Google+ Jack Leslie F1: 2015 Belgian Grand Prix In Pictures

24 August 2015

2015 Belgian Grand Prix In Pictures

Set in the stunning Ardennes countryside, Spa-Francorchamps is one of F1's most historic and picturesque race tracks.
© Octane Photographic
Lewis Hamilton stormed to victory in 2015, from Nico Rosberg and Romain Grosjean. Here is the race weekend in images.

All of the images featured in this piece are courtesy of Octane Photographic. See more of their work here.

Friday
© Octane Photographic
Rosberg set the pace in opening practice, despite a reliability scare, and looked strong throughout Friday's running.
© Octane Photographic
Pastor Maldonado did little to improve his reputation. He crashed on the exit of Turn 8 mid-way through FP1.
© Octane Photographic
F1 returned to the track after the summer break, and what a circuit to kick-start the second half of the 2015 season.
© Octane Photographic
Rosberg ended second practice fastest, even though he dramatically exited the session with 26 minutes remaining. He suffered a right-rear tyre failure on the run to Blanchimont and was lucky to not hit the wall.
© Octane Photographic
Marcus Ericsson wasn't so lucky. He lost the rear of his Sauber at Pouhon and hit the barrier, heavily damaging his car.


Saturday
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McLaren opted to change power unit components for the second consecutive day, collectively giving the team a 105-place grid penalty.
© Octane Photographic
After finishing behind his team-mate on Friday, Hamilton turned his fortunes around in FP3 and topped the timesheets.
© Octane Photographic
Unsurprisingly, both McLaren drivers were eliminated from qualifying in the first segment. Felipe Nasr was 16th for Sauber, ahead of Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Roberto Merhi and Will Stevens.
© Octane Photographic
Despite showing strong form in practice, Daniil Kvyat was one of five drivers to drop out of qualifying in the second session. He was 12th fastest, behind Nico Hulkenberg and ahead of Ericsson.
© Octane Photographic
Kimi Raikkonen suffered a reliability issue in Q2 and failed to run. He was 14th, with Max Verstappen - who had a 10-place engine change penalty - not setting a time and rounding out the Q2 drop-zone.
© Octane Photographic
Lotus put in a strong performance in Q3. Maldonado was eighth, while Romain Grosjean impressed and qualified in fourth. However, a gearbox change dropped him five places on the grid.
© Octane Photographic
Hamilton secured his sixth consecutive pole position, from Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas. Behind Grosjean, Daniel Ricciardo was sixth, ahead of Felipe Massa, Maldonado, Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz Jr.

Sunday
© Octane Photographic
Drivers gathered at the front of the grid for the national anthem. The qualifying order had been mixed up due to several penalties.
© Octane Photographic
Hulkenberg and Sainz Jr hit trouble before the race had even started. The former caused an extra formation lap and failed to compete in the Belgian Grand Prix, while the later re-joined but later retired.
© Octane Photographic
Hamilton held on to first into Turn 1, with Perez and Ricciardo storming up to second and third. Rosberg fell to fifth, but moved ahead of Bottas at the end of the opening lap.
© Octane Photographic
The McLaren drivers both made up several positions, but it proved to be the only real highlight for both Button and Alonso.
© Octane Photographic
Vettel found his way past Bottas at the start of the second lap. He eventually moved up to third but an attempt at a one-stop strategy failed. He picked up a puncture with one lap to go and fell to 12th.
© Octane Photographic
Hamilton quickly established a comfortable lead early on, but it was cut when Rosberg moved up to second place.
© Octane Photographic
Perez and Ricciardo battled closely early on, but both dropped behind Rosberg at the first round of pit stops. The two continued to fight before Ricciardo retired on lap 20.
© Octane Photographic
Verstappen and Raikkonen soon made progress up the order, after starting at the back of the field due to grid penalties.
© Octane Photographic
Grosjean put in a great drive to move up the order and was promoted to third when Vettel suffered his puncture. It was the Frenchman's first podium since the 2013 US GP.
© Octane Photographic
Rosberg closed to within two seconds of Hamilton by the chequered flag but he ran out of time, having to settle for the runner-up spot.
© Octane Photographic
Hamilton took a controlled win in Belgium, his second at Spa and sixth of the season. Behind Grosjean, Kvyat and Perez completed the top five. Massa, Raikkonen, Verstappen, Bottas and Ericsson rounded out the points.

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