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Formula 1 Belgian GP

F1 Belgian GP Live Commentary and Updates - FP1 & FP2

Updates from the Friday practice sessions at Spa-Francorchamps for the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix

The support race paddock and new grandstand at Eau Rouge

F1 returns after its summer break with major developments off the track taking focus, headlined by Audi’s announcement it will join the championship as a power unit supplier in 2026.

It followed a shake-up in the F1 driver market, as Daniel Ricciardo’s early split from McLaren at the end of the season was confirmed earlier this week. With Fernando Alonso heading to Aston Martin to replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel in 2023, attention turns to Oscar Piastri and whether he will end up at Alpine or McLaren.

On the track, Max Verstappen leads the F1 world drivers’ championship by 80 points over Charles Leclerc thanks to back-to-back wins in France and Hungary before the summer break.

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Replays show Sainz running wide at Les Combes after a small lock up.
Verstappen's effort came on the medium tyres which Sainz and Leclerc are also utilising.
Stopwatch
Verstappen puts the Red Bull back on the top of the timing screens. The championship leader lays down a 1:46.928s.
Quote
"A bit of rallying" says Sainz as he briefly runs onto the gravel.
Stopwatch
Sainz back to the top now with a 1:47.390s effort.
Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu has jumped to third but is pipped by Leclerc.
Leclerc has slotted into P2 ahead of Sainz. Alonso moves to P4 for Alpine.
Leclerc has a lock up at the end of the Kemmel Straight and runs wide.
Stopwatch
Sainz to the top with a 1:48.818s which is eclipsed by Verstappen, who posts a 1:47.699s.
Nobody has elected to run inters, softs, hards and mediums the choice early on.
The first batch of flying laps have begun.
There are plenty of damp patches out on track to potentially catch drivers out.
Green flag
Free Practice 2 is under way at Spa.
Just a reminder. Leclerc, Verstappen, Norris, Bottas, Schumacher and Ocon are all set for grid penalties due to power unit changes.
The risk of rain for this session is 40%. Air temperature is 18.1 degrees.
Drivers are just about to climb in their cars. No sign of any umbrellas in the crowd so it looks like we should have a dry start to FP2. But this is Spa, the weather can change in an instant.
In case you missed FP1. Ferrari's Carlos Sainz topped the hour session from team-mate Charles Leclerc by 0.069s. Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who dominated the first half of FP1, ended up third, 0.217s adrift. The session was halted for 10 minutes when Haas' Kevin Magnussen came to a halt with an issue after the La Source hairpin.
There is a dry line on the circuit but off line it remains damp.
Current conditions at Spa Francorchamps are overcast with some large grey clouds hovering. FP1 ended with a heavy shower that affected the following F3 qualifying session.
Welcome back to live updates from the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix. We have FP2 coming right up.
Checkered flag
A red flag, rain, incoming grid penalties, upgrades on show and plenty of laps notched up. And that was just first practice! We'll take a breather now in preparation for FP2 which starts at 4pm BST.
Breaking news

Here's the full report on FP1:

https://autosport.com/all/news/f1-belgian-gp-sainz-leads-ferrari-1-2-in-interrupted-fp1/10358237/

But not a productive session for Bottas, Ocon and Magnussen who were each hit by mechanical trouble which limited their running.
Checkered flag
That's it for FP1.  Sainz takes top spot in a Ferrari 1-2, with Verstappen third and Russell fourth.
Rain
It is chucking it down at the end of the Kemmel straight, but dry in the pitlane. Spa, never change.
Ricciardo and Norris have not given up though, as they head back out on track on the intermediate tyres.
Rain
Oh yes, that's some heavy rain across the entire final sector of the Spa circuit. So all the drivers pit.
Quote
"It is starting to rain at Turn 14," Sainz says over team radio. That puts a dampener on any late lap time improvements with five minutes to go.
Verstappen is warned there's a risk of a shower before the end of the session. Which, given it is Spa, that could apply to any session at any time on any day.
Green flag
Off we go again - 11 more minutes of practice. Sainz's 1m46.538s remains the leading effort from Leclerc, Verstappen and Russell.
Anyway, FP1 will get going again at 14:51 local time.
Magnussen's high voltage system issue has got that Electric Six song stuck in our heads. Danger, danger...
Haas confirms it is an electrical fault, so the team is taking great care with the car as it is picked up on to a recovery truck.
Breaking news

In this unplanned pause let's catch up on the latest news on Russell running a new car floor, with Mercedes mindful a performance uplift could trigger the return of porpoising:

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/russell-to-try-new-mercedes-f1-floor-as-porpoising-questions-remain/10358214/

Magnussen hops out of his car and strolls back to the paddock, leaving the track marshals to recover his Haas.
Mechanical problem
It is an electrical issue for the Haas driver, who loses power and stops at the side of the track with the red light flashing on the top of his car.
Red flag
Magnussen has come to a halt just after La Source which has triggered a red flag.
We can confirm from Matt Kew's earlier observations trackside that the Williams is bouncing heavily at the end of the Kemmel straight. Albon gets a headshaker on his last lap.
Stopwatch
Meanwhile Russell pops up to third with a 1m47.396s to go ahead of Stroll and Albon.

By: autosport.com

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