 p.m. | ABC | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| May 22 | Spanish Grand Prix | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | 9 a.m. | ESPN2 | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| May 29 | Monaco Grand Prix | Circuit de Monaco | 9 a.m. | ESPN | Sergio Perez (Red Bull) |
| June 12 | Azerbaijan Grand Prix | Baku City Circuit | 7 a.m. | ESPN | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| June 19 | Canadian Grand Prix | Circuit Gillies-Villenueve | 2 p.m. | ABC | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| July 3 | British Grand Prix | Silverstone Circuit | 10 a.m. | TBD | Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) |
| July 10 | Austrian Grand Prix | Red Bull Ring | 9 a.m. | TBD | Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) |
| July 24 | French Grand Prix | Circuit Paul Ricard | 9 a.m. | ESPN | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| July 31 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Hungaroring | 9 a.m. | ESPN | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| Aug. 28 | Belgian Grand Prix | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | 9 a.m. | ESPN | TBD |
| Sept. 4 | Dutch Grand Prix | Circuit Zandvoort | 9 a.m. | TBD | TBD |
| Sept. 11 | Italian Grand Prix | Autodromo Nazionale Monza | 9 a.m. | TBD | TBD |
| Oct. 2 | Singapore Grand Prix | Marina Bay Street Circuit | 8 a.m. | TBD | TBD |
| Oct. 9 | Japanese Grand Prix | Suzuka International Racing Course | 1 a.m. | TBD | TBD |
| Oct. 23 | United States Grand Prix | Circuit of the Americas | 3 p.m. | TBD | TBD |
| Oct. 30 | Mexico City Grand Prix | Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez | 4 p.m. | TBD | TBD |
| Nov. 13 | Sao Paulo Grand Prix | Interlagos Circuit | 2 p.m. | TBD | TBD |
| Nov. 20 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Yas Marina Circuit | 8 a.m. | TBD | TBD |
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 United Kingdom
- 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.
