Mercedes did a perfect job to take the front row at Spa with Lewis Hamilton ahead of Nico Rosberg. They did the minimum number of laps and the key decision was both drivers saving a set of soft tyres for the race. This will help as tyre degradation is expected to be high and a two stop versus three stop strategy a marginal call.
Strategy insights
Winning at Spa is never easy. The changeable conditions, the challenge of the daunting circuit, strong chance of a safety car and high tyre wear make this one of the toughest races to manage strategically. Spa has many fast corners and the loads on the tyres are high. As the track is set over a large area with lots of elevation changes, there is a chance that it can be raining on one part of the circuit and not on the rest, which puts pressure on drivers and teams to make the right calls. It is easy to overtake here on the long straights, which means that it is possible to recover any lost ground. But as engine power counts for more at Spa than anywhere else, you need the right power unit to really do well.