The Belgian Grand Prix is well known for having dramatic, and often chaotic races – but the 2024 weekend started peacefully, with an uninterrupted pair of practice sessions.
The most dramatic moment came in FP1 when Daniel Ricciardo caught a still-damp kerb on an otherwise dry track at La Source, spinning his VCARB machine around and narrowly avoiding hitting the wall on the inside of the corner.
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Shortly after having his F1 future confirmed, Esteban Ocon had a difficult first, having just a single lap on track before coming into the pits with a suspected water leak. The Alpine engineers got to work, but were unable to get him back onto the track before the end of the hour's running – although he ran without trouble in FP2.
Max Verstappen was dominant on track in the early afternoon session, setting a time a full half a second faster than any of his rivals – sparking discussions about whether his Red Bull will be fast enough to allow him to overcome his 10-place grid penalty on Sunday.
Those questions were quietened in FP2 as both McLarens outpaced the reigning champion on their qualifying simulation runs, Lando Norris by two tenths of a second and Oscar Piastri by just two thousandths.
Lewis Hamilton was on the radio to his Mercedes team complaining about 'really bad' bouncing at high speed, a recurring issue for the team which may cause issues later in the weekend.
READ MORE: Belgian Grand Prix 2024 start times, schedule and TV
F1 FP2 Results: Belgian Grand Prix 2024
1. Lando Norris [McLaren] - 1:42.260sec
2. Oscar Piastri [McLaren] - +0.215s
3. Max Verstappen [Red Bull] - +0.217s
4. George Russell [Mercedes] - +0.577s
5. Carlos Sainz [Ferrari] - +0.838s
6. Charles Leclerc [Ferrari] - +1.030s
7. Esteban Ocon [Alpine] - +1.141s
8. Kevin Magnussen [Haas] - +1.225s
9. Sergio Perez [Red Bull] - +1.244s
10. Lewis Hamilton [Mercedes] - +1.259s
11. Lance Stroll [Aston Martin] - +1.272s
12. Fernando Alonso [Aston Martin] - +1.278s
13. Valtteri Bottas [Kick Sauber] - +1.415s
14. Daniel Ricciardo [VCARB] - +1.563s
15. Pierre Gasly [Alpine] - +1.569s
16. Nico Hulkenberg [Haas] - +1.586s
17. Alex Albon [Williams] - +1.632s
18. Logan Sargeant [Williams] - +1.966s
19. Zhou Guanyu [Kick Sauber] - +2.042s
20. Yuki Tsunoda [VCARB] - +2.088s
F1 FP1 Results: Belgian Grand Prix 2024
1. Max Verstappen [Red Bull] - 1:43.372sec
2. Oscar Piastri [McLaren] - +0.531s
3. Alex Albon [Williams] - +0.727s
4. George Russell [Mercedes] - +0.853s
5. Lewis Hamilton [Mercedes] - +0.907s
6. Charles Leclerc [Ferrari] - +0.934s
7. Sergio Perez [Red Bull] - +0.957s
8. Lando Norris [McLaren] - +1.043s
9. Carlos Sainz [Ferrari] - +1.202s
10. Lance Stroll [Aston Martin] - +1.327s
11. Pierre Gasly [Alpine] - +1.461s
12. Fernando Alonso [Aston Martin] - +1.549s
13. Daniel Ricciardo [VCARB] - +1.578s
14. Valtteri Bottas [Kick Sauber] - +1.783s
15. Logan Sargeant [Williams] - +1.939s
16. Yuki Tsunoda [VCARB] - +2.192s
17. Nico Hulkenberg [Haas] - +2.273s
18. Kevin Magnussen [Haas] - +2.440s
19. Zhou Guanyu [Kick Sauber] - +2.623s
20. Esteban Ocon [Alpine] - No time
Who is the current F1 world champion?
Red Bull star Max Verstappen is the reigning F1 world champion. The Dutchman has won three world titles in total.
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