Formula One returns to one of the world’s most iconic race tracks this weekend as the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit hosts the Belgian Grand Prix.
Oscar Piastri claimed the first win of his F1 career last time out in Hungary as he took the chequered flag ahead of team-mate Lando Norris after the Brit eventually succumbed to McLaren’s team orders.
Lewis Hamilton finished on the podium in third while Max Verstappen endured a Sunday to forget as he argued with his race engineer and crashed into Hamilton late on, ultimately finishing fifth. Despite this, Verstappen still has a 76-point lead in the world championship to Norris in second with 11 races remaining.
The Red Bull driver looks set to take a 10-place grid penalty this Sunday due to taking a new engine, though he has won from down the grid in the last two years at Spa. It is also a big weekend for his team-mate Sergio Perez, with uncertainty surrounding his future at the team following a run of poor results.
Follow live updates from the Belgian Grand Prix with The Independent
Start times in Belgium this weekend:
- Free practice 3: 11:30am
- Qualifying: 3pm
Kieran Jackson27 July 2024 10:06
F1 Belgian Grand Prix!
Lewis Hamilton finished on the podium in third while Max Verstappen endured a Sunday to forget as he argued with his race engineer and crashed into Hamilton late on, ultimately finishing fifth. Despite this, Verstappen still has a 76-point lead in the world championship to Norris in second with 11 races remaining.
The Red Bull driver looks set to take a 10-place grid penalty this Sunday due to taking a new engine, though he has won from down the grid in the last two years at Spa. It is also a big weekend for his team-mate Sergio Perez, with uncertainty surrounding his future at the team following a run of poor results.
Kieran Jackson27 July 2024 10:01
F1 Belgian Grand Prix LIVE: FP2 RESULTS IN FULL:
Kieran Jackson26 July 2024 17:25
F1 Belgian Grand Prix LIVE: Norris quickest in FP2
The McLaren driver is top of the timesheets to finish off Friday at Spa!
Lando Norris quickest with a 1:42:260, 0.215 secs faster than his team-mate Oscar Piastri. Max Verstappen just two-thousandths of a second behind last week’s winner in Hungary.
Behind them, a bit of a gap:
4. Charles Leclerc – +0.577
6. George Russell – +1.030
8. Kevin Magnussen – +1.225
10. Lewis Hamilton – +1.259
Sets it up nicely for qualifying tomorrow!
Kieran Jackson26 July 2024 17:08
F1 Belgian Grand Prix LIVE: Lando Norris P1
Lando Norris goes to the top of the timesheets with a 1:42:260 – 0.215 secs clear of team-mate Oscar Piastri! McLaren are back up top!
Max Verstappen is just 0.002 secs behind Piastri in third, with Charles Leclerc half-a-second down on Norris and Carlos Sainz in fifth – 0.838 secs off Norris.
6-10: Russell, Ocon, Magnussen, Perez, Hamilton
Kieran Jackson26 July 2024 16:43
F1 Belgian Grand Prix LIVE: Carlos Sainz quickest
Carlos Sainz on top – for now – with a itme of 1:43:098, 0.241 secs ahead of Max Verstappen, who set a blistering lap on the medium tyres.
Lando Norris is four-tenths behind Sainz, with George Russell six-tenths off.
Quick soft tyre runs starting now, with 35 minutes left in the session..
Kieran Jackson26 July 2024 16:25
F1 Belgian Grand Prix LIVE: Sergio Perez
“There’s a lot of grounding for Norris in Eau Rouge.”
The Red Bull driver had a perfect view of Norris’ McLaren bouncing up the hill and the sparks it left behind!
And he’s not the only one – the cars are seriously low it seems!
Kieran Jackson26 July 2024 16:22
FP2 underway!
Here we go with the second hour of practice at Spa-Francorchamps!
Risk of rain for this session is 40%. Can anyone match Max Verstappen’s impressive speed of FP1?
Kieran Jackson26 July 2024 16:02
OFFICIAL: Max Verstappen to take a 10-place grid penalty
It’s now been confirmed by Red Bull that Max Verstappen will take a 10-place grid penalty for Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix.
It comes after the Dutchman exceeding his engine allowance, with his car fitted with its fifth internal combustion unit of the season, one more permitted than the regulations.
It means an autoamtic 10-place grid drop following qualifying tomorrow.
Kieran Jackson26 July 2024 15:52
Driver Standings ahead of this weekend:
1. Max Verstappen – 265 points
2. Lando Norris – 189 points
3. Charles Leclerc – 162 points
4. Carlos Sainz – 154 points
5. Oscar Piastri – 149 points
6. Lewis Hamilton – 125 points
7. Sergio Perez – 124 points
8. George Russell – 116 points
9. Fernando Alonso – 45 points
10. Lance Stroll – 24 points
11. Nico Hulkenberg – 22 points
12. Yuki Tsunoda – 22 points
13. Daniel Ricciardo – 11 points
14. Oliver Bearman – 6 points
15. Pierre Gasly – 6 points
16. Kevin Magnussen – 5 points
17. Alex Albon – 4 points
18. Esteban Ocon – 3 points
19. Zhou Guanyu – 0 points
20. Logan Sargeant – 0 points
21. Valtteri Bottas – 0 points
Kieran Jackson26 July 2024 15:45