Lewis Hamilton was elated with the performance of his car after topping the times as Mercedes enjoyed a strong start to the weekend during Friday practice at the Belgian Grand Prix.

The Briton showed excellent pace throughout the day, pretty much matching Kimi Raikkonen's fastest time in the morning on the Soft compound before setting a near record pace in the afternoon around Spa-Francorchamps. was able to get things right quickly and early during the day enjoying a good feel of the car around Spa.

Analysing his day afterwards, it was how Mercedes and Hamilton were able to get things right quickly and early in the day that most enthused the 32-year-old as he enjoyed a good feeling with the car around the famous circuit.

“Today felt like one of our strongest Friday's so far this season," he claimed, the car felt strong all-round straight out of the box. We made some good steps with the set-up right from the start of FP1, which is a really encouraging way to kick off the weekend.”

However, the triple world champion admitted it will not be an easy ride the rest of the weekend with the long run gap being close at the top.

“It looks tight at the top on the long-run pace, but we've started the weekend in the best way possible.”

Across the garage, Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas admitted he needed some extra work to start enjoying his Mercedes but was confident progress was and will be made heading into qualifying.

“Overall, it was a tricky day. We had some trouble setting up the car and I didn't feel too comfortable in the beginning," he revealed.

“In the end it was getting better, we made quite big steps. The performance in general is looking good; however, there is still a lot of margin to optimize the car. The long runs in the end were interrupted by the rain, but that was obviously the same for everyone. I'm glad that we at least got a few laps in with high fuel.”

Kimi Raikkonen has insisted he still has the desire and the belief he can compete for wins and championships with Ferrari in Formula 1, claiming he won't "hang around" on the grid.

This week the Finn was confirmed with the Italian team for another year in 2018 following a change in heart from President Sergio Marchionne following the 1-2 finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix, who called for a quick re-signing of the 2007 world champion.

That was exactly what happened as Raikkonen revealed he knew of his stay for some time before it officially announced on Monday and speaking to reporters at Spa on Thursday he made it clear he is happy to continue.

“I enjoy racing. Obviously I want to do well,” he said. “If I didn’t feel I could go fast and wouldn’t be happy in myself, I wouldn’t be here. I have zero interest to waste my time or the team’s time to be part of it. It’s not the nicest place just to hang around.

“The racing is the main thing. Yes, there’s a lot of other sides of F1, but the racing is the biggest part. That’s it. As long as I feel myself that I can win races and fight for championships when I don’t feel like that, I would be the first guy to do something else.”

The disappointment of some at Ferrari's decision stems from the plethora of young drivers that could arguably perform better than Raikkonen, who sits in fifth in the Drivers' Championship some 86 points behind teammate Sebastian Vettel.

Yet it is the partnership the two have formed, which sees the German as the number one driver, that is thought to be the main reason for the 'Iceman's' retention, with Kimi acknowledging Vettel as the best teammate he has had in 15 F1 seasons.

“Sure, he is. I think we work very well together as a whole team," the 37-year-old claimed. "It’s a very good way of working but obviously, I’m not the guy who decides who does what.”

For now, however, Vettel is not signed for Ferrari for next year and commenting on that, Raikkonen added: “I have no idea what will happen in his case, hopefully all that stays how it is now.”

The four-time world champion would hint the deal was close but didn't expect an announcement during the next two race weekends.

“At some point, I think there will be news," he said. "The main focus now is not to focus on news, the main focus is to focus on the race and that will be the same next week. So I don't expect news in the next two weeks to be honest.”

Fernando Alonso says McLaren require perfection if they are to score points at the power-sensitive Spa circuit.

Even after a Honda upgrade, a lack of horse power is expected to hamper the Woking outfit once again.

Nonetheless, Spa is notorious for its fickle weather conditions, and rain could propel the team up the running order.

Alonso, then, is hoping for mixed conditions on Sunday, but acknowledges that McLaren have no room for error.

"Hopefully the weather will help us," the Spaniard said. "Rain or mixed conditions in the race will help us, a good qualifying, start and strategy.

"We need to make everything perfect to score points. We need to focus and concentrate."

Prior to the weekend, the drivers were relishing the prospect of tackling the iconic circuit in 2017's high-downforce machinery.

F1 veteran Alonso says every lap is 'magic' but found himself slightly underwhelmed.

“It was not too different, I was expecting more probably," he admitted.

"In the last couple of races at Silverstone Hungary and Austria I think the cars performed very differently compared to last year and they were much quicker.

“For us here it was not the case here unfortunately, you lose so much on the straights and you gain in the corners but the lap time was not too different.

"It is always fun, it is probably the best circuit in the world so every lap you do here is magic."

Haas F1 Team Principal Guenther Steiner sees no need for any kind of reconciliation between Kevin Magnussen and Renault's Nico Hulkenberg, following their spat after the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The recommencement of the Formula 1 season after the summer break this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps will mark the first time the two have been in the same place since their infamous meeting post-race in Budapest.

Their confrontation began after Magnussen was given a five-second time penalty for running the German, who replaced him at the Enstone-based team for this year, off the track. Later in the media pen, Hulkenberg referred to the Dane as the "most unsporting driver on the grid" to which the former McLaren driver retorted "suck my b***s, honey".

Four weeks on, however, Steiner believes the story has become "old news" and both drivers need to concentrate on the final nine races of the season.

“It’s been handled fine. At some stage there is a cut-off, it’s getting old, no-one wants to hear old news,” he said on Thursday. “Nothing more needs to be said, I don’t think we need to have a hugging session between Nico and Kevin!

“I think we have our standpoint and he has his own, I don’t think we need to get into ‘he said’, ‘he said’. Just move on and we learned a lot about what you can do in Turn 1 and I think Kevin is ready for it, and we go racing again.

“It was fun, but fun has a sell-by date. If you keep on going on about the same thing it gets old.”

Coincidently both Steiner and Hulkenberg would cross paths in at the airport on the following Monday, posting an image of the two together on Instagram.

“I think it was the last thing he wanted to do and the last thing I wanted to do!” Steiner joked. “But I have a good relationship with him.”

Sergio Perez has criticised Kevin Magnussen after the pair came perilously close to a collision in Belgian Grand Prix practice.

It was a clumsy incident, with Perez attempting to repass the Dane on the run towards Pouhon shortly after letting him through.

Magnussen started weaving and blocked Perez, who slammed his "dirty" rival over team radio.

The Mexican complained to FIA Race Director Charlie Whiting in the drivers' briefing, claiming Magnussen could have caused an accident.

Asked by Autosport if he felt the manoeuvre was deliberate, he replied: "Yes, he knew I was there because he had just overtaken me.

"I don't know what he was angry about but I just don't think it's the way to react.

"We've seen Kevin has reacted that way a couple of times already.

"It's not good, at the speeds we are doing you can cause a very bad incident.

"That's why I wanted to raise a point. Hopefully Charlie keeps it in his mind because tomorrow there could be an accident and it may be too late."

Magnussen, though, was adamant that it was not intentional.

"I didn't know he was trying to get back again, as he'd just let me past," he said.

"So I started warming up my tyres and he was close, but I hadn't seen him. It was not intentional."

The 24-year old became embroiled in a bitter war of words with Nico Hulkenberg last time out in Hungary after aggressively defending his position. 

Mercedes will have a third driver option available for 2018 to avoid a repeat of last year's frantic effort to replace Nico Rosberg following his shock retirement, according to Motorsport boss Toto Wolff.

The current world champion turned the sport on its head when he decided to call time on his Formula 1 career, five days after claiming the title in Abu Dhabi, that led to the German manufacturer scrambling before eventually securing their preferred choice Valtteri Bottas from Williams in January.

That only came after tough negotiations with the Grove-based team and the willingness of Felipe Massa to put off his retirement and remain with Williams for this season. It is also thought the later move of Paddy Lowe from Mercedes to Williams was also agreed as part of the Bottas switch, though that was never confirmed.

"There is certainly a component that in F1 you need to have a fallback solution, a plan B," Wolff told Autosport ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.

"Even having a contract doesn't necessarily mean that everything is going to be like it is. There could be a change of circumstances.

"What we have now is a plan A and then there is obviously various possible plays afterward because the driver market changes a lot in 2018 and 2019. It is important to consider plan B and C."

The chance of a surprise exit for the second straight year is slim, with only the future of Lewis Hamilton really to worry about. The Briton is under contract for 2018 but on the question of his own retirement has admitted he doesn't know how he'd feel in November particularly if he won a fourth world title.

As for Bottas, talks have begun on a new contract after an impressive first year with the team. So much so, Rosberg even suggested the Finn had been more consistent than his teammate.

"Please do not forget about Valtteri Bottas. He really has a chance as he is fast and perhaps a bit more consistent than Lewis," Rosberg told Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung considering his championship credentials.

"Lewis is unbeatable on good days, but he also has a few more difficult weekends for various reasons."

Also at the forefront of Mercedes' mind is the chance for many high-profile driver moves for 2019. All of the top three teams could see their drivers available as contracts expire or, as is the case at Red Bull, frustration boils over.

It is this that is believed to be holding up Ferrari's re-signing of Sebastian Vettel with the German wanting a one-year deal while Ferrari wants three.

"It is very complex," Wolff continued. "There are many possibilities where a driver could end up [as] there are certainly at least a handful of capable drivers who would perform in a Mercedes. So you have to consider all scenarios."

Though the increased performance of the 2017 cars is set to make for a spectacular sight around Spa, one negative will be the great Eau Rouge corner will no longer be a challenge, according to Formula 1 drivers.

Over the years, car development has meant that even in lower downforce trim the famous uphill sweep, actually named Raidillon with the kink left at the bottom called Eau Rouge, hasn't instilled as much fear into drivers as it did say 20 years ago. 

Nevertheless, with the increased weight and power of recent years, the climb did become more difficult as Kevin Magnussen found out to his detriment last year. However, with bigger tyres and greater ground effect for 2017, the increase in grip will mean drivers can keep their foot to the floor when approaching one of the most famous sights in Motorsport.

“I think Eau Rouge will be not a corner that’s very interesting because it will be too easy for all of the drivers, all of the cars,” said Massa in the press conference on Thursday. “More or less like a straight."

Red Bull's Max Verstappen agreed, adding: “It’s eyes-closed flat-out now. I think back in the day it was also more dangerous. At the end of the day, Eau Rouge is very nice, the scenery is very nice, but it’s easy flat out at the moment."

Drivers already have some feel for the 2017 cars around the well-known layout having completed simulator testing in the build-up. When looking at areas that will push the limit of the new cars, however, both pointed to the twisty middle sector from Les Combes to Stavelot.

"When we get to the second sector it will be quite interesting," Massa claimed. "A lot of high-speed corners, quick changes of direction. That will be quite interesting and a good feeling for the drivers as well, like it was in Silverstone.”

One corner that could take up the mantle from Eau Rouge and Raidillon is the long left-hander of Pouhon which some were predicting could now be flat out with the faster cars.

“I like the second sector where you have a lot of fast corners in a row,” Verstappen continued. “I think that’s the most beautiful corners to take.”

With the use of the Ultrasoft tyres, it will be interesting to see how much the improved cornering speeds will offset time lost on the flat-out runs from La Source to Les Combes and Stavelot to the Bus Stop, as a result of the increase in drag.

Ahead of his first home race, Stoffel Vandoorne's chances of a good result have already been hit as the Belgian will start from the back of the grid at Spa-Francorchamps due to engine penalties.

It was already set to be a difficult weekend for McLaren as their Honda engine will put them at a major disadvantage around the power-hungry Spa layout, but further upgrades are being brought by the Japanese manufacturer in an effort to try and close the performance gap both in Belgium and next weekend at Monza.

As a result, Vandoorne, who scored his first point of the year at the last race in Hungary, will take a completely new power unit resulting in a total penalty of 35 grid places for Sunday's race.

The problems Honda have had are clear when looking at the number of each component Vandoorne's car has used. Eight turbos and eight MGU-H's is double the number of each allowed over the season and the year is only just past halfway, six batteries and ECU's plus five internal combustion engines and MGU-K's, a quite staggering tally.

More penalties over the final nine races are almost certain as Honda promises two or three upgrades between now and the end of the season but hopefully it will be improvements rather than failures that force that hand.

Should the running of the improved components be successful, it is anticipated Fernando Alonso will receive them for the Italian Grand Prix and the same 35-place grid penalty that will go with it.

Details of the updates will be given by Honda F1 boss Yusuke Hasegawa when he speaks to the media on Friday.

Triple Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has scorned title rival Sebastian Vettel claiming it's the German who would shy away from joining him at the same team.

The prospect of the two most successful drivers currently on the grid sharing the same garage has always been a small one, with Vettel particularly known to try and bring a team around him as was the case at Red Bull and is now at Ferrari.

Yet, amid speculation that Mercedes is interested in bringing the four-time world champion to Brackley for 2019, should Hamilton renew his contract, which expires after next year, it is not a complete impossibility that the two could line-up together.

If the Briton is to be believed, however, the potential dream team certainly won't happen and it won't be because he wasn't willing to test himself against the 30-year-old.

"I think it's highly unlikely that he would be here, I don't think he wants to be my teammate," he said at Spa on Thursday. "I'm always game to race whoever it is and racing against the best drivers is always a great thing."

Offering his view on why he doubts Vettel would team up with him, Hamilton hinted that the four-time world champion wouldn’t like the lack of a ‘number one’ driver status which he’s widely believed to hold at Ferrari.

"I'm stating the obvious, but I know he doesn't want to be my teammate because he wouldn't be in the position he is in now in terms of how the team operates if he was here," he claimed.

As it is, Mercedes currently enjoy a much more relaxed partnership in the team as the harmony between Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, who joined in January, has been well documented.

"I think the team is in a very very good [place],” he said. “The last race is actually one of the best examples of how great the team is currently.

“Coming into this season I haven't changed a single thing that I do but there is a new element in the team and it works. So I don't believe any of the bosses or any individual at the team is unhappy with what is currently in place, so I find it unlikely they would change that."

Bottas is in talks over a new contract with Mercedes, having only signed a one-year deal with the current world champions and an extension at least for one more season is widely expected.

Sebastian Vettel believes Mercedes are the favourites for this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix as the title battle resumes following the summer break. 

Vettel was the comfortable victor last time out in Hungary, but the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit is expected to favour their chief rivals, who enjoyed a slight advantage at power-sensitive circuits, notably Silverstone where Mercedes enjoyed their most dominant weekend of the 2017 season.

The German acknowledges that the Silver Arrows may well have the upper hand, but has vowed to "attack" as he looks to defend the 14-point championship lead he holds over nearest challenger Lewis Hamilton.

"There are some similarities [between Spa and Silverstone], obviously, but there are some things that are very different, so we'll see," he said. "I think if we had to race at Silverstone again, we would do a lot better as we just didn't get a very good weekend altogether. It's true that Mercedes is very strong there.

"It's true that Mercedes is very strong there and the fact that it's likely to be similar here, obviously for us makes it fairly straightforward. I think we have only to gain.

"Because of how strong they were at Silverstone and some similarities, I would say they are the favourites coming here but for sure we're not going to settle behind them. We're going to attack, and we'll see what we can do."

Vettel's efforts will be boosted by a significant upgrade package as Ferrari introduce a new front suspension, which includes a third damper, as well as tweaks to their floor and wings to cope with the low downforce required at the Belgian track.