Carlos Sainz got his Belgian Grand Prix weekend off to a good start by going quickest in a rain-affected FP1.
With heavy rain forecast during the session, limited running took place, with Sainz setting a time of 2:03.207 on the intermediates, over half a second faster than Oscar Piastri in second.
Lando Norris finished the session third fastest ahead of Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez, with Alex Albon rounding off the top six despite an off at the bus stop chicane.
Lewis Hamilton finished the session 12th fastest, over seven seconds down on Sainz, whilst Max Verstappen didn’t set a time.
Logan Sargeant had a hair-raising moment at Les Combes at half distance as the American aquaplaned off-track, sliding beyond the corner and damaging his Williams’ front wing, bringing the red flag out.
F1 2023 Belgian GP – Practice 1 results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 2:03.207 |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.585 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +1.277 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +4.941 |
| 5 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | +5.033 |
| 6 | Alex Albon | Williams | +5.187 |
| 7 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | +5.860 |
| 8 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | +6.022 |
| 9 | Daniel Ricciardo | AlphaTauri | +6.112 |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | +6.835 |
| 11 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +7.076 |
| 12 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +7.092 |
| 13 | George Russell | Mercedes | +7.268 |
| 14 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | +8.878 |
| 15 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | +10.795 |
| 16 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | No time |
| 17 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | No time |
| 18 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | No time |
| 19 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | No time |
| 20 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | No time |
