Even more penalties
And on we go: Leclerc and Verstappen have swapped other parts and Zhou has also got a new engine. So with that we can forget about his +10, he too will be moved to the back of the grid.
Makes seven drivers with engine penalties now…
FT3: Everyone there
Meanwhile, Magnussen and the Ferraris are also driving on the track. And all three sort themselves right in front! Sainz sets a best time of 1:46.461, his teammate finishes right behind in P2, Magnussen is fifth.
In the second half of the session it should be much faster. The first 30 minutes are already over.
Call up all current information in the session live ticker!
Punishment also for Zhou
The Chinese is currently in the lead – but will also have to start from the back tomorrow. He got a new gearbox and has to drop ten places. After all: He starts at least in front of all pilots who are completely shifted to the end of the starting grid.
He is the seventh driver to receive a grid penalty this weekend. It’s going to be fun sorting it all out after qualifying – especially since there’s still some ambiguity…
FT3: No trace yet…
… meanwhile on the track from Ferrari. 17 of the 20 drivers are driving, only Leclerc, Sainz and Haas driver Magnussen are still waiting in the garage. A problem or everything planned? In any case, the other drivers are busy doing laps.
But as expected, there are no fast times yet.
Call up all current information in the session live ticker!
FT3: It’s getting full right away
As a reminder: Yesterday there were hardly any long runs because it rained at the end of FT2. So many teams have some catching up to do, which is why 14 of the 20 drivers are already on the track. This usually takes much longer in FT3.
Incidentally, the fastest man yesterday was Verstappen with a 1:45.507. But you shouldn’t expect fast times here at the beginning of the session, they shouldn’t come until later.
Call up all current information in the session live ticker!
FT3: Open the session ticker now!
FT3 will start in five minutes. Here at this point you will find the most important information, pictures and voices. You can get the complete coverage in our session ticker with Stefan Ehlen. It’s best to just let both tickers run in parallel.
Quickly the conditions: It is dry, the official probability of rain is 30 percent. Also, like yesterday, it’s very cold. The asphalt is only 20.5 degrees, the air temperature is even less than 16 degrees.
FIA President issues statement
Stefano Domenicali’s statements about the chances of a woman in Formula 1 were not particularly well received by many. Sebastian Vettel also said in the PK on Thursday that the Formula 1 boss had chosen his words poorly.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem was now even forced to make a statement in which he emphasized: “Since it was founded, the FIA has always supported and encouraged women in motorsport.”
That will remain so in the future. A clear reaction to Domenicali’s statements.
Fresh technology pictures
As promised, we have filled our photo series with the best technology snapshots from Spa with new pictures. Click through before FT3. It starts in 20 minutes!
Photo gallery: Formula 1 technology: detailed photos at the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix
That’s the way it is with Mick Schumacher
Mick Schumacher is currently in 15th position in the World Championship and is fighting to stay in Grand Prix racing. His contract with the Haas team expires at the end of the year. So what are his chances of driving in the premier class again next year?
weather
Just over half an hour until the start of FT3 and we’ll be back with a little weather update. It is currently not raining in Spa, but the conditions are again very similar to yesterday.
Means: It is cloudy and rain is possible almost at any time. However, the risk is lower than on Friday. Our complete weather forecast for the whole weekend can be found here!
DISPLAY: Formula 1 and Co. live on Sky!
Formula 1 will only be on the track in an hour and a half. But currently Formula 3 is already running its sprint race and Formula 2 is also back at the start in Spa. And you can be there live with Sky everywhere!
Only there you get all races of all series. No subscription yet? Inform here!
Speaking of engine penalties…
There is still some confusion there. Yesterday we still assumed that all affected drivers would have to start from the very back. However, not all penalties come from the engine, some also from the transmission.
That’s why nobody is currently 100 percent sure how the different transfers will be evaluated. And then there’s the rumor that there could be even more penalties.
We’ll keep our eyes open and seek clarification.
Curfew broken
Haas broke curfew last night, using up the second of two allowed jokers. That means: The team can no longer afford to break the curfew again during the night from Friday to Saturday.
From a purely sporting point of view, it will be difficult enough this weekend anyway – especially for Schumacher, who is also one of the drivers who will receive an engine penalty.
Szafnauer: Piastri also found out about Twitter
Bitter: The Alpine team boss only found out about the Alonso change from the press release. And now he reveals in the PK that he only read on social media that Piastri does not want to drive for Alpine in 2023.
Incidentally, the press release was issued in such a rush and without a quote from Piastri because they wanted to react “quickly”. And there was no time for long back and forth with Piastri’s management.
This is also where the PK ends.
The current relationship with Piastri …
… according to Szafnauer, by the way, is no different than before. “He’s in Enstone, sitting in the simulator,” he reports. Piastri helps with the work on the set-up and they continue to prepare him for Formula 1 as usual – as before.
Szafnauer: Piastri knew about it
Also exciting: The team boss emphasizes that Piastri’s own announcement was not published without his knowledge. Piastri was in the simulator that day and he informed him.
As a reminder, Piastri responded with a tweet shortly after the press release, stating he will not be racing for Alpine in 2023.