Mercedes not hoping for rain: "If weather stays like this, we have a problem"

For Valtteri Bottas, qualifying for the Belgian GP was a night to remember, while George Russell had an afternoon he won't forget. Toto Wolff said he was impressed with Russell's performance in a Mercedes that kept Lewis Hamilton behind him.

"It was a very good round [by Russell]. Very impressive. You have to put a lap like that down and keep it on the track. He was so close to a pole position. So, congratulations. We know where we stand now and we know what he can do. Today is another confirmation that he knows what driving is," Wolff told Sky Sports. The Austrian cannot yet say when it will be announced who will be Hamilton's teammate in 2022. "You will hear that soon."

Bottas in particular disappoints

Bottas somewhat disappointed with an eighth time in Q3. On top of that, he gets another five-place grid penalty for his part in Hungary's chain collision."It wasn't a good session at the end. He was doing pretty well the whole session, about on par with Lewis, but at the end, he fell away. He starts outside the top-ten, so it's about damage control."

With Hamilton still able to fight for victory. "We have a strong race car and we start on the drier side of the track. Plus we have a lot of speed on the straights. If the weather stays like this we will have a problem. But we should be able to sit there. I think it has to do with the downforce," says Wolff. At Mercedes, they hope that the showers will not occur on Sunday afternoon at Spa-Francorchamps.