Carlos Sainz was fastest as Ferrari set the pace in Practice 1 at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Despite some drizzle before the session, conditions were dry for the start of the first on-track running after the summer break.
Max Verstappen quickly established himself at the top early on, leading by over two seconds at one stage as he opted to go straight out on soft tyres.
When Ferrari joined the Dutchman on the red-striped tyre though Sainz would set a 1m46.538s, just 0.07s clear of teammate Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen’s early best would leave him two-tenths back in third, with the top three in a class of their own out front.
The bad news for Leclerc and Verstappen though is both are set to start at the back of the grid due to engine penalties that were confirmed during FP1.
Establishing a pecking order was made difficult by a disrupted final 20 minutes of the session.
Kevin Magnussen caused a prolonged red flag due to an electrical problem in the Haas that meant his ‘live’ car had to be recovered by the mechanics.
? RED FLAG ?
Magnussen has a problem and is stationary out on track just after Turn 1 #BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/0LTZ5QXoFz
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 26, 2022
Then, just as drivers headed back out in the final 10 minutes, a heavy rain shower hit the circuit forcing them into the pits for intermediates.
As a result, George Russell was eight-tenths off the pace in fourth for Mercedes, ahead of Lance Stroll and Alex Albon.
Daniel Ricciardo was seventh ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, with Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez rounding out the top 10.
Technical problems also meant Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Ocon missed most of the session.
Full results from Practice 1 can be seen below:
Sainz, Leclerc and Verstappen lead the way after first practice… ?#BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/ZgIKhpIAL4
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 26, 2022