F1 Belgian GP Live Commentary and Updates – Qualifying
Saturday's action from the 14th round of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
F1 concludes its latest double-header at Spa before heading into its summer break, following a dramatic McLaren 1-2 in Hungary last weekend.
Max Verstappen put Red Bull on top in the opening session of the weekend, only for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to vault McLaren to a 1-2 in FP2.
Final practice starts at 11:30pm BST, followed by qualifying at 3pm BST.
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Summary
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The TV broadcast has picked up some racing, the karting circuit is still operating alongside the run to Blanchimont.
Two unlucky drivers spin at a hairpin, at least they have helmets covering their faces to hide the shame.
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Now seems as good a time as any to reopen the debate of where Spa sits as a modern F1 track!
News from McLaren - the floor is being changed on Norris' car.
He went through the gravel at Malmedy earlier on.
Action on track! If you like the medical car, that is.
Good news for Aston Martin, as Stroll's car is back in the paddock and work can get started on repairs.
Nope, nobody has exited the pits and dropped it straight away, this is weather-related.
The question is, is the track actually driveable at the moment?
F2 has its sprint race to follow FP3 and then F1 qualifying afterwards. It will need to stop raining and dry a little to give the teams a chance to run.
That's the midway point of the session, with Verstappen top after the very early running.
An update on Stroll - the Aston Martin driver has visited the medical centre, but since been released.
The rain looks heavier now than at any point in the session previously. More sitting around ensues.
Just under 35 minutes left in the session and while there's no movement, here's some more news from the morning...
To give an idea of how little eagerness there is to do any running in current conditions - Piastri's helmet is off.
Norris is out of the car as McLaren looks over the floor following his excursion into the gravel.
We are back under green but there is no great rush from those still running to do... running.
The rain continues to fall.
That won't disrupt anyone too much. The rain was such that a cool-off in the garage may have been a better plan than any.
It actually allows that band to pass by and hopefully allow for better conditions after the stoppage.
It's not for the weather, it's because there's been a crash.
Stroll is the unfortunate driver who seemingly gets water between tyre and track and finds a one-way ticket to the wall at Raidillon.
That could have been a much bigger accident than it was.
Red flags are out...
Tsunoda and Norris have been off the track at Malmedy, dragging some gravel onto the track for good measure. Hopefully no damage has been done to their floors.
Ricciardo is still unhappy with his steering and eventually boxes.
Russell also boxes after struggling around on his inters. This looks like extreme wet conditions now.
The rooster tails being chucked up now indicate just how much wetter the track is now.
Bottas is up to sixth after switching to inters, with Leclerc and Perez some five-seconds off the pace.
Piastri inches closer to Verstappen's time, though remains 1.4s down on the Red Bull.
He is now second as his McLaren team indicates this heavier band of rain will last for 10 minutes.
Gasly is up to third.
Mercedes only now let Russell and Hamilton onto the circuit as Norris goes second.
But the rain is starting to absolutely hammer down now.
The first lap times are starting to come in, however representative they may be.
Verstappen sets a 2m03,232s and is 1.714s up on Piastri. Gasly and Ocon are next, then followed by Albon and Sargeant.
"I feel like I'm losing hydraulics, the steering is heavy. Something feels weird."
That's from Ricciardo, but RB says there is nothing on the data.
Ten drivers on track currently as Verstappen goes wide at Bruxelles and Piastri does the same at Pouhon.
"OK Daniel, there is a big chunk of rain arriving in 5-10 minutes."
That's the information to Ricciardo from RB.
Verstappen has intermediates fitted to his Red Bull, while Sauber has gone for extreme wets.
Some upgrade - or downgrade - news from overnight...
FP3 is under way, with Verstappen the first to hit the track.
One issue that could be faced is the fact that it is expected to be dry tomorrow...
A reminder that each driver is allocated five sets of intermediate tyres ahead of this session.
But they will be obliged to give a set back to Pirelli at the end of the hour, leaving just four for qualifying.
If you haven't been with us so far this weekend, Alpine will undergo another management change after the summer break as Bruno Famin steps down from his role as team principal.
In true Belgian GP style, the rain has started now! What will teams decide to do with their run plans?
The F3 race from this morning took place in difficult conditions, with a damp race track and slick tyres on every car. At least F1 has intermediate tyres to help!
Well, the conditions are very different today, with rain arriving already. There's a big band of rain to come, potentially for the end of FP3, but for now there is no precipitation.
A quick reminder of the pecking order after Friday - Norris and Piastri led a McLaren 1-2 in FP2, with Verstappen third for Red Bull. Will the same be true in qualifying later?
Hello and welcome to coverage of Saturday's running at the Belgian Grand Prix.
We had an intriguing day to start the weekend off, what can we expect today?
By: Autosport Staff
