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Clément Novalak topped the sole Formula 3 practice session at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the Trident team ahead of Qualifying as once again the Italian team looked impressive at a circuit that relies on speed.

The French 2019 BRDC British Formula 3 Champion dominated the session edging out the HWA Racelab of Oliver Rasmussen by four tenths of a second who in turn was a further three tenths ahead of Lorenzo Colombo in the Campos.

In the early part of the session it was ART Grand Prix’s Alex Smolyar who led the session with a 2:07.924 and would go on to improve that time going to a 2:06.748 and towards the mid part of the session as typical at Spa rain drops started to fall on the circuit and the first yellow flags were briefly waved on the circuit as Ayumu Iwasa came to a stop on track but thankfully for the Japanese driver.

Even though the rain was now coming down, Jack Doohan – currently second in the championship the Australian went three tenths quicker than the previous fastest time which had been set by Smolyar.

It wasn’t a perfect debut for Zdenek Chovanec who spun his Charouz round and briefly came to a stop but similar to Iwasa the Portuguese driver was able to get his car going again. Perhaps surprisingly it wasn’t an ART or a Trident car to set the fastest time it was the Campos of Lorenzo Columbo who would set a time two-tenths quicker than any of the other drivers. HWA Racelab’s Oliver Rasmussen was the first driver to break the 2:05’s setting a time of 2:05.825.

Sergio Pérez will remain with Red Bull Racing for the 2022 Formula 1 season after the Mexican’s contract was extended for a further year.

The thirty-one-year-old joined Red Bull at the beginning of 2021 and has taken his second career victory with them, having triumphed in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix earlier this season. 

He will continue alongside Max Verstappen for the first season of the new aerodynamic regulations in 2022, and Pérez says he is really happy to be remaining with the team for another season as he aims to deliver success to the Milton Keynes-based team.

“I’m really happy to be continuing with a great team like Red Bull into the new era of Formula 1 and it’s a great opportunity for me,” said Pérez.  “Everyone starts from zero next year with the new regulations, so my only goal is to go all the way to the top with Red Bull.

“It always takes time to get on top of everything when you join a new team but things have worked well this season and I really enjoy being a part of the Red Bull family. We’ve been working hard to deliver results so it’s great to see the Team have faith in me for the future.

Valtteri Bottas ended fastest in the opening free practice for the Belgian Grand Prix on Friday morning, although it was a straightforward session for championship leader Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton ended eighteenth and without a representative lap time after almost losing control of his Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team machine approaching the final chicane as he attempted to pass Williams Racing’s Nicholas Latifi.

In a session that started with the track damp due to early morning rain, it was a slow start for many, with few drivers venturing out on anything but the intermediate tyre.  However, it was clear that conditions improved, and before long all twenty drivers were out on the dry tyres.

Hungarian Grand Prix winner Esteban Ocon topped the early times, but soon Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen hit the top, but the times continued to tumble as conditions around Spa-Francorchamps improved.

Bottas, fighting for his Mercedes future after a lacklustre opening eleven races, ended the session fastest overall with a time of 1:45.199, just 0.164 seconds clear of Verstappen, while Pierre Gasly ended an encouraging third for Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda, just half a second down on the fastest time.

Sebastian Vettel admits he is still ‘very bitter’ about his disqualification from the Hungarian Grand Prix, with the German losing second place as a result after his AMR21 car did not have enough fuel in the tank for the FIA to get a sample post-race.

The Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team driver had driven superbly at the Hungaroring, keeping eventual race winner Esteban Ocon honest throughout the race after avoiding all the chaos at the first corner.

However, it would all count for nothing after he was disqualified from the race, even if Vettel feels there was no advantage for Aston Martin.  He also insisted that there was no intention from the team to run out of fuel, and there is no explanation to why there was not as much fuel in the car as their sensors indicated.

“It’s very bitter because I think first, we did not have an advantage,” Vettel is quoted as saying by Formula1.com.  “Second, there was no intention, or no way we could actually explain that too little fuel was in the car.

“So something happened over the course of the race, I don’t know, a leakage or something, that the fuel simply wasn’t there anymore.  I think it was the last lap, we found out something might not be right and we were very surprised when the fuel wasn’t in the car.

The Williams Racing team arrive at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix on the back of their first points score of the season in the Hungarian Grand Prix, with Nicholas Latifi and George Russell finishing an excellent seventh and eighth at the Hungaroring.

Latifi ran as high as third in the opening laps in Budapest but lost positions to faster cars as the race went on, but the Canadian was able to secure his first top ten finish of the season in eighth, which became seventh once Sebastian Vettel was disqualified from second place after the race.

The Canadian says it was good to unwind and recharge the batteries after Hungary, and he hopes the positive momentum from Hungary will continue into the race at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend.

“It was great to unwind and recharge over the summer break, but I’m super excited to get back behind the wheel now,” said Latifi.  “Spa is definitely one of the tracks on the calendar that is very fast and flowing which I like, and it’s always a great track for racing so I’m looking forward to that.

“We’re carrying a lot of positive momentum after the last race, but we know we still have a job to do each time we show up at a track and we’ll take one race at a time. I can’t wait to get going!”

Mick Schumacher says the Spa-Francorchamps is one of the most challenging tracks in Formula 1, but the German insists it is his favourite track on the schedule.

The Uralkali Haas F1 Team driver will race at the Belgian track for the first time as a Formula 1 driver this weekend, but he has experienced the venue in other categories, including his championship winning campaigns in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship and FIA Formula 2.

Schumacher feels Spa is one of the more special weekends on the calendar and he is excited to take to the track for the first time on Friday.

“In general, Spa is my favourite track, in any circumstance,” said Schumacher.  “For me, coming back to Spa is just great. I was there last year and previous years and obviously we’ve had a lot of ups and downs there.

“It’s definitely one of the most challenging tracks – it’s super long, there’s a lot of undulation in it, it’s very historical and definitely one of the most special weekends that we have on the calendar, so I’m really looking forward to going back.

With 3 rounds remaining in the FIA Formula 3 season the series heads to one of the most famous circuits on the calendar – Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and with drivers hoping to impress aiming for a move up to FIA Formula 2 in 2022, three exciting races await the spectators and the drivers.

Spa-Francorchamps is one of the most famous circuits on the calendar famed for its Eau Rouge – Raidillon complex and has plenty of overtaking opportunities and the format of the weekend will be Practice and Qualifying on Friday, Two Sprint Races on Saturday and a feature race to round up the action on the Sunday morning.

In the championship its Dennis Hauger who dominates the standings with 152 points ahead of Jack Doohan (89) and Olli Caldwell (86) after Hauger added another feature race win to his name at the Hungaroring to take his tally to 3 wins for the year. Below Hauger however, the championship battle is very close with only 23 points separating Doohan in second and Victor Martins in seventh.

In driver news, there has been plenty of movement, in the Carlin garage Kaylen Frederick has tested positive for COVID-19 and will therefore miss the round and a double change at Czech team Charouz see’s Enzo Fittipaldi and Reshad de Gerus replaced by Hunter Yeany and Zdenek Chovanec both of whom will be making their debut.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR?

Last season, FIA Formula 3 had a different format consisting of more race weekends but less races and it was now Formula 2 driver Lirim Zendelli who took pole position ahead of Théo Pourchaire and Aleksandr Smolyar the latter of which will be racing this weekend.

Oulton Park – My best result yet

It was a week that started really difficult but ended really well. We both struggled in Friday testing, having not recently had an opportunity to test at Oulton whilst others did in the recent break. 

It took a while to find a rhythm as the track changed from dry to wet from Friday practice session 1 to 2 and then back to dry in the Saturday morning practice. This meant that each time we studied the data, we then were going into different conditions in the next session and not applying what we had learnt. By the qualifying session in the afternoon, I felt much more comfortable in the car but due to traffic I didn’t get a perfect lap and qualified twenty-first for race 1 and 2. Nevertheless, I felt good for the race.

However, I had over-revved my engine in qualifying and that required an engine change. The team worked quickly to remove the engine into the evening, to get ahead of the job before the following morning. I really appreciate their dedication. Thank you guys.

On Sunday in race 1 I made a good start and worked my way up to nineteenth before there was soon a red flag on lap 3 for a car that needed to be cleared. Due to the schedule running behind because of a long incident in another race, our restarted race would be shorted to 4 laps. I would have to use every opportunity to make progress. It’s a narrow circuit at Oulton Park and would require good race craft.

Starting nineteenth at the re-start, this time I made an even better start and had already made-up places in a few corners on the first lap to sixteenth. I then managed to work my way through incidents unfolding ahead of me and was in twelfth place. On the last corner of the last lap, I took another place and across the line I just managed to hold off those coming from behind who had gained on me during the move.

Charles Leclerc says it was important for him to get some relaxation in during the mid-season summer break, even if the place he chose saw a number of his fellow Formula 1 drivers join him there!

The Scuderia Ferrari driver arrives in Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix on the back of a first lap retirement in Hungary after being caught up in an incident involving Lance Stroll and Daniel Ricciardo at turn one.

And Leclerc left Hungary for the break looking to spend some quality time with his family and friends, so he comes back to the racetrack refreshed and ready to attack in the second half of the campaign.

“Even if Mykonos might not have been exactly the best place to switch off from Formula 1, as half the grid was on holiday in that part of the world, but I got to spend some days with my family and friends and that was the most important thing,” said Leclerc.

“I’m refreshed and relaxed, ready for the second half of the season.”

After a long four-week summer break, the FIA Formula 1 World Championship is back and ready to go racing again with the Belgian Grand Prix.

Round 12 sees the teams return to fan favourite Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in the Belgian countryside. It is also the first of three races in a European triple-header. 

What happened at the Hungarian Grand Prix?

Rain caused chaos on the opening lap of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Going into the first corner, Valtteri Bottas lost control of his car, colliding with Lando Norris. Norris was subsequently pushed in Max Verstappen, who clipped his Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Pérez. Elsewhere, Lance Stroll collied with Charles Leclerc, who clipped Daniel Ricciardo, sending him spinning. The race was then red-flagged.

Out of all the cars involved in the first lap incident, Bottas, Pérez, Norris, Leclerc, and Stroll were all forced to retire. Ricciardo and Verstappen were able to continue, albeit with damaged cars. 

Racing resumed with a standing start but in a Formula 1 first, Lewis Hamilton, who was on pole, was the only one starting the race. The rest of the grid had dived into the pits after the formation lap to change from wet tyres to slicks. On lights out, Hamilton raced ahead but realised he had made a mistake in not pitting and had to change tyres at the end of the lap, meaning he came out last. 

Jack Wood landed in GMS Racing‘s #24 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series vehicle via circumstance, but he will get a shot at a full schedule in 2022. On Thursday, the team announced Wood will remain in the #24 for the entire 2022 Truck season.

“I feel extremely honoured to be asked to drive for GMS Racing again next year, we have built a lot of momentum over the last few months and I feel strongly that next season will be a very successful one,” said Wood. “There has been plenty of learning and ground work built in order to do just that. I would like to thank everyone at GMS Racing and Chevrolet for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to chase my dream. I hope to finish the rest of this year out strong and then take the off season preparing to hit the ground running in 2022 starting at Daytona.”

Wood began driving the #24 in May on an interim basis after Raphaël Lessard lost the ride due to funding issues. He finished thirtieth in his Truck début at COTA, and took over the seat for the rest of the season in June. He scored his first career top ten in the most recent event at Gateway.

Prior to beginning his Truck career, Wood was running in the ARCA Menards Series with GMS. In six starts, he has three top tens and a best finish of fourth at Kansas in May. Before GMS, he competed in the ARCA Menards Series West for his family team.

In January, he was added to the Drivers Edge Development programme for Chevrolet drivers.

Frédéric Vasseur says the Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN team will continue to work hard and aim for the kind of results they deserve across the second half of the season after dropping to ninth in the Constructors’ Championship following the results of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Alfa Romeo went into the race at the Hungaroring eighth, but Nicholas Latifi and George Russell scoring points for Williams Racing meant they dropped to ninth, despite Kimi Räikkönen scoring a point himself in tenth place.

Williams maximised their opportunity in Hungary to score those ten points, while Alfa Romeo missed their chances of scoring more points thanks to a number of reasons, most notably a penalty for Räikkönen after he was released into the path of Nikita Mazepin in the pit lane.

Vasseur, the Team Principal of Alfa Romeo, says Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi will need to get the most out of their C41-Ferrari’s across the remainder of the season, starting this weekend with the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

“The team returns to action with the determination to continue our work and bring home the results we deserve,” said Vasseur.  “The motivation levels are high, both for this season and the next one, and we know we have an opportunity to fight for the points at each track for the remainder of the year.

The Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN team scored a point in the Hungarian Grand Prix prior to the summer break courtesy of Kimi Räikkönen, but the team dropped to ninth place in the Constructors’ Championship thanks to the double points score for Williams Racing.

Nicholas Latifi and George Russell finished seventh and eighth at the Hungaroring to move up to eighth place in the standings, and they are now seven points clear of Alfa Romeo heading into the second half of the season.

Räikkönen says he has enjoyed the summer break ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, and he knows Alfa Romeo will need to get the most out of their car across the remaining races of the season if they are to retake that eighth place in the standings.

“I enjoyed the time off: spending this much time with the family is not something we do often so I made sure to make the most of it,” said Räikkönen, who has four wins at Spa to his name in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009.  

“Now, though, the holidays feel already in the past and I am looking forward to racing again: Spa is the perfect place to come back, it’s a nice track where you get some good racing and Sundays can be unpredictable.

Fernando Alonso will remain with the Alpine F1 Team for the 2022 Formula 1 season, and he feels at home with the team that has been a big part of his career.

Alonso has raced for the team twice before under its former guise of the Renault F1 Team, with the Spaniard claiming consecutive World Championship triumphs with them in 2005 and 2006.

And now the forty-year-old has committed to another season with Alpine alongside the already confirmed Esteban Ocon having joined the team ahead of the current campaign after two years away from Formula 1.

“I’m very happy to confirm the contract extension with Alpine F1 Team into 2022,” said Alonso.  “I felt at home the moment I returned to this team and have been welcomed back with open arms.

“It is a pleasure to work again with some of the brightest minds in our sport at Enstone and Viry-Châtillon.”

Marcin Budkowski says there is a ‘good buzz’ within the Alpine F1 Team ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix after Esteban Ocon’s stunning, but surprising, victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix at the beginning of the month.

Budkowski, the Executive Director at Alpine, says the team will now work harder to achieve their goals after tasting victory at the Hungaroring, and the aim for them is to become regular contenders for wins in the future with both Ocon and Fernando Alonso.

“We head to Spa on the back of winning the last Grand Prix before the summer break, which, clearly, was not something we were expecting!” said Budkowski.  “It wasn’t a win based on full, outright performance as some external circumstances contributed, but the opportunity came to us and we were there to grab it – in style – as we led 67 of the 70 laps of the race.

“Even though a few weeks have passed since the Hungarian Grand Prix, there is still a good buzz within the team as we are heading to Belgium. It was also fantastic to see Esteban bounce back after a few difficult races and score his first Grand Prix win.

“It’s a very important milestone for the Team and a huge morale boost for everybody in Enstone and Viry. Now we know how good victory tastes, we will work even harder to achieve our goals and become a regular contender in the future.”