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Formula 1
Belgian GP
F1 Belgian GP Live Commentary and Updates - Race day
Minute-by-minute updates of the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps
Live AppleTV Race Audio
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Breaking news
The clock is being frozen with an hour to go; the FIA has decided to "temporarily stop the race" to try and give us a full hour of racing.
Daniel Ricciardo's getting the Mexican waves going in the crowd. A career awaits him as F1's officially appointed hypeman.
Breaking news
One hour left on the clock.
Ferrari is the most successful F1 team in Belgium with 18 wins, followed by McLaren at 14 and Lotus at 8. That's an F1 fact, lest we need to clarify any further.
To paraphrase the late James Hunt: "we're all waiting for a race to come past, and we don't seem to be getting one".
The FOM timing screen shows 43 laps as the full race distance though, so I don't know - and I don't think anyone else does either! It's probably all irrelevant anyway.
Perez's car looks like it's ready to go - the Mexican driver is congratulating and thanking his mechanics for some swift work.
Breaking news
With the delays and whatnot, full race distance will be set at 39 laps. But we won't reach that, whatever happens - it's just to set the 75% needed for full points.
Back to Belgium/Spa facts: In 1968, the McLaren team clinched its maiden F1 win in Belgium with founder Bruce McLaren at the wheel of a Cosworth-powered M7A.
So, if Red Bull get Perez's car fixed up, he's in.
So, Perez won't be permitted to start from the grid - but it doesn't say he can't start the race from the pitlane...
Motorsport.com F1 editor Jon Noble has dug out a key regulation:
Article 38.1: Any car which does not complete a reconnaissance lap and reach the grid under its own power will not be permitted to start the race from the grid.
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Michael Masi says that the three-hour window allotted for the race began at 1500 local time, so we'll have a timed race if we get going.
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If Perez's car gets fixed, it looks as though he'll be allowed to start. Mercedes sporting director Ron Meadows seemed a little puzzled by that outcome.
Our news editor Tom Howard also has some stats to chat: Michael Schumacher is the most successful driver in Belgium with a total of six wins. Ayrton Senna is his closest challenger with five triumphs.
Another big fact from the desk of Mr. Turner:
Before Esteban Ocon's Hungarian GP victory, you had to go back to Daniel Ricciardo's 2014 win at the Hungaroring to find a rain-affected race win scored by someone not called Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen...
Seinfeld, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Peep Show - now there's some TV series you can set your watch to.
Some dissent in the ranks over our claim that The Big Bang Theory was terrible. I stand by it. Awful show.
Breaking news
If we get racing today, will we have a new entrant on our list of best-ever wet weather drives? https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/ranking-f1s-greatest-wet-weather-drives-5113738/5113738/
Top five rain-affected winners in world champ history:
| Michael Schumacher | 18 |
| Lewis Hamilton | 16 |
| Ayrton Senna | 13 |
| Jenson Button | 7 |
| Juan Manuel Fangio | 5 |
Breaking news
More relevant facts from Autosport chief editor Kevin Turner: Michael Schumacher holds the record for rain-affected world championship F1 wins with 18. Lewis Hamilton is second with 16. Can he get closer today, if we ever get going?
Fact 3: The town of Spa is the reason why spas are called spas. (What is this word "spa"? I feel like you're starting to say a word and you're not finishing it. Are you trying to say "spaghetti"?)
Fact 2: The big bang theory (the scientific theory about the emergence of our universe, not the terrible TV show) was first described by Belgian scientist Georges Lemaitre, two years before Edwin Hubble.
Fact 1: The saxophone was invented in Belgium in the 1840s, by a man named Adolphe Sax. One of the those facts that sounds fake, but is very true...
Are we going to have to dust off the Big Book of Belgium Facts to pass the time?
Breaking news
Red Bull trying to lobby for a potential reprieve for Perez, suggesting that the race hasn't officially started yet.
Breaking news
If you've just joined us and you're wondering "hey, where's the racing at", here's what's going on.
We might be waiting for a bit, so grab yourself a cup of tea, sit back and relax - we'll keep you posted on updates as they happen.
Rain
This will give a chance for the rain to clear too, so hopefully we'll get going when the weather eases a bit.
Stopping it is probably the most sensible call, it looks impossible to drive at the moment.
Red flag
The start procedure has been suspended.
"It's fine to race," Verstappen says. He doesn't have any other cars ahead of him, so he's going to say that. The mid-pack drivers say it's undriveable, however.
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"Quite a bit of aquaplaning as well," Norris says. The drivers don't love it out there...
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"I have to leave a little bit more space to the safety car because I can't see anything," says Verstappen.
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"I already can't see anything guys," Hamilton reports.
Safety car
Here we go, then. Formation lap time - behind the safety car.
It looks like we might be about to finally get going for the formation lap...
Video
Speaking of F1 on the PS1, let's plug a video while we wait for things to get going...
We've got another five-minute delay. Quelle surprise.
There's a lot of fog on the course too. I don't know if you've ever done a wet race in F1 '97 on the PS1, but it looks a lot like that.
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