Motorsport Debrief: How Alonso brilliance exposed Honda's weakness

Hi, this is Motorsport.com’s Global Editor-in-Chief Charles Bradley and I hope you’re well – and as excited about today's Belgian Grand Prix as I am.

Let’s take a high-speed look at what’s happened over the past 24 hours on qualifying day at Spa-Francorchamps.

Honda finds new way to frustrate Alonso

You could not make it up, as Honda found an all-new way to annoy Fernando Alonso in qualifying.

Just after we marvelled at him taking Pouhon flatout, we got a familiar cry from the cockpit: “No power. No power. From Turn 11 to Turn 12. Half a second. How is this possible?”

It was a rhetorical question, as we all knew who to blame. Honda's systems got confused by Fernando not lifting at the double-left hander, and failed to deploy the 160bhp burst that it should have on the run to Fagnes.

He missed out on a Q3 spot by 0.084s – even after the bold effort of teammate Stoffel Vandoorne to give him a tow.

At a time when his contract negotiations are at a crucial point, it was the last thing Honda, or McLaren, needed.

Hamilton says equalling Schumacher's record "surreal"

It was a milestone day in Spa, as Lewis Hamilton equalled Michael Schumacher's all-time record of 68 Formula 1 pole positions.

F1 sporting chief Ross Brawn gave Hamilton a congratulatory message from the Schumacher family on the grid, adding “they said that Michael always said records are there to be beaten”.

Hamilton said: “It is a special day definitely. I knew it was on the horizon and at some stage I would be getting that 68th pole but hadn't thought about it much.

“To have equalled him on poles is surreal – particularly knowing Michael is such a legend.”

Pirelli investigating unprecedented tyre phenomenon

Pirelli has launched an investigation to work out what is causing the strange tyre deformation that was witnessed in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix.

Slow motion footage of cars exiting the final chicane at Spa-Francorchamps showed standing waves spreading across the tread of rear tyres, something that has not been witnessed before.

The extra vibrations these waves caused triggered the damage to Lance Stroll's rear wing that cost him track running in Q1.