Rain Washes Out Final Practice Before Belgian GP Qualifying

It was a wet and wild day at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps as heavy rain washed out the final practice session before the qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen was the first one to brave the slippery conditions, setting the benchmark time of 2:01.565 seconds on intermediate tyres. He was closely followed by McLaren‘s Oscar Piastri and Pierre Gasly from Alpine, who also ventured out during the initial minutes.

However, conditions quickly deteriorated, leaving most of the grid with limited knowledge of how their cars would perform in the wet today. The rain created a misty atmosphere in the Ardennes region, making it tricky for drivers to navigate the slippery track.

Daniel Ricciardo had a challenging session, feeling what he described as heavy steering, which made things even tougher for him. His problems came just as the Aston Martins brought out a red flag, causing a pause in the action.

As the rain continued to fall, drivers were forced to retreat into their garages, and the only ones able to take some risk were those who had not yet set times. With just over a couple of minutes left in the session, the remaining drivers quickly dashed out hoping to get some last-minute laps in.

Despite the tough conditions, Verstappen ended up at the top of the timesheet. As the clock ticked down, drivers like Stroll and the others could only watch as the opportunity for more practice slipped away.