Belgian Grand Prix build-up - radio & text

BBC News

4 days ago

Update:
Date: 13:17 BST
Title: Several pit-lane starters
Content: Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli and Fernando Alonso are all starting from the pit lane today after changing their power units.
Carlos Sainz also starts from the pit lane after changing the set-up on his car during parc ferme.
Update:
Date: 13:12 BST
Title: 'I'm proud of the improvements I've been making' - Norris
Content: Pole sitter Lando Norris, speaking to Sky Sports: "I've been working hard to try and improve, it's an important season and it's my job just as much as it's a teams job to try and give me a car that I like to drive.
"It's also just my job to just drive whatever I have you know, I've been working a lot on trying to improve things and get better myself.
"I think that's what I'm most proud about, not just the momentum and wins alone, but just the improvements that I've been making."
Update:
Date: 13:09 BST
Title: Get involved
Content: #bbcf1, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)
How do you see today going, then? Expecting any big battles through the field from those towards the back?
Let us know your podium predictions and all thoughts Belgian Grand Prix-related via #bbcf1, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)
Update:
Date: 13:06 BST
Title: Weather update
Content: Ian FergussonBBC weather forecaster
Air temp is 18C & track recently 26C under brighter conditions. However, a trough approaching from the west looks set to threaten further showers, potentially heavy/thundery in the area, arriving from ~2pm local to race start.
Update:
Date: 13:03 BST
Title: 'A typical Spa day'
Content: Andrew BensonBBC F1 correspondent at Spa-Francorchamps
The
rain has been intermittent all day so far, stopping and starting, and varying
in intensity, sometimes a downpour, sometimes just spitting. So, a typical Spa
day, then.
But that means the grand prix takes on a whole extra
level of seriousness. This track is unforgiving at the best of times. In the
wet it becomes extreme, and history has taught the sport lessons of the most
tragic nature here.
For that reason, decisions about whether to race or not
will hang heavy, with two varying contingencies - is there enough grip, and is
there enough visibility? Either could prevent the race starting, or cause it to
be stopped.
The high-speed nature of Spa means that it takes less
rain to stop the cars running than would be the case at Monaco, for example,
because the faster the cars go, the more spray they produce, so the quicker it
gets to the visibility threshold. If it's wet enough for the extreme tyre to be
needed, that probably means it's too wet to race. Officials will also be aware
of the danger of a car crashing on the straight and coming back on to the
track, where it can be hit in the spray by another. Those accidents are
typically the most dangerous of all.
The intermediate tyres wear quite quickly at Spa, and
if the rain intensifies, the drivers will want fresh tyres, so this could be a
race of multiple stops in the wet. A pit stop takes about 20 seconds under
green-flag conditions, half that under a safety car.
Update:
Date: 13:00 BST
Title: Three from three?
Content: Lando Norris put it together when it mattered as he gave himself the best chance of making it three wins in a row by securing pole position yesterday.
His eyes will be set on hauling in Oscar Piastri's nine-point advantage at the top of the drivers' championship.
But, after a dry weekend so far, the rain has arrived today...