In a remarkable and surprising development, the grid for the next Belgian Grand Prix will see one-quarter of all starters beginning the race from the pit-lane, including established stars Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
Carlos Sainz will be the latest addition to that pit-lane contingent, after Williams elected to change the mechanical and aerodynamic setting of their FW47 and penalized him to the pit-lane start. The new setup was an anticipatory move for the wet weather expected at Spa, where rain was heavy enough at the time of this writing to cancel the F3 race and disrupt F2.
Along with Sainz in the pit-lane is Hamilton, alongside Alonso and Kimi Antonelli, who also incurred penalties. Hamilton incurred engine penalties, but he also made changes to the suspension setup of his car, which was outside the limits of the parc ferme regulations.
The consequences of this action on the competition have the F1 world reacting with speculation and anticipation on how these talented drivers are going to work their way to the front all from the pit-lane at the Belgian Grand Prix. Stay tuned for all the drama on the iconic Spa-Francorchamps.
