LEWIS HAMILTON has been handed a huge boost in his chances of securing a first place finish at the Belgian GP with Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc facing back of grid penalties.
Leclerc and Verstappen are two of six drivers who have been penalised for using more engine parts than required.
However, Hamilton hasn't done himself any favours having finished 12th in Practice Three
But the seven-time champion will get another chance to secure a good grid position for tomorrow's GP in qualifying this afternoon.
- TV channel: Sky Sports F1
- Live stream: NowTV
- Saturday, August 27: Qualifying 3pm
- Sunday, August 28: Belgian Grand Prix race 2pm
Stay up to date with all the latest from Spa-Francorchamps…
- Ben Hunt
Q2 is go
We are off again at Spa and the battle to reach the top 10. Hamilton and Russell are already out on track.
- Ben Hunt
Eliminated from Q1
Vettel, Latifi, Magnussen, Tsunoda and Bottas are all eliminated at the first hurdle.
- Ben Hunt
Great stuff from Albon
The Williams man has got into Q2 with a fine final lap. He pushes Vettel into the drop zone.
- Ben Hunt
Mercedes are struggling
Russell is in 10th and Hamilton is in 11th, but their car is all over the place. Big problems right now.
- Ben Hunt
Red Bull set the pace
Early indication that Red Bull have the pace as Verstappen goes half a second quicker than Sainz after his first flying lap.
Perez in P3 and Leclerc in P4.
- Ben Hunt
We are underway at Spa
After the delay, there is a green light in the pitlane.
- Ben Hunt
Qualifying will start in 15 minutes
Finally, we are due to get underway here at Spa. Barrier has been repaired and it is declared safe.
- Ben Hunt
Delay to qualifying
There was damage to a crash barrier during the Porsche Supercup, which has forced a delay to qualifying.
The repairs have now been completed and we are waiting for a time for when this session will start.
- Lloyd Canfield
Leclerc was in the gravel.
Charles Leclerc spun off of the track in FP3, but managed to avoid a big crash with the barriers.
The man from Monaco also had an interesting chat via the radio with his team, as he said:
"Can we take off the noises that go with the toggles because they are a bit weird, when I hear it I think it is the engine all the time."
Ferrari's engine troubles have been well documented so far this season, and that is clearly taking its toll on their drivers.
Leclerc was in the gravel in FP3 today.Credit: Getty
- Lloyd Canfield
Qualifying just an hour away
The Qualifying for the Spa GP will begin in just under an hours time.
Sergio Perez set the fastest time in FP3, after teammate Max Verstappen appeared to have the faster car in FP1 and FP2.
After the red flag period ended, Perez posted the quickest lap of the session so far. An even more impressive feat considering light rain was creeping in…
- Lloyd Canfield
Disappointing for Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton ended the final practice in 12th place today, ahead of qualifying.
This is not good news for the Brit, who will be hoping for a better performance in qualifying ahead of tomorrow's Grand Prix in Spa.
This was expected to be a big race for Lewis, with many of his usual competitors starting from the back of the grid due to penalties.
- Ben Hunt
Perez tops the session
The Red Bull man finishes as the quickest driver in the final practice ahead of Verstappen, who could face a further penalty for ignoring yellow flags.
Sainz, Norris, Alonso, Russell, Leclerc, Vettel, Ocon and Gasly make up the top 10.
Hamilton? He's down in 12th place.
- Ben Hunt
Leclerc spins – Red flag
The Ferrari man was pushing too hard and spins. He bounces his car off the tyre wall.
The race director has already red flagged the session. The clock is still counting down. We have just over six minutes to go.
- Ben Hunt
Perez leads Sainz
Finally, the big teams are getting their quick laps in. Red Bull and Ferrari both showing their hands.
- Ben Hunt
Verstappen could be in trouble here
He's failed to slow down for yellow flags. Maybe a penalty incoming….
- Ben Hunt
Lap times set to drop
Into the final 30 minutes of the session and we could be about to see the quick laps.
That said, there has been barely any running for this session as a whole.
- Ben Hunt
Still dry at Spa
And in another shock, it is he the two Alfa Romeos who at at the top of the time sheets followed by the two Aston Martins.
- Ben Hunt
FP3 is go at Spa
Final chance to make some changes before qualifying. If you missed it yesterday, there are a host of grid penalties on the way, so Lewis Hamilton will be hoping that his penalty-free grid position will allow him the chance to fight for a win.
- Lloyd Canfield
Spa to stay.
Building on our earlier announcement that Spa will remain a destination for F1 drivers next season, journalist Fernando Tornello has given us an update on the situation.
Spa is a favourite track for many F1 fans, and is coated in heritage, as is the Belgian Grand Prix.
It seems that they are renewing their contract with Spa for at least three years. It will be announced in the next few hours.
Fernando TornelloVia Twitter
- Lloyd Canfield
Ollie Bearman wins in F3
Ollie Bearman has won the Formula 3 sprint race in Spa this morning, with the Ferrari academy driver putting in a great performance to get his maiden victory.
This is how the top 10 looked from that race:
The top 10 from today's Formula 3 sprint race in Spa. Credit: @FIAFormula3 via Twitter. - Lloyd Canfield
Spa WILL be back next year.
While we will no longer see the French grand prix next year, F1 fans will be glad to hear that we will be back at Spa next season.
This was confirmed via the Sky Sports F1 Twitter account, and many fans are pleased with the outcome.
Spa is considered a legendary track among F1 fanatics, and it is great news that we will be back, in Spa, inevitably in the rain next year.
- Lloyd Canfield
Nice touch, Pierre.
Pierre Gasly always leaves a bouquet of flowers track-side at Spa, in memory of Anthoine Hubert.
Gasly and the Formula 2 driver learned to race together, studied together and even lived together for six years.
A beautiful touch from the Frenchman…
Credit: Alamy - Lloyd Canfield
Pressure's on, Lewis.
Lewis Hamilton is yet to win a Formula 1 race this season, and may not have a better chance to do so than this weekend in Spa.
The two normal front runners this season, Verstappen and Leclerc, both have penalties that will see them start from the back of the grid, which will give Lewis a huge boost in the race tomorrow.
No one could get close to Verstappen in practice yesterday, so you wouldn't bet against him fighting through the pack, but this one is certainly set up for Lewis to put on a really good show.
The Brit finished 6th in practice yesterday, which was higher than Mercedes team mate George Russell, who finished the practice down in eighth.
Lewis Hamilton will be hoping to win the Belgian Grand Prix tomorrow.Credit: Getty - Jack Figg
Spa break
Lewis Hamilton has been handed a huge boost ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix with title leaders Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen set to be demoted to the back of the grid.
The Brit driver is still looking for his first win of the season and will likely not get a better chance this season with both frontrunners having to fight through the pack.
Leclerc and Verstappen are just two of SIX drivers set to take penalties, with several teams choosing to take new power units and having to start from the back of the grid as a result.
McLaren's Lando Norris, Alpine's Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas of Alfa Romeo and Haas' Mick Schumacher are the other drivers set to be penalised.
The penalties have been confirmed by the governing body the FIA after the first practice session.
Teams are believed to be taking the penalties at this race as it is easier in to overtake in Belgium and make up places than other tracks.
- James Orr
Practice 3
Practice 3 gets underway from 12pm UK time tomorrow.
Then there's qualifying from 3pm.
The big race takes place 2pm on Sunday.
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