Belgian GP: Work to do After Practice at Spa

Formula 1 is back on the legendary Ardennes rollercoaster at Spa-Francorchamps. From the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend, it was straight on to the last race before the summer shutdown in Belgium.

George and Lewis started FP2 with a run on new Medium tyres and noticed an improved balance compared to FP1 in the morning - in which the duo finished in 4th and 5th respectively.

On the second run in FP2, both drivers opted for the Soft compound. Lewis had to abandon his first attempt, as he ran wide in La Source. He then hit traffic on his second attempt and only managed a lap on his third attempt, but by then the tyres were already past their peak.

George finished the session with a long run on the used Medium tyre, while Lewis completed his longer stint on the Soft.

George finished P6 in the timesheets in FP2, with Lewis two tenths behind his team-mate in P10. Most of the time loss came from the straights, unlike in the morning when both drivers lost time in the middle sector.

George Russell

It is always nice to be here at Spa-Francorchamps and getting to drive a car in anger around this incredible circuit. The resurfaced tarmac has also made it extra fast this year. We’ve got some work to do overnight to find some lap time. The McLarens and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen looked to be a step ahead of us today. We need to dig through the data and put in the work in the simulator at Brackley to hopefully unearth some gains and get closer to them. I’m sure we can do that.

Tomorrow will definitely be a very different day if we are able to do so. The forecast is also for rain tomorrow so that will add another factor into the mix. We have often had good Fridays and the others have caught up come Saturday, so hopefully it will be us doing that this weekend.

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

We've struggled with the car today so we will be working hard overnight as to how to improve for tomorrow. We are losing time across the full speed range, rather than in specific corners, and the long run isn't where we need it to be either. Both of those are linked by a lack of balance and grip.

We therefore have plenty of work to do. We have our team in the simulator back at Brackley already looking at setup options and aiming to make solid progress. There is a good chance we will see some wet running tomorrow. That may make it difficult to evaluate overnight changes, but we will see what we can learn and what Saturday brings.

2024 Belgian GP FP2 Result

2024 Belgian GP FP1 Result