F1 2018 live results: Belgian GP updates, highlights & analysis

We have live coverage of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Lap 13/44

Bottas makes it past Stroll, and is chasing down Sirotkin for 10th, the final points position. By Lap 12, Hamilton trails Vettel by 3.7 seconds, with Verstappen a full 10 seconds back of Hamilton. Just a couple turns later, Bottas makes it past Sirotkin and now has 2.1 seconds to make up on Ericsson to move to ninth.

Lap 11/44

Raikkonen pulls into the garage after trying another lap and his race is done. Seems like there is some floor damge. Verstappen is 0.6 seconds back of Perez as they start Lap 10. Perez essentially lets Verstappen through — better than the alternative. Hamilton trails Vettel by 3.4 seconds by the end of that lap.

Lap 9/44

Ricciardo’s team gets his rear wing changed in the garage and he rejoins the race, down a lap, but that’s better than an early retirement. Verstappen is chasing Ocon closely and it seems like only a matter of time before he gets the pass. Vettel already two seconds ahead of Hamilton, and DRS is now enabled. Later in the lap, Verstappen made the move on Ocon to move into fourth place. Vettel is 2.5 seconds up on Hamilton at the end of Lap 7. Bottas makes it past Hartley, while Raikkonen pits again with car issues — he may have floor damage. He rejoins in 16th. Stewards announce no action on the first lap incident.

Lap 6/44

Hamilton nearly got the jump on Vettel upon the restart, but just barely fell short. Grosjean is right on the back of Verstappen, and Magnussen is right on Grosjean. Vettel is 1.1 seconds clear of Hamilton after a lap of racing. Perez is 1.5 seconds up of his teammate as of Lap 6.

Lap 3/44

After the incident, Vettel leads, ahead of Hamilton. Both Force India cars started well, with Ocon nearly taking the lead in the race. Valtteri Bottas pits from the back to get off his used tires. The safety car is out there for multiple laps. Max Verstappen is fifth as the track is prepared for a return to racing.

Lap 2/44

We have a major crash around the first turn, with Fernando Alonso’s car going airborne! He’s out of the race, as is NIco Hulkenberg of Renault. Kimi Raikkonen also lost at ire in the scuffle, and Hamilton lost out the top spot to Vettel before the safety car is deployed! Charles LeClerc was also involved in the incident, which started when Hulkenberg could not brake in time, running into the back of Alonso. Raikkonen limps all the way around to the pits to get new tires, while Daniel Ricciardo pulled in with a rear-wing issue. His day might be done.

Lewis Hamilton managed to get his Mercedes on pole for the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, despite rain playing a major factor in qualifying on Saturday. Hamilton, the current leader in the Drivers’ Championship, starts one spot up on his biggest challenger, Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari.

Both of them will start ahead of a surprising pair: the Force India cars of Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez.

Sunday’s race is set to begin at 9 a.m. ET in the United States, and will be broadcast on ESPN2. Live online streaming of the race can be had via WatchESPN, the ESPN App or F1 TV Pro.

The rain, combined with the Force India cars always performing well at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, allowed Force India to secure that second row, ahead of Romain Grosjean in the Ferrari-powered Haas and Vettel’s teammate, Kimi Raikkonen, in sixth.

The action on Sunday should be very interesting, especially with multiple reported seat changes potentially occurring this season. Everybody is looking to impress as they fight for a spot with current and new teams.

“For sure my future is not done,” Ocon said of his future in F1 after Saturday’s qualifying session. “I don’t know where I will race next year or what I will do. So as I said, the only thing I can do is to do well on track, to focus, do the same job as before, try to do the best. If you do a strong job in Formula 1 the team they can’t skip you, they need to have you. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

Ocon doesn’t have a guaranteed spot next year, and is expected to be replaced at Force India by Lance Stroll in the near future.

And, of course, we have the battle for the championship between Hamilton and Vettel, with the Constructors’ Championship coming down to Mercedes and Ferrari, with the former having just a 10-point lead.

Hamilton’s lead over Vettel is just 24 points, and there remain plenty of races left on the calendar.

Below is all you need to know to watch the race on Sunday.

How to watch the 2018 F1 Belgian Grand Prix

Date: Sunday, Aug. 26

Location: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot

Time: 9 a.m. ET

TV: ESPN2

Online Streaming: WatchESPN, ESPN App, F1 TV Pro