Sainz benefits from penalties to start from pole in Belgium

Carlos Sainz Jr. will start from the pole Sunday at the Belgian Grand Prix because runaway Formula One points leader Max Verstappen was among the many drivers to be hit with grid penalties.

Sainz was actually second fastest to Verstappen in Saturday qualifying but the reigning world champion will drop to 15th ahead of the start. Verstappen otherwise would have won his fourth pole of the season and 17th of his career.

The Red Bull driver still liked his chances based on his qualifying speed.

Sainz was pleased with his starting position but his Ferrari was an unsettling .632seconds slower than Verstappen in qualifying.

Sainz, who took his first career pole this season at the British GP, didn't dismiss the possibility of Verstappen coming through the field and winning for the ninth time this season.

Sainz got a tow from his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc on his last attempt. Although Sainz lost a bit of pace misreading turns 5, 6, and 7, he said even a perfect lap would only have shaved a tenth off of Verstappen's time.

And, Verstappen noted he won from 10th in Hungary.

Verstappen will start alongside Leclerc, who trails the Dutchman by 80 points as F1 resumes competition following its summer break. Leclerc was fourth fastest in qualifying but, like Verstappen, received a grid penalty for changing engine parts and will drop to 16th.

Seven drivers in total received grid penalties in Belgium ahead of the 14th race of the season. Also forced to drop to the back are: Lando Norris of McLaren, Esteban Ocon of Alpine, Zhou Guanyu of Alfa Romeo, Mick Schumacher of Haas and Valtteri Bottas of Alfa Romeo.

Bottas had earlier failed to advance out of the first group for the first time since Monaco in 2015, when he drove for Williams.

With all the penalties, Red Bull driver Sergio Perez (third-fastest in qualifying) will start second ahead of Fernando Alonso of Alpine. Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will start fourth and fifth once they move up the grid following the penalties.

Hamilton is aiming for a sixth straight podium finish and a first win of the year. But the seven-time F1 champion sounded dejected when told of his gap to Verstappen.

But Williams was upbeat as Alex Albon — driving with renewed confidence following a multi-year contract extension — advanced to the third round of qualifying for the first time this season. It means every driver on the F1 grid has now made it to the final round at least once this year.

The 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) circuit, nestled in the Ardennes forest, is the longest in F1 and among the best for overtaking — which could make it easier for Verstappen and the other fast cars to make it through traffic to the front.

Alpine boss Szafnauer confident he'll win F1 Piastri ruling

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer remains confident that Oscar Piastri will drive for his team next season when the matter is decided by a Formula One board.

Alpine is in dispute with its reserve driver Piastri, who said he doesn't want promotion to the Alpine seat vacated by Fernando Alonso. Piastri has been linked to the vacant McLaren slot for 2023. The matter will go before F1's Contract Recognition Board (CRB) next week.

The domino effect started at the Hungarian Grand Prix in late July.

First, four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel announced he was retiring at the end of 2022, leaving his Aston Martin seat open. Then, the day after that race, Alonso stunned Alpine by announcing he was joining Aston Martin next year.

Alpine had offered the 41-year-old Alonso a one-year deal with an option for another year, but he accepted Aston Martin's longer offer.

Then, Alpine said late the next day it was promoting Piastri into Alonso's seat only for the 21-year-old Piastri to flatly refuse it on Twitter.

That's not how Szafnauer sees it.

If Piastri wins, though, Alpine will need to replace him: possibly with Daniel Ricciardo, who is splitting with McLaren at the end of this year.

But Szafnauer believes history could be on his side.

Szafnauer said Piastri — whose contract is through 2024 with an option at the end of '23 — seemed happy when he was told he'd replace Alsonso.

Alonso was a free agent when the move happened, meaning the two-time F1 champion was free to talk with Aston Martin and other teams. Although Szafnauer insists he does not not feel let down by Alonso, he had thought he would stay.

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl, who sat alongside Szafnauer at a news conference on Saturday, remains tight-lipped about who will replace Ricciardo.

Seidl's relationship with Ricciardo remains strong enough for them to share beer and a dinner, he said, adding that he felt sad for the Australian driver. Ricciardo won the Italian GP last September for his eighth F1 win but has largely been outperformed by Lando Norris this season and last.

Audi to enter Formula One in 2026 as power unit manufacturer

German manufacturer Audi will enter Formula One in 2026 in line with new engine regulations, chairman Markus Duesmann said on Friday.

Audi will manufacture its own power unit in an era when there will be a greater emphasis on sustainable fuels and an increased electrical component in engines.

From 2026, the electric power output for the power units, consisting of an electric motor, battery, control electronics, and a combustion engine, will increase. The electric motor will then be nearly as powerful as the combustion engine and the highly efficient 1.6-liter turbo engines will run on advanced sustainable fuel – which Audi says was a prerequisite for entry into the series.

It is not yet clear if Audi, which has been linked to a set up with Sauber, will run its own team or only supply engines.

Soon after Audi's announcement, Alfa Romeo announced it will end its title sponsorship with Sauber at the end of 2023.

Duesmann said entering in 2026 was wiser for Audi than starting earlier in F1. The project will be based at Audi Sport's facility in Neuburg, Germany, near Ingolstadt. Audi is the second-most successful manufacturer in the 24 Hours Le Mans endurance race with 13 wins, and began to work on electrifying the car in that series as early as 2012.

FIA President Mohamed Ben Sulayem expects Audi to make a long-term commitment to F1 when the new cycle begins, which Duesmann agreed with.

Audi is widely expected to be joined on the grid in 2026 by Porsche in a partnership with Red Bull.