Hamilton hopes setup pays off in race after losing F1 pole to Verstappen at Spa

Hamilton is set to start the race from third, losing out to F1 title rival Max Verstappen and Williams’ George Russell in the dying stages of Q3.

The seven-time champion currently sits eight points clear of Verstappen in the championship with the pair set to go head-to-head for the victory on Sunday.

Mercedes looks to be running less downforce than Red Bull and thus will have more straight-line speed, leaving Hamilton hopeful his car setup is better suited for race day.

“It’s been a very difficult day I think for everyone,” Hamilton said. “I’m just trying to stay positive and stay focused and calm. Well done to Max, he did a great job right at the end.

“My first lap was really good, but the second one I struggled a little bit. Also a great job by George, fantastic. If it’s like this tomorrow it’s going to be tricky. There’s a balance of straight-line speed and that midsection downforce. I think we’ve tried to strike the best balance possible.

“Maybe it’s not the best for today but I think we will see tomorrow how exactly good it is. Otherwise, I am grateful to the team for just keeping their cool for this session and tomorrow is another day. Hopefully, we have better weather, hopefully for the fans particularly because they’re drenched out there.”

With Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas set to start from 13th - dropping five places from his qualifying position of eighth due to a penalty from Hungary last time out - Hamilton admits that it will be more difficult for him strategically because he won’t have his teammate in the fight against the Red Bulls.

“I don’t really know what happened with Valtteri, but unfortunate because I think they have two Red Bulls not too far away,” Hamilton added. “That’s going to make it a little bit harder in terms of strategy because Valtteri has a penalty also.

“Nonetheless, we will do everything we can. As I said, tomorrow is another day. I hope it’s not crazy rain like this but interchangeable could be fun.”