Carlos Sainz finishes on top in FP1 as rainy conditions headline the hour

There was only one red flag in the session, as Logan Sargeant ran straight on at the end of the Kemmel straight. The Williams driver tried to turn into the chicane after braking, but due to the awful conditions, he aquaplaned and was unable to turn forcing him into the barrier ahead of him. Luckily it was a slow collision, but there could still be some damage to his car.

As for the session itself, not much action actually took place on track throughout the hour, as the rain got worse and caused the circuit conditions to follow suit. Drivers soon switched from intermediates to full wets, but even that wasn’t working, as was seen with Sargeant.

During the hour, the FIA announced that the result of the session will not determine the grid for Sunday if qualifying is cancelled later on Friday due to the weather conditions. If qualifying is cancelled due to rain, every effort will be made to make this session take place at a later date.

When FP1 came to its end, there were five drivers who had not set a competitive time because of the conditions. Sargeant, Stroll, Gasly, Ocon and Verstappen all went out onto the track but only for scout laps.

Qualifying is set to take place later today but if these conditions continue to get worse, it may be cancelled. Make sure to follow all the breaking news on gpblog.com.