2013 Belgian Grand Prix Friday practice one

7 min: Webber, Sutil and Vettel are the final trio of drivers to head out onto the track.

7 min: Hulkenberg has also been out for an installation lap and is now in the pits.

6 min: With Rosberg in the Mercedes pit, Hamilton is now on track and checking over the basic functions on his Mercedes.

5 min: Alonso and Massa are now out in the Ferraris while Raikkonen is the only man on a second lap.

4 min: Grosjean, Gutierrez, Bianchi, Kovalainen - driving Pic's Caterham in this morning's session - and Chilton are back in the pits after installation laps.

4 min: Rosberg has joined the racetrack, while Hamilton bides his time for the moment.

3 min: Both Toro Rosso drivers are back in after a single installation lap.

3 min: Raikkonen is told not to use KERS at the exit of Turn 7 for now while Jenson Button is instructed to do 'two burnouts' as he exits the pitlane in his McLaren.

2 min: Maldonado and di Resta are on track for their installation run.

2 min: Bianchi and Chilton head out in their Marussias, joined by Grosjean's Lotus.

1 min: Bottas is also out there as he checks the track conditions in the Williams.

1 min: Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo head onto the circuit to check over their cars.

1 min: Kimi Raikkonen is the first driver out on track in the damp conditions.

0 min: The practice session is underway.

Hamilton is taking a little longer to get ready. This session may take a little while to get going in earnest with the damp conditions.

Nico Rosberg is in his Mercedes as one of his mechanics makes some final adjustments prior to the start of the session.

Tyres

Pirelli has opted for a cautious approach this weekend, bringing its hard and medium tyres to Spa.

However, the dry weather compounds may get little or no running this morning thanks to the notoriously fickle Ardennes weather - but the Italian manufacturer has all angles covered.

"The conditions can change extremely quickly, which then makes how the teams use the intermediate and wet tyres the key to success – as we have seen so often in the past," said Pirelli boss Paul Hembery.

"Both our wet-weather tyres have proved their performance over previous races; with the intermediate tyre in particular showing how well suited it is even to inconsistent and drying conditions. There are plenty of overtaking opportunities, and the blend of performance and durability offered by our nominated tyres should maximise those chances this weekend."

Conditions are as you would expect at Spa - changeable. Showers have fallen over the circuit since dawn and we are set for a damp first session.

The weather is set to improve through the morning and, by this afternoon, the teams and drivers should have a dry track and some sunny spells to work with.

A light easterly breeze will be in evidence, while air temperature is expected to reach 23 degrees Celsius once the skies clear and we get some sunshine.

Here's how the standings look after the summer break: World Championship standings, round 10: Drivers: Constructors: 1. Vettel 172 1. Red Bull-Renault 277 2. Raikkonen 134 2. Mercedes 208 3. Alonso 133 3. Ferrari 194 4. Hamilton 124 4. Lotus-Renault 183 5. Webber 105 5. Force India-Mercedes 59 6. Rosberg 84 6. McLaren-Mercedes 57 7. Massa 61 7. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 24 8. Grosjean 49 8. Sauber-Ferrari 7

Spa

Hello everyone and welcome to AUTOSPORT Live after what seems like an eternity. Formula 1 is back on the menu after the long summer break and the teams arrive refreshed and ready for the second half of the 2013 campaign.

A nice and easy lead-in for the drivers after four weeks of relaxation? Not a chance - Spa-Francorchamps and its fearsome layout awaits for round 11 of the championship and the chasing pack needs to get some go-faster skates on in order to prevent Sebastian Vettel from extending his 38-point lead this weekend.

Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber are all within striking distance, but they will have to begin stringing consecutive podium finishes together in order to stop the German becoming a four-time champion in November.

The magnificent 7.004km circuit in the Ardennes is ready to throw down its challenge and over the next 90 minutes we will get our first glimpse as the drivers respond by testing their machinery and finding a solid baseline set-up for the rest of the weekend.