26/07/2024
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's opening session the air temperature is 22 degrees C, while the track temperature is 37 degrees. It is bright and sunny, albeit a little windy.
In terms of updates, Mercedes has a new Diffuser, Floor Edge, Beam Wing, Front Wing and Halo, while Ferrari has a new Front Wing and Rear Wing.
McLaren has a new Rear Wing, Beam Wing and Rear Corner, while Alpine has a new Front Wing, Coke/Engine Cover, Rear Corner, Beam Wing, Rear Wing and Mirror, and RB a new Rear Corner, Beam Wing and Rear Wing.
Stake has a new Mirror, Floor fence, Front wing, Rear wing and Beam Wing, while Haas has a new Rear Wing and Beam Wing.
While most of these are circuit specific upgrades, Haas, Stake and Mercedes are particularly looking at performance improvements in terms of drag reduction.
Red Bull and Aston Martin have no upgrades this weekend, indeed the Austrian team has introduced the upgrades it introduced last weekend.
Even before a wheel has turned Verstappen and Tsunoda are facing penalties, the Dutchman will drop 10 places after taking on a new ICE (internal combustion engine) while the Japanese will start from the back of the grid after taking on a whole new power unit.
The lights go green and Russell leads the way, followed by Tsunoda, Zhou, Hamilton and Verstappen. As more drivers head out it's a mixture of hards and mediums.
"Box the car please, box the car now," Ocon is ordered. Problems for Alpine already?
A spin for Ricciardo at La Source as he runs over a wet kerb. He does well to keep it out of the barriers.
Of the first wave, Verstappen (hards) goes quickest (44.706) ahead of Piastri, Hamilton, Norris and Gasly.
While we are expecting to see the Ferraris bouncing this weekend, the front wing on Russell's Mercedes is visibly flexing.
"This tyre (medium) doesn't go great," reports Hamilton.
Sainz goes fifth (45.769) on the mediums as word continues on Ocon's car in the Alpine garage.
No sooner has Hamilton improved to second with a 45.207 than his teammate responds with a 44.998, Verstappen having raised the bar with a 44.524.
Alpine reports a suspected water leak on Ocon's car. However, teammate Gasly goes 8th (45.748) on the mediums.
With 37 minutes remaining only Leclerc and Gasly are on track, though the Ferrari drivers subsequently dives into the pits.
After a brief lull Verstappen heads out again, followed by the McLarens, Russell and Bottas, all are on softs.
Russell improves to 44.225, however Verstappen responds with a 43.372.
Piastri splits them with a 44.078, while Bottas goes fourth with a 45.155.
A 44.415 sees Norris go fifth.
Quickest in S1, Ricciardo goes seventh with a 44.950, just behind Perez who is 0.957s off his teammate's pace.
With Verstappen dropping ten places on Sunday, Perez really needs to up his game for the sake of the team.
"Check the fronts through 6 and 7," urges Russell, "they're just not biting."
"I'm really struggling to know what the car is doing on entries, at all speeds," says Perez. "I don't have the feeling of what is going on."
Albon goes third with a 44.099, as Stroll goes tenth and Sargeant 13th.
Alonso can only manage 12th (45.097) on the softs, as Norris locks-up as he enters the pitlane.
"Is the engine okay," asks Alonso, "how can we be slower in the first sector?"
Piastri switches back to mediums, as do Hamilton and Leclerc.
"No management, we push on these tyres," Tsunoda is told as Alpine confirms that Ocon will play no further part in this session.
"I've got to come in, the bouncing is really bad," says Hamilton.
As he is starting from the back on Sunday, RB is clearly adopting a different strategy for the Japanese, putting him on hards while Ricciardo continues on softs.
"Some corners are very understeery and some very oversteer, it's very unpredictable," reports Tsunoda.
"Piastri degging on mediums as well," Leclerc is told, "51.1, 51.3."
"Parts of my tyres look like they've been through the gauntlet, reports Sargeant, "they look destroyed."
As the session comes to a close, Verstappen is setting a blistering pace on his used hards.
The session ends. Verstappen is quickest, ahead of Piastri, Albon, Russell, Hamilton, , Leclerc, Perez, Norris, Sainz and Stroll.
Gasly is eleventh, ahead of Alonso, Ricciardo, Bottas, Sargeant, Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, Magnussen, Zhou and Ocon.
Check out our Friday gallery from Spa here.