Sainz leads Leclerc in FP1! 2022 Belgian GP FP1 Highlights!

A lot on and off track action meant for an entertaining session for the fans as the drivers took to the track under momentary showers of rain. Inters were the choicest tyres of the session as parts of the track were not suitable for the slicks to do their job. However, the track dried quickly and soon enough the slicks were brought on.

Verstappen dominated the majority of the session with an average 2-second gap over the rest of the drivers. A few patches of standing water still troubled a few drivers along the fast corners, as we saw Yuki Tsunoda do a slight drift midway through the session.

In the second stage of the session, with just 20 minutes remaining the session was red flagged as Kevin Magnussen stopped his car after Turn 1. His roll-hoop light began flashing red lights, indicating a hybrid issue. It was later confirmed that it was triggered by a high voltage problem. As a result, the car was dangerous for the marshals to touch and had to wait until the team’s engineers reached to help tow the car away. With just 10 odd minutes remaining in the session, the drivers took to the track yet again to get in as much laps as they could. The Ferrari duo took the top spots with Carlos Sainz putting forth a benchmark of 1:46:538. Towards the final minutes of the session rain resumed yet again and the drivers finally returned to their pits to prepare for FP2.

More trivia from the session, as we came to know that multiple drivers would take penalties for changing components of their car. These include Verstappen, Norris, Ocon and Bottas who carry a new ICE, turbos and MGU-H. Verstappen, Ocon and Leclerc also carry further penalties for taking new MGU-Ks. Leclerc and Ocon face penalties for a new energy store. Ocon and Schumacher face penalties for taking a new control electronics unit. This means that Ocon is taking a brand new component for every part of his power unit. So we might see a special run from the back from the Frenchman! Adding even more to the list Leclerc, Bottas and Schumacher will take new gearbox cases and cassettes and Verstappen, Leclerc, Bottas and Schumacher will change their gearbox driveline, gear change and auxiliary components.

With all of these changes we might be more interested in the cars at the back rather than the front on Sunday. This also gives a opportunity to Mercedes to get the best result out of a race possible. The complete driver standings from the session are given below: