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How to follow Belgian Grand Prix on the BBC

How to follow Belgian Grand Prix on the BBC

Yahoo21-07-2025
Formula 1 moves into the second half of the season with the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps from 25-27 July.
It's also a sprint weekend so extra points are on offer in Saturday's 15-lap race.
After winning the past two grands prix, Lando Norris has narrowed the gap in the drivers' championship to his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri to eight points.
Sunday's main grand prix, over 44 laps, starts at 14:00 BST.
Session start times and BBC coverage
Commentary of the race will be on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds, the BBC Sport website and app and most smart speakers.
Make sure to download the Chequered Flag podcast, which previews and reviews every race of the season.
All times BST
Friday, 25 July
Practice session: 11:30-12:30 (BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2, BBC Sounds and smart speakers)
Sprint qualifying: 15:30-16:14 (BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2, BBC Sounds and smart speakers)
Saturday, 26 July
Sprint race: 11:00 (BBC Radio 5 Live and Sports Extra 2, BBC Sounds and smart speakers)
Qualifying: 15:00-16:00 (BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2, BBC Sounds and smart speakers)
Sunday, 27 July
Race: 14:00 (BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds and smart speakers)
What is the weather forecast in Spa?
The weather at Spa, located in the Ardennes Forest, is notoriously unpredictable and the early forecast suggests this year will be no exception.
A high of 23C is predicted for all three days with light showers expected on the Friday and Saturday. Sunday is looking sunnier but the possibility of rain remains.
A new boss at Red Bull
Following Christian Horner's sacking as Red Bull team principal and chief executive, Laurent Mekies takes charge for the first time after his promotion from second team Racing Bulls.
The 48-year-old Frenchman had been at Racing Bulls since the start of the 2024 season and was previously racing director for Ferrari.
It is the first time anyone other than Horner has been in charge of Red Bull's main F1 team since their debut in 2005.
Englishman Alan Permane, 58, has been promoted to team principal of Racing Bulls from his position as racing director.
Could Horner end up at another F1 team?
Chequered Flag Extra: What next for Max Verstappen?
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Piastri Slams Rolling Start After Winning Belgian GP: "I Was Disappointed"
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Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. McLaren driver Oscar Piastri secured another win at the Belgium Grand Prix, growing his lead in the Drivers' Championship, but he wasn't happy with every aspect of the race. The race got delayed by more than an hour after rain poured down on the track. It eventually got started under a rolling start. Pole-sitter Lando Norris controlled the pack behind him for the first four laps of the race under a safety car, much to the chagrin of Piastri. Considering how poorly the modern Formula 1 cars deal with following behind another car, the lap one developments matter more than ever as the top four fight for the lead at the front. McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri waves after winning the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Spa, on July 27, 2025. McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri waves after winning the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Spa, on July 27, 2025. Photo byNorris's control meant Piastri was limited in his ability to attack on the opening lap, leaving the Aussie driver "disappointed." "Once I knew I was close, to be honest, I was a bit disappointed," he said. It was a rolling start because I thought that was going to take away some opportunity, but I got a good exit out of Turn 1, was able to stay close. "When I was that close, I knew I was just going to lift a little bit less than Lando did and try and keep it on the track. "And, yeah, it was a bit lively up over the hill, but, no, I managed to make it stick. "And then from there, the tire helped me out. So, no, proud of my first lap." The title leader showed his overtaking chops on the opening lap. He stayed patient and waited for Norris to have a slide before making the move. Once Piastri got past his teammate, the race became straightforward with clear air in front of the Aussie and set the fastest lap of the race as soon as he got in front. With his sixth win of the season, he leads the Drivers' Championship by 16 points, a solid lead with one more race until the summer break in August. Belgium Grand Prix Results

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An hour and 20 minutes. That's how long it took the Belgian Grand Prix to get underway at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Significant rain came through the Ardennes forest, where the track is located, on and off on Sunday. The Formula Three race was red-flagged after starting behind the safety car, and the Formula Two feature race took place after extra formation laps behind a safety car. Advertisement A dry spell came through just before the grand prix, though it didn't last long. Teams fitted the cars with intermediate tires before heading to the grid, and awnings were set up over each car as the rain began hammering down. They tried going around the track behind the safety car, but the starting procedure was suspended and the event was briefly stopped. It became a waiting game of whether (and when) the race would begin. Not everyone agreed with the timing of the race's eventual start, as the track dried fairly quickly once the sun came out from behind the storm clouds. This caught out some teams, like Red Bull, that had made setup choices expecting more wet racing, and it raised questions about the future of wet-weather racing and the purpose of the increasingly underused Pirelli wet tire. However, given the circuit's tragic history, dangerous nature and the visibility concerns, a cautious approach was probably the right decision, even if some found it frustrating. 'As a racer, you always want to get going. You love driving in the rain,' George Russell told reporters after the race. 'But the fact is, when you're doing over 200 miles an hour out of Eau Rouge, you literally cannot see anything; you may as well have a blindfold on. It isn't racing, it's just stupidity.' Spa has a deadly history. Briton Archie Scott-Brown died after crashing in 1958, and Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey were killed two years later. The race was boycotted in 1969 when drivers called for safer conditions. Changes made over the years prompted F1's return in the 1980s, but in recent years, the Eau Rouge and Raidillon section (Turns 2 through 4) has become a topic of concern. Anthoine Hubert died in 2019 following a multi-car crash that started at Raidillon during a F2 race. In a Formula Regional European Championship race that took place in wet conditions in 2023, Dilano van 't Hoff died after an accident between Raidillon and the Kemmel Straight. The circuit made a few changes, like expanding the runoff area at Raidillon, following Hubert's death. But after van 't Hoff's death, the question of whether more track changes need to be made arose again. 'I think the past few years, particularly here, we've given the FIA feedback that we would much rather be on the safe side than risk anything. I think that's what we did today,' race winner Oscar Piastri told reporters on Sunday. 'If you were to be picky, maybe we could have done one less formation lap. 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