Mercedes still has an edge
It rained at Spa-Francorchamps prior to the first training session. As a result, part of the circuit is still wet, but other parts are already dry. After about twenty minutes the whole track is dry and we see all the drivers go out on the slicks. It’s busy on the track, because there’s a good chance that this will be the only time of the weekend that the track is dry.
After half an hour Max Verstappen sets a fast time on the hard tires. It then takes a while before the Mercedes drivers set a representative time. They hang around the tenth spot for a while. Only when many teams put the soft tires under the car, Bottas improves Max’s time. Hamilton almost goes faster, but Latifi gets in his way.
Verstappen also makes another attempt on the soft tires. His time does drop, but it is not good enough to improve the time of the Mercedes. So on a dry track, Mercedes has just one edge. But there is still a lot of rain coming this weekend, so that will completely change the proportions.
1st free practice of the 2021 Belgian GP
01. Valtteri Bottas
02. Max Verstappen
03. Pierre Gasly
04. Charles Leclerc
05. Carlos Sainz
Dates and times of the 2021 Belgian GP
Friday, August 27, 2021
2nd free practice: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Saturday, August 28, 2021
3rd free practice: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Qualification: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Sunday 29 August 2021
Race: 3:00 PM
