Formula 1: Verstappen leads soggy final practice

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SPA, BELGIUM – JULY 27: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 on track during final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 27, 2024 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202407270129 // Usage for editorial use only //

Max Verstappen ended the third practice session at the sharp end of the leaderboard as teams navigated a wet and disrupted final session on track prior to this evenings qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. With overnight showers into the morning, teams arrived to a soggy race surface that meant only one thing – rain tires. Despite limited running, Verstappen managed a lap time 1.4s quicker than the McLaren of Oscar Piastri as Pierre Gasly slotted his Alpine in third position.

HIGHLIGHTS: Catch up on a wet FP3 in Belgium as Verstappen goes fastest and Stroll brings out red flags

Teams were eager to hit the track early before a large chunk of rain was due to strike the track  withing 5-10 minutes of the session beginning, but as the skies opened up and puddles began to form, yellow flags soon flew. Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda were the first to be caught out as both drivers ran wide through the gravel at Les Combs. Moments later though, the red flags soon fell around the circuit as Lance Stroll lost control through Eau Rouge, snapping his Aston Martin into the run-off area and into the inside wall. The impact heavily damaged his car and he was out of the remainder of the session.

With Stroll’s damaged car cleared, the session resumed with roughly 40 minutes remaining, though no driver or team were eager to return to the circuit. Track conditions eventually worsened to the point that race control halted the session with a second red flag period that ran nearly the remainder of the scheduled time.

Race Control lifted the red flag with enough time for some practice starts on circuit, however no driver was able to compete with  Verstappen’s benchmark time from the first runs held true and the Red Bull ended on top before we head to qualifying. Following Verstappen, Piastri, and Gasly, Lando Norris managed to set the forth quickest time ahead of Esteban Ocon. Charles LeClerc and Lance Stroll were sixth and seventh on the sheets, while former teammates Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton finished eighth and ninth ahead of the Red Bull of Sergio Perez.

As teams prepare for a soggy qualifying, it seems to still be anyone’s game for pole. Verstappen’s 10-place grid penalty certainly will come into play as the Dutch driver will look to secure the quickest time for pole, preventing him from starting any lower than 11th on the grid come Sunday.

Free Practice 1 Report – CLICK HERE

Free Practice 2 Report – CLICK HERE

FORMULA 1 ROLEX BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2024 Schedule

DateSessionTime (Local Circuit)
July 26thPractice 113:30 – 14:30
Practice 217:00 – 18:00
July 27thPractice 312:30 – 13:30
Qualifying16:00 – 17:00
July 28stRace15:00

Free Practice 3 Results

POSNODRIVERCARTIMEGAPLAPS
11Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing Honda RBPT2:01.5654
281Oscar PiastriMcLaren Mercedes2:02.9981.433s4
310Pierre GaslyAlpine Renault2:03.1751.610s5
44Lando NorrisMcLaren Mercedes2:03.3721.807s4
531Esteban OconAlpine Renault2:05.2503.685s7
616Charles LeclercFerrari2:06.0334.468s4
718Lance StrollAston Martin Aramco Mercedes2:06.0374.472s4
877Valtteri BottasKick Sauber Ferrari2:06.4924.927s7
944Lewis HamiltonMercedes2:06.7515.186s3
1011Sergio PerezRed Bull Racing Honda RBPT2:07.1035.538s3
1123Alexander AlbonWilliams Mercedes2:07.4435.878s3
1227Nico HulkenbergHaas Ferrari2:08.0406.475s5
1314Fernando AlonsoAston Martin Aramco Mercedes2:08.0716.506s4
143Daniel RicciardoRB Honda RBPT2:08.4106.845s5
1522Yuki TsunodaRB Honda RBPT2:09.4447.879s7
1624Zhou GuanyuKick Sauber Ferrari2:11.1099.544s7
172Logan SargeantWilliams Mercedes2:11.2209.655s3
1863George RussellMercedes2
1955Carlos SainzFerrari2
2020Kevin MagnussenHaas Ferrari2