ESPN rounds up the main talking points from qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, a session which saw Lewis Hamilton move level with Michael Schumacher's all-time record for pole positions.
Shock: Williams has had an abysmal weekend. It picked up a fine after FP1 for using a set of tyres it should have given back to Pirelli, in the same session which saw Felipe Massa heavily crash out, forcing a chassis change. Massa got himself a five-place grid penalty for not obeying yellow flags in FP3, before both cars failed to progress through Q1 on a circuit which (on paper, at least) should suit its Mercedes power unit.
Shocker No.1: McLaren has endured a tough time since arriving in Spa-Francorchamps, too. Not only was Honda's promised 'Spec 4' upgrade not ready in time for the race, Stoffel Vandoorne had to abandon the slightly-upgraded '3.6' spec overnight after problems were found with it. The original two swaps and an additional gearbox penalty have left him facing a 65-place grid penalty for his first home grand prix.
With Vandoorne set to start last, the Belgian was used to give teammate Fernando Alonso a tow through the long first sector. It worked well in Q1, helping both men progress, and the pair repeated the trick in Q2 -- reaching 340 km/h in the process (just above the speeds reached by Mercedes at the same part of the track) -- before the inevitable happened: a loss of power. Alonso complained about a loss of power and crawled back to the pit lane, probably wondering what on earth he did to still be in this situation for a third consecutive season.
Shocker No.2 Jolyon Palmer has looked great this weekend. Completely calm and relaxed after a summer break which included a trip to the top of Kilimanjaro, he looked set for a strong showing in qualifying -- progressing through to Q3 with teammate Nico Hulkenberg. His car didn't last the distance, though, with a gearbox issue preventing him from completing a lap and leaving a high chance he will face a grid penalty tomorrow.
Red Bull watch: Red Bull once again had to settle for third best team at Spa, but the prospect of both cars on the third row adds another exciting element to this one. Sector times suggested several teams have opted for an aggressive set-up, favouring low downforce -- which is perfect for sectors one and three, but sacrifices time through the middle of the lap. That's not an ideal set-up for a one-lap flyer but it might cause problems for the lead four if either Red Bull can get in the mix at the start...
Star of qualifying: Two men deserve this for two stunning demonstrations of their special talents. Hamilton's effort looked as close to perfect as we've seen this weekend so far and turned in a lap worthy of levelling Schumacher's effort. But Sebastian Vettel's was equally special, splitting the Mercedes drivers -- albeit with the help of a tow from teammate Kimi Raikkonen after the Finn hit trouble on his last effort -- to set up the prospect of a thrilling battle for the win tomorrow.