Lewis Hamilton has sent a warning to Max Verstappen not to expect him to move aside in Sunday’s race as the Mercedes star insists he is “ready” for another enticing battle on track.
Hamilton qualified fourth but will start from third on the grid behind Charles Leclerc, after pole-sitter Verstappen dropped 10 places due to serving a grid penalty for changes made to his Red Bull car.
Verstappen will drop to 11th, although he has won the Belgian GP in the past from as low as 14th on the grid.
Hamilton doesn’t expect there to be much chance of the Silver Arrows finishing on the podium again at Spa after conceding Red Bull and McLaren were faster than them. But with Verstappen starting from further down the grid, Hamilton is determined to give it everything to keep the Dutchman behind him.
“The Red Bulls are much quicker than us here and the McLarens are much quicker than us here,” Hamilton said after qualifying to Sky Sports F1. “The Ferraris I think are there or thereabouts with us.
“Obviously Max [Verstappen] is going to make his way through because I think they are the quickest this weekend, so holding on to the podium is going to be a hell of a fight. But I’m ready for it.”
F1 fans were treated to a thrilling battle between Hamilton and Verstappen as they jostled for position at the Hungarian Grand Prix six days ago.
Hamilton was forced to use every inch of the track to keep the 26-year-old behind him before Verstappen’s lunge down the inside of Turn 1 saw the pair collide, leaving the latter worse off as he finished fifth while Hamilton claimed his 200th career podium in Budapest.
But Hamilton’s downcast prediction suggests he expects to drop down the field, rather than compete with Leclerc and Verstappen for the victory, after analysing their qualifying pace.
“When it rained, then I knew that we would have a chance of being at the front because those are my preferred conditions,” Hamilton added. “I think if it was dry we would have been struggling to be in the top 10 I imagine, it would have been tough.
“Then out there timing was everything, getting out on track at the right point. I think we were a little bit too early at the end, we were first out, and that’s when we used our new tyres and then we didn’t have any new tyres until the end and the three guys ahead did.
“So a little bit unfortunate in that respect but that’s the way it is. But I’m grateful to be up there. I think if I’d had another set I would have been fighting for the front row.”
