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Belgian GP: Work to do After Practice at Spa

Set-up work on Friday in Belgium.

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.

Cooler temperatures, new tarmac

As expected, Friday started with much cooler temperatures than last time in Budapest. The air temperature was 21°C and the track temperature 36°C. If the weather forecasts are correct, these conditions should be relatively the same as on race day.

A large part of the track was resurfaced for this season. Accordingly, the team concentrated on finding out how the different tyre compounds reacted in FP1.

Both drivers used a fresh set of Medium and Soft tyres in FP1. Lewis already reported on the first run that the grip on the track was very high.

During the session, our pair worked on the balance of the car - with other drivers on the grid also struggling to find their own balance. One reason for this could be the new tarmac in sectors one and three, while the old tarmac is still in place in the middle sector.

Fortunately, the adjustments made before FP2 meant that both riders were happier with the balance.

The team now has time overnight to fine-tune the set-up of the W15.

The action continues on Saturday at 12:30 local time (11:30 BST) with FP3, followed by Qualifying at 16:00 local time (15:00 BST).

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.

Lewis Hamilton

Today wasn’t our best day as the car wasn’t feeling particularly strong. FP1 wasn’t great and we worked on some changes for FP2. That initially improved the balance and it felt good, but once we put the Soft tyre on we struggled more. It was definitely an improvement overall, but others took a step forward to too. We’ve got some time to find overnight, and we will be aiming to do so.

There could be some wet weather tomorrow so that good change things up. If it does rain, it will likely open things up a little bit and we can hopefully take advantage of that. Let’s see what Saturday brings.

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

1

Lando Norris

McLaren

1:42.260

19

2

Oscar Piastri

McLaren

1:42.475

23

3

Max Verstappen

Red Bull

1:42.477

26

4

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

1:42.837

23

5

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

1:43.098

25

6

George Russell

Mercedes-AMG

1:43.290

24

7

Esteban Ocon

Alpine

1:43.401

23

8

Kevin Magnussen

Haas

1:43.485

21

9

Sergio Pérez

Red Bull

1:43.504

24

10

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes-AMG

1:43.519

25

11

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin

1:43.532

21

12

Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin

1:43.538

24

13

Valtteri Bottas

Sauber

1:43.675

24

14

Daniel Ricciardo

Racing Bulls

1:43.823

21

15

Pierre Gasly

Alpine

1:43.829

24

16

Nico Hülkenberg

Haas

1:43.846

21

17

Alexander Albon

Williams

1:43.892

23

18

Logan Sargeant

Williams

1:44.226

24

19

Zhou Guanyu

Sauber

1:44.302

23

20

Yuki Tsunoda

Racing Bulls

1:44.348

24

2024 Belgian GP FP1 Result

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull

1:43.372

22

2

Oscar Piastri

McLaren

1:43.903

22

3

Alexander Albon

Williams

1:44.099

19

4

George Russell

Mercedes-AMG

1:44.225

21

5

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes-AMG

1:44.279

19

6

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

1:44.306

23

7

Sergio Pérez

Red Bull

1:44.329

20

8

Lando Norris

McLaren

1:44.415

21

9

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

1:44.574

21

10

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin

1:44.699

19

11

Pierre Gasly

Alpine

1:44.833

20

12

Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin

1:44.921

18

13

Daniel Ricciardo

Racing Bulls

1:44.950

20

14

Valtteri Bottas

Sauber

1:45.155

19

15

Logan Sargeant

Williams

1:45.311

18

16

Yuki Tsunoda

Racing Bulls

1:45.564

20

17

Nico Hülkenberg

Haas

1:45.645

17

18

Kevin Magnussen

Haas

1:45.812

17

19

Zhou Guanyu

Sauber

1:45.995

21

20

Esteban Ocon

Alpine

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