FP3: Verstappen leads wet FP3 at Spa; Stroll crashes out

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

Max Verstappen topped the final practice session at a wet Spa-Francorchamps ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix. Persistent rain and a crash by Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, which brought out the red flags, characterized the session.

Check out the results of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, including the race results, qualifying times, and practice sessions

After a dry opening day, shower conditions overnight left the track waterlogged for FP3, beginning at 12:30 local time. Drivers initially went out on intermediate and wet tyres, anticipating heavy rainfall within minutes.

Verstappen clocked an early leading time of 2m 01.565s. The session saw several drivers struggle, including Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda running wide at Les Combes. Stroll lost control at Eau Rouge, resulting in significant damage to his car and bringing out the red flags.

Once Stroll's car was cleared and he was sent to the Medical Centre for checks, the session resumed with 40 minutes remaining. However, continued rain kept most teams in the pit lane, awaiting improved conditions.

With 25 minutes to go, another red flag halted the session due to worsening track conditions. It resumed briefly at the end, allowing for practice starts, but Verstappen’s benchmark remained untouchable.

Oscar Piastri finished 1.4 seconds behind in P2, followed by Alpines' Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, McLaren's Norris, and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. The sidelined Stroll held P6.

Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber) was P8, followed by Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Sergio Perez (Red Bull) in P9 and P10. Alex Albon (Williams), Nico Hulkenberg (Haas), and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) completed P11-P13.

Daniel Ricciardo and Tsunoda placed P14 and P15, with Zhou Guanyu (Sauber) and Logan Sargeant (Williams) trailing. George Russell (Mercedes), Kevin Magnussen (Haas), and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) did not set times.

Teams will now debrief and adjust setups ahead of the rain-forecasted qualifying session at 16:00 local time.

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